More about Photo-Mapping Vans
No sooner had I posted the story about mapping vans in Europe than I discovered that Google maps is already incorporating street level photographic views gathered using mysterious blue vans. The service is called Google Maps Street View is currently available only in selected cities like Seattle, Miami and New York.
Additionally, Google recently purchased the Spanish website Panoramio, which links photos to exact geographical locations. The Panoramio pics are already integrated into Google Earth and provide one more tool—in addition to satellite images and 3D buildings—to help travelers orient themselves prior to leaving home.
All this indicates that Google is serious about creating truly useful navigation tools. If only we could get those tools seamlessly integrated into rugged portable devices suited for travel and adventure. Given Google’s dominance of the marketplace this is probably just a matter of time.
In fact, it looks like the soon-to-be-released Apple iPhone will feature pre-loaded Google applications, although it is not clear what those will be. It is doubtful that the iPhone will be rugged enough for serious travelers and adventurers or that service coverage will extend to off-the-beaten-path sort of places; however, this announcement should no doubt help establish Google applications as a de facto standard for mobile device navigation. After that, it should be just a matter of time before the likes of Garmin and Magellan start taking notice.
The only obstacle to wider acceptance of photo-mapping schemes such as Street View could be litigation over privacy concerns. Only time will tell if these fears will materialize.
