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One of the worst kept secrets in SA’s technology industry is finally official. Google will launch an SA version of its popular Street View service. In the coming weeks Google, using Toyota Prius models, will begin driving around the country, taking photographs of locations, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Durban.
Street View is a popular feature of Google Maps that is already available in more than 100 metropolitan areas around the world. It allows users to explore and navigate virtually a neighbourhood through panoramic street-level images.
The SA Street View images will also be available in Google Earth and on Google Maps for Mobile.
Images collected by the cars will be processed and carefully stitched together, a technological process that can take several months. They will be made available “at a later date” in Street View on Google Maps for SA.
In areas where Street View is available, users will be able to access street-level imagery by zooming into the lowest level on Google Maps, or by dragging the orange “Pegman” icon on the left-hand side of the map onto a blue highlighted street.
Google says the service will be available in time for tourists visiting the country for the 2010 World Cup, which kicks off in June next year. — Staff reporter, TechCentral
This is great news!
Now all Google need to do is set up a local server so that capped users can use Google,look at cached sites,check email and use other features like Google maps.
Google SA promised us a local server in 2006. We’re still waiting.
[...] The SA version of Google’s Street View service is set to be launched — and Port Elizabeth will be featured, reports Tech Central [...]
I saw one of these one the road and wondered whether Hollywood was filming another blockbuster here in SA! lol! Thanks for shedding some light – and it’s about time! No point having fancy phones with navigation capability when you get lost half the time anyway!