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Tag: Street View

  • Google Street View Goes Inside CERN Lab

    Google Street View Goes Inside CERN Lab

    Google has launched new Street View imagery from inside CERN, the lab near Geneva where the Large Hadron Collider resides.

    “We’re delighted that CERN opened its doors to Google Maps Street View allowing anyone, anywhere in the world to take a peek into its laboratories, control centers and its myriad underground tunnels housing cutting-edge experiments,” says Google’s Pascale Milite. “Street View also lets scientists working on the experiments, who may be on the other side of the world, explore the equipment they’re using.”

    Here are some of the available shots:

    Large Hadron Collider

    Street View CERN

    ATLAS Detector

    Street View CERN

    ALICE Detector

    Street View CERN

    Compact Muon Solenoid Detector

    Street View CERN

    “For two full weeks back in 2011, members of our Street View team from Google’s Zurich office worked with our CERN partners to capture this incredible imagery,” says Milite.

    In May, Google shared a video of a physics teacher using Google Glass to conduct a hangout from CERN.

    Images: Google

  • Google Street View Car Hits 3 Vehicles In Reportedly Attempted Hit And Run

    Wow. Just wow.

    A Google Street View car driver apparently hit two buses and a truck, and tried to flee the scene. The incident happened in Bogor, Indonesia, and there is photographic evidence of a wrecked Street View car. Gizmodo shares these two photos that were posted to Indonesian forum:

    Street View

    Street View hit and run

    The police, as reported by local media, indicated that the driver hit one bus, panicked, and tried to flee the scene, only to then hit another bus and a truck. Yes, that’s a total of three vehicles. It’s unclear if anyone was hurt.

    The BBC shares statements from the police and from Google:

    “We take incidents like this very seriously. We’re working closely with local authorities to address the situation.”

    Perhaps Google needs to use the Trike and Trekker more often.

    Of course, the whole thing is forcing people to remember an incident from earlier this year where an image on Street View appeared to show a donkey that had been run over. Google took to its Google Maps blog to deny this. Google said that while it looked like its car might have been involved in a hit and run, it suggested that the donkey was just “lying in the path – perhaps enjoying a dust bath – before moving safely aside as our car drove past.”

    Google claimed that the donkey was “alive and well.”

    No blog post has been made so far about this new incident.

    In case you’re wondering if it’s a publicity stunt to show that self-driving cars are safer than regular cars (as if a Street View car is a “regular” car), don’t worry, Google has had an accident with one of those too. Granted, a human was driving.

    Images: kaskus.co.id (via Gizmodo)

  • Check Out These Beautiful Images Of The Galapagos Islands On Google Street View

    Back in May, Google said that its Street View team traveled to the Galapagos Islands to capture panoramic images of the place that inspired Charles Darwin to pin his initial theory of evolution. Now on the 178th anniversary of Darwin’s discovery of the islands, Google has partnered with the The Charles Darwin Foundation, the Catlin Seaview Survey and the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park to release the imagery to the world.

    Before we get to the images, check out Google’s short documentary about its trip to the famous islands:

    As part of its efforts to map the islands, Google’s Street View team visited all the famous locations on each island. Here’s a shot off the coast of San Cristobal where Frigatebirds gather:

    Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper tour of the Galapagos Islands without a shot of the famous Galapagos giant tortoise. Here’s a shot of a few tortoises that are kept at the Galapaguera breeding center:

    To add to its already impressive collection of underwater imagery, Google explored the shallow waters around some of the islands. Here’s a rather exceptional image of a group of sea lions that were playing around the divers:

    For the bird lovers out there, Google got a close up shot of some Blue-Footed Boobies on North Seymour Island:

    For something a little more geological, here’s some amazing Street View imagery of the sulfur mines at Minas de Azufre:

    Near the sulfur mine is the Sierra Negra volcano. Here’s a shot from inside the crater, and it’s still active:

    For more Street View imagery of the Galapagos Islands, check out Google’s landing page that shows all the locations you can explore from the comfort of your chair.

    [All Images: Google Street View]

  • Tour The 9/11 Memorial On Google Street View

    Back in late May, Google announced that it had published some new imagery for New York, including imagery of Hurricane Sandy, Central Park and the 9/11 Memorial.

