A road junction in Manchester, England, showing 9 angles. |
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| Initial release | May 25, 2007 |
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| Stable release | Release 46 (see list) / December 13, 2011 More Locations Added: Tsunami-affected areas of Japan Additional Islands of Spain |
| Available in | English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, Czech, Romanian (beta) |
| Website | Google Street View |
Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from various positions along many streets in the world. It was launched on May 25, 2007, originally only in several cities in the United States, and has since gradually expanded to include more cities and rural areas worldwide.
Where available, Street View images appear after zooming in beyond the highest zooming level in maps and satellite images, and also by dragging a "pegman" icon onto a location on a map. When dragging the pegman icon, blue lines on the map showing Street View imagery will appear. Using the keyboard or mouse the horizontal and vertical viewing direction and the zoom level can be selected. A solid or broken line in the photo shows the approximate path followed by the camera car, and arrows link to the next photo in each direction. At junctions and crossings of camera car routes, more arrows are shown. By using Google Maps, users can turn on steroscopic 3D mode by right-clicking in Street View to get an anaglyph version of any Street View images. However, this mode requires users to wear red cyan glasses to see the 3D effects.[1]
On November 21, 2008, Street View was added to the Maps application installed on the Apple iPhone. On December 10, 2008, Street View was added to the Maps application for S60 3rd Edition. Street View has now also been added to the BlackBerry and Windows Mobile versions of Google Maps. All versions of Google Maps for the Android operating system feature Street View, and the digital compass can be used to look around the locations.
Google Street View displays panoramas of stitched images taken from a fleet of specially adapted cars. Areas not accessible by car, like pedestrian areas, narrow streets, alleys and ski resorts, are sometimes covered by Google Trikes (tricycles) or snowmobiles.[2][3] On each of these vehicles there are nine directional cameras for 360° views at a height of about 8.2 feet, or 2.5 meters, GPS units for positioning and three laser range scanners from Sick AG for the measuring of up to 50 meters 180° in the front of the vehicle.[4] These are apparently used for recording a rough 3D model of the surroundings, enabling the faux-3D transitions between distinct panoramas where the environment images are momentarily mapped onto this 3D model while being crossfaded to create a somewhat impressive (if inaccurate) animated perspective change in three dimensions as the user travels from one panorama to another. There are also 3G/GSM/Wi-Fi antennas for scanning 3G/GSM and Wi-Fi hotspots.[5] As of late, "high quality" images have been based on open source hardware cameras from Elphel.[6]
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Google Street View was first introduced in the United States on May 25, 2007, and until November 26, 2008, featured camera icon markers, each representing at least one major city or area (such as a park), and usually the other nearby cities, towns, suburbs, and parks. Many areas that had coverage were not represented by icons.
Google Street View was first introduced in the United States on May 25, 2007, and only covered areas of the United States until July 2, 2008. Currently, images can be seen in at least nine countries (although parts of other countries can be seen from locations located near national borders; for example, large portions of Vatican City can be viewed from Rome's streetview). Introductions have generally occurred every 2 days to 100 days. Up until November 26, 2008, major cities (and early on, the only cities) were marked by camera icons, more of which were added each time. Then, all camera icons were discontinued in favor simply of "blue" coverage, while other features have been added to make access to and use of the feature more user-friendly.
Below is a table showing the countries available on street view and the year they were first added.
| Country | Year added | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aland Islands | 2010 | |
| Antarctica | 2010 | |
| Australia | 2008 | |
| Belgium | 2011 | |
| Brazil | 2010 | |
| Canada | 2009 | |
| Czech Republic | 2009 | |
| Denmark | 2010 | |
| France | 2008 | |
| Finland | 2010 | |
| Germany | 2010 | |
| Hong Kong | 2010 | |
| Iraq | 2011 | National Museum of Iraq only |
| Ireland | 2010 | |
| Isle of Man | 2011 | |
| Italy | 2008 | |
| Japan | 2008 | |
| Jersey | 2011 | |
| Macau | 2010 | |
| Mexico | 2009 | |
| Monaco | 2011 | |
| Netherlands | 2009 | |
| Norway | 2010 | |
| New Zealand | 2008 | |
| Portugal | 2009 | |
| Romania | 2010 | |
| Russia | 2011 | Tretyakov Gallery and Hermitage Museum only |
| Singapore | 2009 | |
| South Africa | 2010 | |
| Spain | 2008 | |
| Sweden | 2010 | |
| Switzerland | 2009 | |
| Taiwan | 2009 | |
| United Kingdom | 2009 | |
| United States | 2007 | First country available to view on street view |
The United States was the first country to have Street View images and was the only country with images for over a year following introduction. Early on, most locations had a limited number of views, usually constrained to the city limits and only including major streets, and they only showed the buildings up to a certain height. Few suburbs or other nearby cities were included.
After the first few sets of introductions, image collections from cities added were more detailed, often including every side street, especially in areas closer to the center of the city. More suburbs and other nearby cities were included.
