What if you could have one last glimpse at a late loved one thanks to technology?
While it's not a hologram, Google Maps Street View is allowing people to share how they've reconnected with those near and dear to them thanks to a viral Tweet.
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Leslie Barraza recently tweeted about spotting her late grandfather after using the platform.
“My grandpa passed away a few years ago. We didn’t get to say goodbye to him,” she tweeted. “Yesterday we found out google maps finally drove through his farm and as we were curious going through it, where the road ends, there is my grandpa, just sitting there.”
"I shared it with my family once I realized the tweet was getting so much attention. I wanted to wait, but I decided to send it them before they saw it somewhere else," Barraza told Time magazine.
Upon seeing the image of her grandfather in Durango, Mexico, she said “I felt chills and I couldn’t help but to cry.”
Her post has since garnered more than 60,000 replies, with many sharing their own photos of beloved pets, parents and grandparents who have died.
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“It's heartwarming to see Google Maps and Street View helping so many people remember their loved ones in a special way and share their memory with the world," Google spokesman Ben Jose told CNN after the post went viral.
It came after the website’s official Twitter account replied to Barraza’s tweet saying, “Our tissue box is officially empty. Thank you for sharing this. “
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Google Street View launched in several cities in 2007, ahead of Google Maps. In the years since, it has expanded to rural areas, too. It works by collecting imagery by driving around and snapping photos of locations after taking factors like weather and population into account. After aligning the photos, they're turned into 360 degree images people can smoothly scroll through to virtually journey from place to place.
Throughout this year, Georgians can catch the Street View car in Fulton, Douglas, Cobb, Cherokee, Paulding, Dekalb, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Henry and Clayton counties.
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