    With today’s date in mind, the memorial imagery is worth revisiting.

    “The 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site is a moving tribute to those who lost their lives in the attacks on New York City, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, PA,” wrote Susan Molinari, VP of Public Policy at Google. “Panoramic images of the North and South pools allow you to see victims’ names engraved along the edges of the pools. If you aren’t able to visit lower Manhattan to pay your respects in person, let Street View be your guide to this important and moving memorial.”

    Google 9/11

    9/11 memorial

    Google 9/11 memorial

    Google 9/11 memorial

    Google Memorial

    You can browse around the area for yourself here.

  • Google Loses Street View Data Collection Appeal

    Google has lost its appeal in the big Street View privacy case stemming from when it collected personal data from people as its Street View cars drove around from 2008 to 2010.

    No word from the company on its Public Policy blog, which is where it usually addresses legal matters, but Reuters does share the following statement from the company:

    “We are disappointed in the Ninth Circuit’s decision and are considering our next steps.”

    Google was accused of violating federal wiretap law even though the company claims the whole thing happened by accident.

    Earlier this year, Google settled with 38 states, paying out $7 million and agreeing to engage in a “comprehensive employee education program about the privacy or confidentiality of user data,” as well as to sponsor a nationwide public service campaign to help educate consumers about securing wireless networks and protecting personal info.

    Google also agreed to secure and destroy the data it collected.

    In April, Google was fined $190K for wi-fi data collection in Germany.

    Image: Google

  • Everyone Should Be Okay With This Google ‘Panda’ Update

    Google announced on Wednesday that it has added more zoos to Street View. We’ve seen Google tout its zoo imagery on more than one occasion in the past, but this time, they’re claiming “must-see spots at zoos around the world.”

    Google is inviting people to use Street View to check out endangered species like pandas and red pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China, where it says over 30% of pandas live.

    Street View Panda

    Street View Panda

    Street View Panda

    Google is also adding imagery from Buin Zoo in Chile and Zoologico de Bauru in Brazil.

    Street View also has imagery from the San Diego Zoo, the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico, the Shou Shan Zoo in Taiwan, the Asahiyama Zoo in Japan, the Singapore Zoo, the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, the Zoo Safari Park Stukenbrock and the Tierpark Hagenbeck in Germany, the Zoo Aquarium de Madrid and Parc Zoologic de Barcelona in Spain, La Ferme aux Crocodiles in France, Olmense Zoo in Belgium, Whipsnade Zoo in the UK, the Toronto Zoo and the Jungle Cat World Wildlife Park in Ontario, as well as zoos in Houston, Atlanta and Chicago, among others.

    All images: Google

  • Google Maps Gets Waze Reports, Waze Gets More Google Maps Features, Google Search

    In June, Google acquired Waze, and promised that “nothing practical” would change. Today, Google announced that Waze reports will now be integrated into the Google Maps experience, and that Google features will be integrated into the Waze experience.

    Google Maps users will now incorporate incident reports from Waze on Android and iOS. Users will get Waze updates about accidents, construction, road closures, etc. The feature will be available in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.

    Google Maps Gets Waze

    Reports within Google Maps will not include Waze profile information.

    The Waze app will be getting Google Search, in addition to its other search options, so users will be able to use Google’s listings when looking for businesses and addresses.

    Waze’s Map Editor will also include Google Maps Street View and satellite imagery to help make it easier for users to correct reported errors.

    Street View

    Waze says Street View and aerial imagery will be “invaluable” to not fix problems as well as to indentify what the issue is in the first place.

    “It can also help to fill in house numbers, street names, turn restrictions and other missing data,” says Waze says in a blog post.

    In June, it was reported that the FTC was reviewing Google’s purchase of Waze. Google doesn’t appear to be waiting before moving ahead as planned.

  • Google Street View Driver Detained by Thai Villagers, Made to Swear Benevolence on Buddha Statue

    Google’s Street View seems to always be in the news – but mostly for the bizarre things that it captures on camera. We’re talking some dude with a lampshade on his head, a messy breakup, people doin’ it, and quite possibly the gates of hell.

