In 2010, Google faced a problem its Street View cars could not solve. Parts of the Liwa Desert in Abu Dhabi were too soft and remote for vehicles to cross.

Instead of forcing a car through the sand, Google tried something else. A camel.

A trained camel named Raffia carried a Street View camera rig across desert paths, capturing 360-degree images as she walked. Handlers guided the route, and the camera system recorded imagery the same way Street View cars do on roads.

This experiment was not a publicity stunt. It helped Google develop off-road mapping methods that are now used worldwide, including backpack cameras, snowmobiles, and boats. Some of the most difficult terrain on Earth was mapped one careful step at a time.

Quick Facts (optional callout box)

• Where: Liwa Desert, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

• When: Around 2010, imagery released publicly in 2014

• Why: Cars could not safely travel across deep desert sand

• How: A camel carried a stabilized Street View camera system

The camel was only the beginning. Today, Google maps difficult terrain using backpack-mounted cameras, bikes, boats, and snowmobiles, choosing the method that best fits the landscape. The goal remains the same as it was in the desert: reach places where roads do not exist and document them accurately, one careful step at a time.