The second phase of the Google Street View (гудамж харах) project in Mongolia has already begun, and mapping teams will now photograph the provinces of Khentii, Dornod, and Sükhbaatar in the eastern part of the country, taking a major step forward in providing high-quality images of the Mongolian steppe to the world.
According to information provided by the Khentiin Medee Agency (Хэнтийн Мэдээ Сонин), Google Maps, in association with the Bodi group, will cover several locations in Khentii aimag. The project was approved by the local government, and also granted authorization for the filming of several trails within Onon-Balj National Park, one of the most scenic areas of the aimag that marks the transition between the Siberian conifer forests and the Daurian Steppe.
The Google Street View project in Eastern Mongolia is also used to support the “Ikh Tüükhiin Jimeer” (Их түүхийн жимээр / Translation: Along the path of great history) initiative, which aims to promote various cultural and tourist sites in Mongolia.
After filming in Khentii, the vehicles will drive much further east, including updates in Dornod and Sükhbaatar. During the Gen 3 era, the Google Maps team photographed this region of Mongolia during June and July 2015. Due to the short time frame, many areas were not integrated into the service.
Using Gen 4 Cameras
Google had previously launched Gen 4 coverage in mid-2024 as part of the first phase of the Google Street View Project, which included improvements to imagery in the western part of the country.
It had previously been mentioned that Google Maps intended to photograph several tourist sites in the eastern part of the country, as well as nature reserves, although press releases provided by regional authorities have not specified how Google will do this.
The Google Maps team has used some interesting methods to photograph certain nature reserves in the country, such as using yaks to photograph part of the area around Taikhar Chuluu Rock.
In addition, the Google Maps team in Mongolia collaborated with the Mongolian Walking Association (Монголын Явган Алхалтын Холбоо) to integrate certain nature reserves in the country, such as Selbe National Park.
Portraying Mongolian Culture
The mapping team in Mongolia has been very transparent about the areas they will cover, which is a welcome change given that Google tends to be quite discreet in its operations. According to information provided by NewsWall.mn, the Google Maps crew will photograph the area around Delüün Boldog (Дэлүүн болдог) in Dadal Soum. Another area that will be covered soon is Khuduu Aral (Хөдөө арал), which is home to several historical monuments dating back to the Xiognu, Turkic, and Kidan periods, as well as remnants of the Great Mongol Empire.