    This time, it’s a Google Street View car (and driver) itself that’s wrapped up in a wacky story.

    The scene: Northern Thailand, in the Sa-eab village in Phrae province. The cast: About 20 angry villagers and one likely terrified, or at least slightly annoyed Google driver.

    According to the AP, the gang of Thai villagers fell suspicious of the Google Street View car and its driver, thinking that it was part of a surveying mission for a dam project – a dam project that the Thai villagers were none too thrilled by.

    They apparently stopped the Street View car and detained the driver. They also, and I kid you not, “made him swear on a statue of Buddha that he was not working for the dam project.”

    The mix-up only lasted for a short time, and the Google driver was eventually released. A representative for the village released the following statement:

    (We) apologize to the official, to Google, as well as to the Thai people throughout the nation and to the citizens of the world.

    It looks like they’re taking the incident pretty seriously. I don’t know if I buy the dam story, however. I’m thinking the residents of that specific Thai village had been reading up on Google’s shady European data-gathering practices. Either way, there are definite risks in venturing to faraway places for the sake of expanding the world’s collective knowledge. And I guess having to swear to Buddha that’s you’re just a lowly Google driver is one of those risks.

  • Google Adds ‘Behind The Views’ Content To Street View Collections

    Google announced today that it is adding “behind-the-scenes” content like photography, video, audio tours, etc. to its Street View Collections site on the recently launched Views. The content can be accessed from a “Go Behind the Views” icon.

    “Our first two multimedia adventures enable you to experience the Canadian Arctic in Iqaluit, Canada, and the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE,” says Street View program manager Deanna Yick in a blog post. “We also invite you enjoy photos and videos from our past journeys to the Grand Canyon, the base camp of Mount Everest, the Amazon Basin, the Great Barrier Reef and the NASA Kennedy Space Center — minus the extreme temperatures and long plane rides! If you’re on the Views page for those specific collections, just click on the “About this place” button on the upper right hand corner.”

    “As we trek around collecting more imagery of interesting places across the globe, we’ll continue to add more content to these sections of the Views site,” she adds. “So come back often to check them out, get behind-the-scenes insight into how Street View imagery is collected, and learn fun facts and details about these select locations.”

    More on Views here.

  • Yes, Google Even Has Street View Imagery From Inside Planes

    On the Google Maps Facebook page, Google is pointing to some Street View imagery it has from inside a plane. The imagery actually comes from Google’s Business Photos program.

    The photos are of the inside of the Airbus A380. Take a look:

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    Plane View

    The images come from Dubai International Airport.

    For a glimpse into how Google’s Trusted Photographers operate within the Google Business Photos program, read our recent interview with one of them.

  • Google’s Street View Loses The Side Of A Building

    We’ve seen plenty of strange things within Google’s Street View photography, but this is a new one, at least to me. Have you ever seen Google display a building, reducing it to two dimensions?

    Here’s an instance, pointed out on reddit, in which Google appears to have done just that. As redditor disguysdalimit asks, “Where is the side of this building?”

    Street View Building

    Here’s the link if you want to hop into Street View yourself. If you travel just down the street and look at the building, you can see the missing side:

    Google Street View building

    If you go down the street in the other direction and look from a different angle, you can also see the other side:

    Building on Street View

    Clearly it’s just a glitch in Google’s not quite seamless Street View imagery, but sometimes the glitches are more interesting than the actual photography.

    Here’s another interesting glitch someone also shared on reddit:

    Street View glitch

    Street View glitch

    Now, look at all these birds on Google’s Street View!

  • Google Launches ‘Views’ Site To Get Users’ Photo Spheres On Google Maps

    Google Launches ‘Views’ Site To Get Users’ Photo Spheres On Google Maps

    Google announced the launch of a new site called Views to showcase users’ photo spheres that are shared to Google Maps. Users’ Views pages will let people browse the photos and plot them on the earth via Google Maps so people can quickly see where they were taken.

    Google is constantly updating its Street View imagery to be more comprehensive, and with photo spheres, which are simply 360º panoramas (not unlike Street View shots) that can be taken with Android phones (4.2+), Google can greatly enhance the available imagery in Google Maps even more by way of crowdsourcing.

