Street View in New Zealand to get an update
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Update: From late October/early November, there will be Street View cars in both the North and South Islands.
Ten months ago, we brought Street View to Google Maps in New Zealand - helping Kiwi Internet users to view and navigate 360 degree street-level imagery of New Zealand's cities, towns, regions and remote areas.
Since launch, Street View has been integrated with New Zealand real estate sites, used by LOTR buffs to check out Mt Doom ... and even helped find the black sheep in this 'family'. It has helped to share New Zealand's spectacular natural beauty with potential visitors to the country, as well as making it easier for Kiwis to plan their activities online.
We recognise that Street View works best when the images are up-to-date and accurately reflect what you'd see in a certain area if you were to visit in person, so today we're announcing that we're going to be re-driving much of New Zealand so we can update Street View imagery.
We'll start in Auckland this week, and you'll see our clearly-marked Street View cars (some like the one below, some like the Holden Astras we used last time) making their way around the thousands and thousands of kilometres of public roads in New Zealand throughout this summer.
We also work hard to improve our products as much as we can, and so the images we're collecting this time will be sharper and crisper - making Street View even more useful when using it to find that restaurant you've forgotten the name of, or when reading street signs on Street View when following driving directions in Google Maps. It will also make our face-blurring technology even more accurate, because faces will be easier for our blurring technology to recognise.
You can see what the new imagery will look like on the recently released Street View imagery in Canada ... I was able to reminisce about a trip to Montreal I took a few years ago by taking a virtual walk about the historic part of town, checking out even the fine detail of the stonework on the beautiful Basilique Notre-Dame.
View Larger Map
The new New Zealand imagery will be available sometime within the next year, and while we don't have a more specific timetable to share right now, we'll be sure to keep Kiwis updated. And in case you were wondering ... unfortunately we can't tell you exactly when we'll be in your area. You'll just need to keep the lawn mowed for the next few months!
If you're ever uncomfortable with an image that appears in Street View, whether in the existing imagery or in the new imagery once it launches, it's a simple matter to have it blurred or removed - simply click 'Report a Problem' at the bottom of any image, and follow the steps.
In the meantime, why not use Street View to check out your summer holiday home before you book it, or plan your Christmas shopping expedition online?
Ten months ago, we brought Street View to Google Maps in New Zealand - helping Kiwi Internet users to view and navigate 360 degree street-level imagery of New Zealand's cities, towns, regions and remote areas.
Since launch, Street View has been integrated with New Zealand real estate sites, used by LOTR buffs to check out Mt Doom ... and even helped find the black sheep in this 'family'. It has helped to share New Zealand's spectacular natural beauty with potential visitors to the country, as well as making it easier for Kiwis to plan their activities online.
We recognise that Street View works best when the images are up-to-date and accurately reflect what you'd see in a certain area if you were to visit in person, so today we're announcing that we're going to be re-driving much of New Zealand so we can update Street View imagery.
We'll start in Auckland this week, and you'll see our clearly-marked Street View cars (some like the one below, some like the Holden Astras we used last time) making their way around the thousands and thousands of kilometres of public roads in New Zealand throughout this summer.
We also work hard to improve our products as much as we can, and so the images we're collecting this time will be sharper and crisper - making Street View even more useful when using it to find that restaurant you've forgotten the name of, or when reading street signs on Street View when following driving directions in Google Maps. It will also make our face-blurring technology even more accurate, because faces will be easier for our blurring technology to recognise.
You can see what the new imagery will look like on the recently released Street View imagery in Canada ... I was able to reminisce about a trip to Montreal I took a few years ago by taking a virtual walk about the historic part of town, checking out even the fine detail of the stonework on the beautiful Basilique Notre-Dame.
View Larger Map
The new New Zealand imagery will be available sometime within the next year, and while we don't have a more specific timetable to share right now, we'll be sure to keep Kiwis updated. And in case you were wondering ... unfortunately we can't tell you exactly when we'll be in your area. You'll just need to keep the lawn mowed for the next few months!
If you're ever uncomfortable with an image that appears in Street View, whether in the existing imagery or in the new imagery once it launches, it's a simple matter to have it blurred or removed - simply click 'Report a Problem' at the bottom of any image, and follow the steps.
In the meantime, why not use Street View to check out your summer holiday home before you book it, or plan your Christmas shopping expedition online?
