Taking it to the street

NEW GLASGOW - Smile, you may be on Google Street View.
The Google car was hard at work in Pictou County on Wednesday taking street level panoramic views which will someday be incorporated into Google Street View for Canada.
When that is going to take place isn't quite sure yet; as you can imagine, Canada is a big place to photograph.
"The time it takes to capture imagery from any region can vary, depending on the weather and traffic and things like that. We hope to launch Google Street View Canada soon," Tamara Micner of Google public relations said from Toronto. "We try to cover as many public roads (just public roads) as we can. We tend to start with the largest cities, because that's where the greatest interest is and we go from there."
The small, four-door grey Chevy Cobalt was pretty noticeable criss-crossing the streets of New Glasgow sporting its mast with an array of cameras on the top. The raw images taken from these cameras cover 360 degrees and are stitched together for the final product. Google Canada announced in March that it would be travelling the country to collect these images.
Faces and licence plates are blurred with special software, Micner added.
"None of that is identifiable, the point is to get the streets."
If you find an image that you feel is inappropriate or you have privacy concerns, Google promises to quickly respond, once contacted through a link on the Street View project.
The whole point of the Street View project is multifold.
"Our ultimate goal is to help people get around. It's good for armchair exploration, real estate, business…Tourism can use it too, to show off the best points of your city or town.
"It's really fun to play around with from home. You can see places you've gone already or places you've like to go."
Micner herself has used it for a 'virtual backpack tour' of Europe.
But, let's face it, some people have no sense of direction and could get lost in a phone booth. Those people can be helped by Street View as well.
"It will help you navigate for directions. It can help place them virtually on a street and help them navigate."
More information can be found at : http://maps.google.ca/streetview


Google goodies -

• Micner said local drivers are used - as they know the area best
• The optimum weather conditions for capturing Street View imagery are dry and slightly overcast skies - rain, snow, fog and hail are the worst.
• The Street View mascot is called Pegman. He's called Pegman because he looks like a clothes peg. He sometimes gets dressed up for holidays and other special occasions. In the past he's been a snowman, a hippie, a witch, Uncle Sam and riding a bike in the Tour de France.
• Google Maps is the number-one mapping site in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and the world.
• More than 100 million The number of Street View panoramas that Canadians have viewed of other countries in the past six months alone
• 5 The number of U.S. cities available with the first ever launch of Street View in 2007 (San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, Miami, and Denver).
• 9 The number of countries where Street View is currently available (Australia, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States).
• 12 The average number of panoramas a user looks at each time they use Street View.
• 15 The number of times a day that Street View drivers have to climb on top of the roof to clean lenses, cover up when raining and check equipment - some use small step ladders to make it easier.

Information provided courtesy of Google Canada.