    You can also use a DSLR camera.

    This is what a user’s Views page looks like:

    Google Views

    “Since Views also incorporates the Street View Gallery, you can check out incredible panoramas of our most popular Street View collections, from the Grand Canyon to the Swiss Alps,” notes Google Maps and Photo Sphere product manager Evan Rapoport. “Just click on ‘Explore’ at the top of the Views site to browse a map of these special collections right alongside community-contributed photo spheres.”

    To upload the photo spheres, sign into the Views site with your Google account, click the blue camera button on the top right of the page, and import. You can also upload them to Views from Gallery in Android when you tap “Share” and select Google Maps.

  • Look At All These Birds On Google’s Street View

    It’s always fun to see what kinds of cool things Google captures with its Street View cameras. Sometimes it is simply deliberate photographing of landmarks or interesting areas. Sometimes people intervene, and put on a show (mildly NSFW). Sometimes, nature just happens to be doing it’s thing.

    On reddit, user Thunderjohn points us to the Midway Islands or Midway Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, where a whole bunch of birds are hanging out waiting for Google to photograph them:

    Street View birds

    Street View birds

    Street View birds

    Street View birds

    Street View birds

    Street View birds

    Street View birds

    There’s plenty more where those came from if you care to explore.

    Birds on Street View are not unheard of by any means. Last month, The Huffington Post reported on these creepy bird people in Japan:

    Bird people

    Bird people

    Bird person

    Back in 2010, this gem was discovered:

    Giant bird

    Giant bird

  • Google Gets Street View Imagery Of Charminar

    Google has added Street View imagery of the Charminar in Hyderabad. The Google Maps team tweeted this morning that Street View made a “very brief stop off” to get the imagery, which you can find here.

    Charminar Street View

    Charminar Street View

    Charminar Street View

    Charminar Street View

    Charminar street view

    Charminar

    Charminar street view

    Charminar street view

    The Charminar was built in 1591 CE, and is one of the most recognized structures in India. It’s located on the east bank of the Musi river.

    Last week, Google announced that it had taken its Street View Trekker up Mt Fuji to release some imagery from the world famous mountain. The team also recently announced its use of the Street View trolley to capture some new imagery of the Eiffel Tower.

  • Google Takes Street View Trekker Up Mt. Fuji

    Google announced today that it has taken its Street View Trekker camera device (you know, the backpack) up Mt. Fuji to gather some new imagery. The 360-degree panoramic shots cover the Yoshida trail that takes hikers up the mountain, as well as the full walk around the crater at the top and the “quick zigzag” descent.

    Mt. Fuji Street View

    Mt. Fuji Street view

    Mt. Fuji Street View

    Fuji street view

    “Back in June UNESCO granted Japan’s tallest mountain Mt. Fuji official status as a World Heritage Site — not just for its natural splendor or spiritual significance but also for its enduring influence on Japanese culture,” writes Setsuo Murai, Head of Geo Partnerships, Google Japan in a blog post. “The currently dormant volcano has inspired countless haiku and woodblock prints over many centuries, and around the world, its perfect conical shape has become one of Japan’s most iconic symbols.”

    “We hope these 14,000 panos of new imagery will give climbers a sense of the terrain to expect under their feet — especially all the night-time climbers who shuffle up in the dark to see the sunrise at the crack of dawn,” says Murai.

    Google also has Street View imagery for some other UNESCO World Heritage sites in Japan like Himeji Castle, the old village at Shirakawa-go, the floating Itsukushima shrine, the forests of Yakushima, the Ogasawara Islands and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

  • The Ones That Make Your Business Look Good In Google’s Local Results

    Back in January, Google revealed that Google Business Photos were being used by 100,000 businesses, a number that has no doubt grown significantly in the first half of 2013. In late May, Google announced the expansion of the program into seven additional countries.

    Do you have business photos up in Google’s local results? Have Google Business Photos ever helped you decide where to go? Let us know in the comments.

    Google Business Photos give businesses a chance to show off their interiors to prospective customers, and further entice them into coming to their physical locations. Just as Google lets you virtually tour the Eiffel Tower or the abandoned Fukushima town of Namie-machi, Google will let you tour the inside of the coffee shop down the street or the florist downtown.

