Tech

Google has officially launched its virtual maps alias street view feature on maps for some Kenyan parks and conservancies. The move will, therefore, enable tourists all over the world take virtual tours around Kenya.

Some of the parks which have been scheduled for the service are Amboseli, Nairobi National Park, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Lake Nakuru, Hell’s Gate, Mt Kenya and Samburu National Reserve.

The virtual maps will improve KWS’s brand identity, develop a ready and accessible information hub for customers, better target audience reach, and thus build a virtual shop for KWS products.

With 82% of travellers undecided on a destination and 74% of them starting their research or inspiration online, it’s critical that we have Kenya online.

Google Kenya country director Charles Murito 

The virtual map captures 360-degree ground-level imagery, enabling users remotely explore landmarks and park features.

The capture of images was done through a collaboration between Google, the Ministry of Tourism, Kenya Wildlife Services, the county governments of Narok and Samburu and also Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Street View, by Google Maps, is a virtual representation of our surroundings on Google Maps. It consists of millions of panoramic images. Street View’s content comes from two s – Google and contributors.

Cell phones are really hurting people badly as researchers have found that head and neck injuries incurred while driving or walking with a cellphone are on the rise – and correlates with the launch of the iPhone in 2007 and release of Pokemon Go in 2016.

“Injuries from cellphone use have mainly been reported from incidences during driving, but other types of injuries have gone largely underreported,” said study author Boris Paskhover from Rutgers University in the US.

“We hypothesise that distractions caused by cellphones were the biggest reason for injury and mainly affected people aged 13 to 29,” Paskhover said.

The study, published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, reviewed 2,501 emergency department patients who sustained head and neck injuries resulting from cellphone use between 1998 and 2017.

They found a steady increase in injuries over that time, along with the notable spikes. Pok�mon Go is an augmented reality-based game that requires players to track animated characters on their phones in real locations.

87 per cent of the children exceed the recommended screen time. Pixabay

The injuries included cuts, bruises, abrasions and internal injuries, especially around the eye and nose.

More than 41 per cent occurred at home and were minor, requiring little or no treatment. About 50 per cent resulted from distracted driving and one-third from distracted walking, the study said.