A photo shows the logo sign of Google at their stand ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos | Photo Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI
Google maps Street view will now enable users to time travel on their phones and see the historical imagery of a place and how it evolved with time.
(Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today’s Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.)
“Starting today on Android and iOS globally, it’s now easier than ever to travel back in time right from your phone,” Ethan Russell, Director of Product, Google Maps said in a blog on Tuesday.
To avail the feature, users can tap anywhere on the photo of a place to see information about the location while viewing the Street View imagery of that place.
Then they can tap “See more dates” to see the historical imagery of that place published, dating back to when Street View launched in 2007.
Users can browse each of the images to see a digital time capsule that shows how a place has changed to its current form, Google said in the blog.
Street View is also testing a new camera that is said to help Google and its partners capture images of more places like remote islands, tops of mountains, and local towns as well as images of traditionally under-mapped areas like the Amazon jungle.
The complete roll out of the camera is slated next year.
The camera is also customisable that will allow addition and removal of extra features like lidar, laser scanners whenever required.
It can fit on any Street View cars and trekkers and can be attached to any vehicle with a roof rack and operated from a mobile device without a need for a specialised car or complex processing equipment, Google said in the blog.
The 360-degree Street View, an initiative of Google co-founder Larry Page turned 15 this week and currently it has over 220 billion Street View images from over 100 countries and territories.
Street View images come from two sources, Google itself and its partners across the globe.
Our code of editorial values
Printable version | May 25, 2022 7:03:19 pm | https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/google-street-view-now-lets-you-time-travel-on-your-phone/article65460328.ece
© THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD.