    Unlike with its more publicized endeavors, however, Google is not using its various Street View camera equipment to go inside every store around the world. It relies upon groups of local certified photographers which have applied and met Google’s requirements to become a Google Trusted Photographer. These photographers then find businesses to photograph to fill up Google with more interior imagery.

    We had a conversation with one of Google’s trusted photographers, who gave us a better idea of what it’s like to go through the process. Sue Ann Tomlinson runs SuePH Photography. She applied to be part of Google’s program back in November of 2011, and was called upon by the company the following April, when it invited her to join the program.

    Given how an online presence can make or break even a brick and mortar business these days, you would think businesses would be champing at the bit to have Google certified photos from inside their establishments make their way into the local search results, but that’s not always the case, Tomlinson tells us. Some businesses simply don’t want to have their interiors photographed for Google.

    “It’s about 50-50,” she says. “Some businesses see value, and others don’t. We are creating a buzz about Google Business Photos and the value of these services. When the right business is approached they do not hesitate and jump on the opportunity. In the last month I have seen more and more of this.”

    I would guess interest will continue to grow, especially as businesses see their competitors’ Google listings.

    On average (though it varies by square footage), Tomlinson says she shoots about 144 shots for a business.

    “I submit the imagery [to Google] for the virtual tour,” she explains. “Everything I submit gets posted to the clients’ Google+ Local page. The client has the option to remove or add photographs of their own to the Google+ Local page.”

    With only about half of businesses wanting their photos on Google, it only make sense that Tomlinson doesn’t just wait for businesses to come to her, though each Google Trusted Photographer is listed on the Google Business Photos site, where if a business is seeking this service, they can simply go and find a trusted photographer in their area.

    She says she hasn’t received many calls for work this way. Instead, she does more reaching out to businesses herself, and does so daily with referrals, calls, or visits to businesses based on market research.

    “I mainly target businesses with a heavy social media presence and new businesses just starting out,” Tomlinson tells us. “I also have built SuePH Photography on the power of referrals.”

    Google does not give any kind of assignments to its trusted photographers.

    “Each photographer is an independent business and/or trusted agency, and I work directly with each business I contact,” Tomlinson says. “As a qualified Business Photos Trusted Photographer I am able to run my own independent business – with free support from Google.”

    When asked how much professional time is being spent photographing businesses for Google, Tomlinson says, “That depends on how many shoots I schedule for the week. I can spend 4-10 hours a week just photographing. I plan to expand my business to include architectural and real estate services as my business grows.”

    In the state of Nevada, there are only seven Google Trusted Photographers operating, and in northern Nevada, it’s only three. There are over a hundred and twenty-five in the region of Nevada/California/Oregon.

    Interestingly, the photographers are not so much in competition with one another as they are collaborators.

    “I work with the two other GTP in the Reno market (Northern Nevada),” Tomlinson says. “We collaborate on pricing, leads and work together to market the program.”

    This is apparently a common dynamic. This recent al.com article discusses a trio of Birmingham area photographers working together to put together virtual tours of a least 150 places for Google.

    Between the 3 photographers in Reno, Tomlinson says, they are pushing 100+ tours.

    We’ve seen various businesses do some silly things in their business photos. For example, we recently saw a guy in an office posing with a lampshade on his head. Then there was this bizarre corporate costume party.

    “Most of my clients want to keep things professional and simply want to have an employee group shot,” Tomlinson tells us. “However, the most unusual virtual tours I have seen from other GTPs were for various ad agencies and marketing companies worldwide as you may have seen. Why not have fun with these tours and stand out even more?”

    Probably good advice. You want to be less boring than your competitors right?

    What are some interesting things you’ve seen businesses do in Google Business Photos? Has a photo you’ve seen on Google ever deterred you from going somewhere? Let us know in the comments.

  • Google Breaks Out The Street View Trolley For The Eiffel Tower

    Google has teamed up with the Eiffel Tower Operating Company to create a trio of online exhibitions for the Google Cultural Institute, to let Internet users explore the Eiffel Tower in new ways without having to go to Paris.