The coverage of various cities has in many cases, subsequently been enlarged and improved, but not necessarily on the same date as new cities have been added. Improvements have included the additions of streets in neighborhoods where formerly only main roads had been covered, expansions to more suburbs, and views to the sky where formerly only views to a certain height were provided.
Initially when a group of cities were added, only those cities and their own suburbs would be a part of the image collection. However June 10, 2008 introductions also included cities in covered areas without camera icons and isolated from any other camera icons. Many more cities were added without icons on August 4, when the only U.S. city added with an icon was New Orleans.
On December 9, 2008, extensive coverage of the United States was added. This included full coverage of all large and most medium-sized urban areas and most major highways and connecting arteries throughout the 48 contiguous states.
On March 18, 2009, extensive coverage of the United States was added including most of the coverage of Delaware, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and South Dakota. For a period of time some coverage was deleted (such as in northern Minnesota.)
By January 21, 2010, more American landmarks appeared on Street View, including San Diego Zoo and Sesame Place.
On September 30, 2010, most of Alaska was replaced with high-resolution imagery, and more of Hawaiʻi was added.
On February 1, 2011, Street Views were added of the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art in Washington and of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, both in New York.[10]
In Canada, Google Street View cars had been spotted as early as September 2007, in Montreal, though service for Canada was delayed while attempting to settle with the nation over its privacy laws. The first images of Canada were made available on October 7, 2009. Currently, most of Canada can be seen on Street View with the notable exceptions of Labrador, Nunavut and Fort McMurray, Alberta.
On February 10, 2010, many more areas of Canada (barring extremely northern and rural areas) were added. Of note, ski runs on Whistler Blackcomb Resort is also covered in this update. Using Street View, it is now possible to "drive" almost to the shore of the Arctic Ocean in Alaska along the Dalton Highway; in Canada, the northernmost community currently imaged is Inuvik, Northwest Territories off the Dempster Highway.
In Mexico, first reports of sightings came in from Mexico City as early as April 2009 and now Google Street View cars are being spotted in many Mexican states. On November 9, 2009, Street View was made available in the main cities of Mexico, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Cancún and Puerto Vallarta.[11]
On February 10, 2010, more places were added.
On April 15, 2010, more areas of Mexico were uploaded. Although complete coverage has not yet occurred (in some cities only main streets are imaged), numerous locations including communities in Baja California and Ciudad Juárez now had extensive street-level coverage with this update.
On September 30, 2010, the first cities from Brazil were added.[12] The service started with 51 cities, most from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and greater metropolitan areas. Historic cities such as Ouro Preto, Diamantina and Tiradentes were also included. Google is expecting to cover 90% of Brazilian streets in two years. On September 28, 2011 several towns in the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul were added.[13]
In Europe, coverage is currently available in 16 countries, with several more planned. Coverage began in Europe on July 2, 2008, with the Tour de France route in parts of France and Italy, and other parts followed.
Japan was also introduced on August 4, 2008. Japan's coverage is currently concentrated in five areas with a total of 10 camera icons. The service has faced criticisms from bloggers in Japan of cultural insensitivity.[14]
Google Street View camera cars were spotted in the streets of Singapore in October 2008. On December 2, 2009 Street View imagery of Singapore was made available.
In early 2009, camera cars with the Google Street View labels were spotted in Hong Kong's streets. On August 18, 2009, Taipei, Taiwan was added. On October 7, and December 2, 2009, more locations in Japan were added. On January 21, 2010, more Taiwan locations are added. At the same time, more Japanese locations are added. Unusually, while Street View images are, at present, primarily collected during daylight hours, a number of Taipei streets were imaged at night.
On March 11, 2010, Google Street View for Hong Kong, Macau, and more locations in Japan was launched.
On December 8, 2010, Google updated some of Japan's imagery with HD photographs.
On May 26, 2011, Google started Street View mapping in Bangalore and New Delhi in India.
On September 2, 2011 Google has revealed that its Street View feature will be introduced to the country in association with the Tourism Authority of Thailand.[15][16]
On September 3, 2011 Google started to collaborate with Tourism Malaysia to record Malaysian locations to be featured on its Google Map Street View.[17]
On August 4, 2008, the long-anticipated image collection of Australia was introduced. At this time, 18 camera icons were added. Extensive mapping of New Zealand was included on December 1, 2008. On December 9, 2008, Darwin, Australia, and other locations were included. On October 30, 2009, Google Australia announced that they would be sending its fleet of cars back on the road from November 2009 to update Street View Australia with new images. Google said that the imagery would be available online sometime during 2010, but never provided a specific timetable. In October 2010, Google Street View ceased operations in Australia, so the new images were never released.[18] In May 2011, Google Australia stated that they have removed all the Wifi sniffing equipment and stated that they plan to shoot Australian roads again, but did not provide a specific timetable.[19] On July 27, 2011, major urban and regional centres of Australia were updated with new HD imagery.
