Production : augment5 Inc.
augment5.com/

– Release　2013/06/28
googlejapan.blogspot.jp/2013/06/blog-post_28.html

– Detail about This Project (from designtaxi.com)
designtaxi.com/news/358943/Explore-Japan-s-Abandoned-Battleship-Island-With-Google-Maps/

In the recent James Bond movie ‘Skyfall’, the villain’s secret hideout was located on a deserted island filled with derelict buildings. That location was actually based on Hashima, also known as Battleship Island, an island off the coast of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.

Google Maps has mapped the uninhabited island using Google Trekker, allowing anyone to explore the area on their desktop.

Hashima was populated from the late 19th century to the 1970s as a coal mining facility. The island was then completely abandoned, only opening up to the public again in 2009.

However, many parts of the island are off limits to tourists as it is unsafe; strong winds have been known to cause parts of buildings to collapse, due to the deteriorating condition.

Google, with the assistance of Nagasaki City, was able to “collect imagery with the Google Trekker beyond the cordoned-off areas for tourists and into off-limits paths around the island”. They were also able to use their ‘Business Photos’ technology to give a glimpse into the “abandoned buildings, complete with ancient black-and-white TVs and discarded soda bottles”.