How Does Google Make Street View Maps?

What is Street View?

Street View is a special feature of Google Maps that allows the user to see a 360-degree view of an area from the ground level. The feature is available for most major cities and many smaller towns throughout the developed world, including countries such as the United States, Canada, France, Great Britain and Italy. With Street View, it is not only possible to see a 360-degree view of a place, it's also possible to tilt the camera upward to see the buildings in the area.

The Cars

Google takes the pictures needed for the Street View from cars. These cars include the Toyota Prius in the United States and Japan, and Opel Astras in Europe and Australia. Because of the size of these cars, the pictures can only be taken from streets that can accommodate their girth, meaning smaller ways such as alleys aren't included. Usually, pedestrian areas aren't included in Street View either. There are exceptions to this rule, too, as Google occasionally uses special tricycles for the Street View process.

The Cameras and Data Collectors

The system of data collection used by Street View is somewhat complex. On top of a pole extending from the car are nine cameras looking out in nine directions. These all take a picture simultaneously, which allows for the 360-degree view. Also, there are GPS units in these vehicles to position the pictures relative to a map. Beyond these, there are also antennas to search for Wi-Fi hot spots and range scanners that can determine distance up to 50 meters from a Google vehicle.

References

• A Couple of Thoughts on Street View
• Street View FAQ