Presently, South Africa is the only African country with Street View. It has not been planned for any other countries as of this day.
On September 1, 2009, Google announced that it started collecting images in South Africa for Google Maps Street View. Google is currently driving around South Africa in Toyota Prius, taking photographs of locations in the cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban and East London. Google Trikes are also being used for the first time to map popular tourist destinations, such as the scenic Chapman's Peak Drive and Table Mountain in Cape Town, Soccer City in Johannesburg, and the new Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Images of South Africa were made available on Google Street View on June 8, 2010.
On December 8, 2010, more locations in South Africa were added. These were mostly rural and main roads, as well as a much larger coverage of the Limpopo province. After the update, the borders of South Africa's neighboring countries could be reached.
In September 2010, views of Half Moon Island in the South Shetland Islands were added.[20]
A list of the places Google Street View vehicles are currently driving, or where Google Street View is officially planned, is available:[21]
| Continent | Countries and regions listed on Google's site [1] | Countries reported in media or unofficially announced |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | India Israel[22] South Korea[23][24] Thailand[25] | Malaysia[26] |
| Europe | Austria, Croatia, Gibraltar[27], Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia | Alderney[28] Guernsey[28], Andorra,[29] Bulgaria[30][31][32][33], Estonia[34], Hungary[35], Russia[36], Slovenia[37] |
| South America | Argentina[38] Chile[39][40] Colombia[41] Peru[41] |
On August 18, 2011, Google announced they are going to shoot photos on the Amazon River, using a boat. Also, Google uses Street View trike along the narrow dirt paths of Amazon villages.[42][43][44]
Google has used three types of car-mounted cameras in the past to take Street View photographs. Generations 1–3 were used to take photographs in the United States. The first generation was quickly superseded and images were replaced with images taken with 2nd and 3rd generation cameras. Second generation cameras were used to take photographs in Australia. The shadows caused by the 1st, 2nd and 4th generation cameras are occasionally viewable in images taken in mornings and evenings. The new 4th generation cameras will be used to completely replace all images taken with earlier generation cameras. 4th generation cameras take near-HD images and deliver much better quality than earlier cameras.
In October 2009, Google introduced the Street View Trike, a pedal tricycle with a 4th generation camera mounted to take images where cars cannot reach. All streetview images taken now will be taken with the 4th Generation streetview cameras.
In February 2010, Google introduced the Street View Snowmobile, a snowmobile with a 4th generation camera mounted to take images on the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Slopes in preparation for the winter olympics in Vancouver, Canada.[45]
Google plans to reshoot areas covered with pre-4th generation cameras, with 4th generation cameras.
The above shows a comparison of different generations of the Street View cameras. The first image was taken with either the first, second, or third generation Street View camera; and the second image was taken with the fourth generation Street View camera. Noticeably, the fourth generation camera provides clear, sharp, and vivid images. In most of Europe, for example, all images were taken with the fourth generation camera as these images were taken later, although some cities in France were not taken with the fourth generation camera. All older images where Street View was first made available, such as America, Australia, and Japan, will be phased out and replaced with newer imagery taken with the fourth generation Street View cameras.
Privacy advocates have objected to this Google feature, pointing to views found to show men leaving strip clubs, protesters at an abortion clinic, sunbathers in bikinis, and people engaging in activities visible from public property in which they do not wish to be seen publicly.[46] The concerns have led to several temporary bans of Street View in various countries around the world. Google maintains that the photos were taken from public property; however, an individual taking pictures of private property using a ladder to gain a view not normally available to a pedestrian would be prosecuted for invasion of privacy or harassment in many jurisdictions worldwide. Google has yet to address this concern. The service also allows users themselves to flag inappropriate or sensitive imagery for Google to review and remove.[47]
In May 2010, it was revealed that Google had collected and stored payload data from unencrypted Wi-Fi connections as part of Street View.[48] German authorities are considering legal action while the Foreign Minister said "I will do all I can to prevent it." Australian police have also been ordered to investigate.[49][50]
In October 2010, Google Street View ceased operations in Australia, following months of investigations from Australian authorities.[51] However, this cessation has since ended, with Google announcing plans to continue production on May 4, 2011[52] and subsequently releasing updated Street View imagery for Australian towns and cities on July 27, 2011.[53]
In April 2011, Google decided to stop taking Street View images in Germany.[54]
In June 2011, Google decided to temporarily stop taking street images in India, after receiving a letter from the local authorities.[55]
Fine-art photographers including Mishka Henner, Nick Mason, Jon Rafman, Doug Rickard, and Michael Wolf have selected Google Street View images for use in their own work.[56][57][58][59][60][61] Although the images may be pixelated, the colours "muddy", and the perspective "warped", the photographs have been published in book form and exhibited in art galleries.[58][59] Wolf won an honourable mention in Daily Life in the 2011 World Press Photo competition for some of his work using Google Street View.[62]
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