    Google’s Street View team went up the tower using the Street View Trolley, and shot 360-degree views of the tower’s architecture and its views over the city.

    The trolley was made for Google’s Street View cameras to easily fit through museum doorways and navigate around sculptures. It’s basically a camera on a push-cart.

    “These modern-day Street View panoramas sit alongside nearly 50 archival images, plans, engravings and photos telling the story of the Eiffel Tower’s development and social impact in the 19th century,” says Mark Yoshitake, Head of Product & User Experience at the Google Cultural Institute. “Some of the archive material is quite rare and precious such as a recording of Gustave Eiffel’s voice by Thomas Edison.”

    “The first exhibition presents the birth of the Eiffel Tower from the initial idea until its realization,” explains Yoshitake. “You can then follow the construction of the monument step-by-step through photos and sketches. Details on the inauguration and the first visitors lie in the third exhibition, with photos of people admiring the Paris vista on the opening day leading into today’s Street View imagery from the top floor. Did you know that during the Tower’s inauguration for the Universal Exhibition of 1889, the elevators were not yet in service but 12,000 people per day rushed to climb the 1710 steps leading to the top?”

    While it didn’t make its way into Google Cultural Institute exhibitions, Google also recently captured Street View imagery at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (in Dubai). For that, Google used the Trekker camera device.

  • Google Street View Tours Harry Potter Studio

    If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll probably be happy to know that Google is providing Street View imagery not only of the real world, but also the Harry Potter world, or at least part of it. Google Maps has imagery available from the Warner Bros. studio, including the Diagon Alley set. The studio, in London, offers tours, and now you can simply take a virtual walk down the alley thanks to Google.

    Here are some of the sites you’ll see:

    Harry Potter Studio

    Harry Potter studio

    Potter

    Harry Potter Street View

    Potter

    Potter Street View

    Potter Street View

    Harry Potter street view

    Potter Street View


    View Larger Map

    [via TNW]

  • Winnie The Pooh Makes An Appearance On Google Street View

    Google Maps tweeted out this gem this morning:

    Street View - Winnie the Pooh

    Not the strangest thing we’ve seen on Street View by any means, but it’s always fun to see people in costumes appear in the massively popular Google Maps. Street View just came to Google Earth’s mobile apps too, by the way.

    In other Google Maps news, the company just launched and/or updated 3D imagery for 50 cities.

  • Google Street View Trekker Goes To ‘Dead City’

    Google Street View Trekker Goes To ‘Dead City’

    Google is releasing some new Street View imagery from the abandoned Hashima Island, which is known by “Dead Island” or “Dead City” from the James Bond flick Skyfall.

    Google announced the imagery in a Japanese blog post, and shared this video:

    This is just the latest imagery from the Trekker. Earlier this year, Google released some Grand Canyon imagery taken with the device, and in May, announced a new Galapagos Island project utilizing it. Then earlier this week, Google showed off what it’s doing with the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

    Google has also announced a new pilot program in which it will be letting third-party organizations borrow the Trekker to contribute their own imagery to Street View. More on that here.

    Update: Google has now discussed the project in a U.S. blog post, referring to the location as “Battleship Island”.

    [via Slashgear]

  • Google Lends Out Its Street View Trekker

    Google has launched a pilot program for third-party organizations to borrow its Street View Trekker camera backpack device, to enable them to contribute imgagery to Google Maps.

    One partner is the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), which has already started taking photos of sites on the Hawaiian islands, which will one day appear in Google Maps Street View.

    Google is calling on tourism boards, non-profits, government agencies, universities, research organizations and other entities to participate in the program. In the coming months, the company will open up the program to a limited number of other organizations.

    Trekker

    Trekker

    Trekker

    Unfortunately, Google has made no mention of letting others borrow its Street View cars. That would no doubt be a very popular pilot program, especially during the current Arrested Development craze.

    Earlier this year, Google released imagery of the Grand Canyon, the first journey Google used the Trekker for. Last month, they announced some plans for imagery from the Galapagos Islands, also utilizing Trekker. This week, Google also discussed using the Trekker for imagery from the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.