google street view
Google Street View Now Covers Whole Of UK (Almost)
March 10, 2010
Initially, Google Street View was fairly controversial with many people complaining about invasion of privacy and such issues. However, those concerns have not stopped Google from expanding the service, because as of tomorrow (11th March 2010), you lucky (or unlucky depending on which side of the fence you’re sat) people in the UK will have access to a total 96% of all roads, streets and avenues across the isles.
The infamous camera cars have been out and about over the last year busily snapping up everything from busy city streets to little lanes in the middle of God knows where, there’s even been some Google Path View images captured using specially equipped trikes.
In some parts, such as the village of Broughton, the journey of the car has been somewhat treacherous with outraged protesters lining the streets creating human blockades preventing the car from snapping their streets. None the less, Google got their way in the end and we’ll all be able to go spotting more strange Street View sights in the UK with all these new images.
Continue reading »Google Street View Update – Smart Navigation
July 4, 2009
The Google Street View interface has recently had some “Smart Navigation” improvements made to it which have certainly been a welcome addition to the service as beforehand as good as we thought it was here at Zath, it could still get a little annoying to use for any extended length of time.
Google Street View (UK) To Get ‘Path View’
May 20, 2009
Over the past few months there’s been a lot said about Google Street View (UK) whether it’s how useful it is now, what potential it holds for future navigation methods or just highlighting people’s concerns over privacy – this even caused a privacy blockade in Broughton stopping the Google Car collecting images.
Well Google have now announced a further addition to Google Street View, it will now be adding a “Path View” by deploying special ‘Google Trikes’ that will carry the now familiar Street View camera around footpaths in specific locations which will be voted for by the public at Street View Suggestions.
Continue reading »Google Street View (UK) Cleared Of Privacy Concerns
April 30, 2009
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has finally given a verdict on the legality of Google Street View going live in the UK, and fortunately for Google (and the millions of people that find the novelty useful and entertaining) it is one that says the online service including the continuing expansion should not be stopped.
This follows claims by many people that it should not be allowed for many different reasons – the most common two being that it infringes people’s privacy, and that it facilitates crime by allowing potential burglars to map out their route and identify weak spots without leaving their home.
However the ICO ruled that although it carries a small risk of privacy invasion removing Google Street View would be “disproportionate to the relatively small risk of privacy detriment”. It is definitely encouraging to see a watchdog use some common sense – listening to the quiet majority rather than the very vocal minority.
Continue reading »7 Strange Google Street View Sights (UK)
April 21, 2009
Since it kicked off here in the UK a few weeks ago, Google Street View has courted controversy with the residents of a Buckinghamshire village, Broughton, who refused to be photographed, and the privacy lobby who say that the service is against human rights.
Here at Zath towers however, we prefer to focus on the fun and beneficial side of the mapping tool. Here’s the top seven strange sights we’ve found so far as you take a virtual stroll round these fair isles…
Continue reading »Google Street View ‘Privacy Blockade’ in Broughton (UK) Backfires?
April 3, 2009
Google Street View in the UK is nothing if not controversial: while most see it as a wonderful harmless novelty that allows them to have a better idea of where they are going on trips others see it as an infringement of their privacy (despite the fact that faces and number plates are blurred) and feel that it encourages crime.
But a village called Broughton in Cambridgeshire have decided to take it into their own hands, literally. Evidently agreeing with the second of the two main views they decided to make a human blockade around the Google Street View car when it was spotted cruising around meaning that it could not drive in and take photos of Broughton forcing it to drive away.
Continue reading »Google Street View (UK) Goes Live
March 19, 2009
A couple of months ago in Jan 2009, we covered the fact Google Street View (UK) would be coming our way sometime this spring, well that day has arrived as Google updated their Google Maps online application with their ‘Street View’ functionality.
Google’s customised cars carrying specially mounted video cameras have been capturing footage from all over the UK while travelling 22,369 miles of UK streets and this footage has now been integrated into their popular online mapping service.
Continue reading »Google Street View (UK)
January 6, 2009
It’s been announced that Google Street View is coming to the UK!
The first cities in the UK to be included as part of Google Street View will be London, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh – Google cars equipped will the special cameras for this task have been out and about in these areas in the past few months, so it’s expected that the images captured will be implemented in Google Street View for the UK by Spring 2009.
UPDATE: Google Street View is now live in the UK and features images of 25 cities – a full list of the cities featured are contained on that page too.
In case you haven’t heard of Google Street View before, it is basically an addition to Google’s already impressive mapping services which form their online Google Maps website, Google Maps mobile software, their Google Earth desktop software application and Google Earth iPhone App. This added feature of Street View means that as well as seeing a location in map form and from a satellite view, you can now ‘go down to street level’ and navigate around using a 360° horizontal and 290° vertical panoramic interface that allows you to travel virtually around an area.
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