Google Street View turns to trikes for mapping Europe
By Dave Parrack
This story is one those that makes you check the date to see if you’re confused and it’s actually April Fool’s Day. It’s not. Which means Google really is leaving the Street View cars behind and turning instead to using Street View trikes to map previously-inaccessible areas of Europe.
Google Street View has been a highly controversial addition to Google’s huge line-up of services. There were enough problems in the United States where it first launched, but things took a turn for the worse when it reached Europe. In fact, it looked for a while as though Street View would be banned in the UK for being in breach of privacy laws.
More recently, as Google moves Eastward in its mission to map the entire world, it has encountered problems being accepted in both Greece and Japan. The Greeks have all but banned it in their country while the Japanese aren’t happy with the Street View cars taking pictures over walls and seeing into gardens.
In light of these issues, I’m not sure how the latest Google Street View initiative will go down with the townsfolk. As reported by Crave, Google is going to be using specially-constructed trikes to get the shots the cars cannot.
The trikes consist of nothing more spectacular than a simple metal framework, the camera equipment mounted on a plinth, the data processing equipment in a box on the back, and last but not least a driver fit enough and willing to drive the contraption around landmarks in the major cities of Europe.
The trikes will first see service in Genoa, Italy before spending part of the summer piecing together images of landmarks in the UK. I wish the search giant good luck with that because the Great British summer is neither long or very pleasant. Which is why most of us spend it in sunnier climes.
British residents can vote for the category of landmark they want Google to focus on first, as chosen by the people at VisitBritain. The choice is between castles, coastal paths, natural wonders, historic buildings, and monuments and stadiums. To cast your vote go to the Google Street View Web site and follow the necessary steps.
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May 19th, 2009
Given the reception the Google van has received in some places, I hope the operators have black belts.