Google Maps is about to get even better thanks to the new Street View camera
Date:
Tue, 24 May 2022 10:12:36 +0000
Description:
Google's new Street View camera will take the service to unexplored regions like mountain tops and narrow streets.
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Google Maps Street View has just turned 15 and Google is using its birthday
to announce an all-new camera that will bring the street recording service to new regions.
Previous Street View cameras have been mounted on the back of a came l, given a ride on a snowmobile , and even taken into space , but there are still a
lot of areas that the service hasnt mapped. According to the official Google blog , new camera hopes to change that by shrinking the device down to something about the size of a house cat.
Not only is it small, but its relatively light too at just 15lbs (6.8Kg) especially compared to the 44lbs (20Kg) Trekker contraption it uses currently in remote areas. Part of this weight saving is thanks to the cameras modular design. Rather than being a device that can do everything, and being heavy as a result, this new Street View snapper can be customized allowing mappers to add and remove components as required. (Image credit: Google)
Google hopes that this new lighter design will allow Street View to venture into new regions, like up to mountain peaks or into the heart of rainforests or even just through a towns narrower streets.
The view from the road isnt being forgotten about either. This new camera can also be mounted to any vehicle with a roof rack and operated from a mobile device no other specialized equipment is required. Google says that this should help it find more sustainable hybrids or fully electric vehicles to work as part of its fleet, as well as expand the service with new partners.
Right now the new camera is being piloted, but the plan is for the snapper to become a fully-fledged part of the Google Street View fleet next year.
For those after a more immediate Street View update, Google has also
announced that Street Views time travel feature is now available on the
mobile app . This feature was previously PC exclusive and lets Google Maps users open up old archived images so that they can explore a past version of
a certain location.
If youre looking for other Google Maps and Street View features then you
might want to check out five things you didnt know Google Maps could do . And when youre done, why not also read about five more hidden Google Maps
features . We also have 5 things that you didn't know Google can do if you want a fun distraction
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/google-maps-is-about-to-get-even-better-thanks- to-the-new-street-view-camera/
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