Markus’ Blog

I noticed the “Street View” button on Google Maps a day or two after they launched this new feature. I hadn’t read anything about it yet, but I immediately got curious.

I found this to be a very cool feature. I think it’ll be especially helpful finding the way around in a foreign city before actually going there. I find that Google’s satellite images alone already help a lot here. This new feature will improve that experience even more. However, I do find “walking” through the virtual streets a little too slow to be comfortable. And that’s on a system that’s not slow at all doing other tasks.

If I have to drive around in a region I have never been to before, I like to check out the route beforehand. Google’s satellite images allow convenient things like “does road ABC have a left turn lane at the intersection with street XYZ…yes, in fact it has two left turn lanes, two straight through and one right turn lane”. Stuff that is never recorded in any street map. So, now you know where you can turn before you’ve ever been there.

However, I have since read that there have been privacy concerns, as there are people who are easily recognizable in front of their house or on the street. Other times even the interior of apartments can be seen clearly. I totally understand that people are unhappy with that. I wouldn’t feel very comfortable, either.

Wonder what Google will do about that issue, if anything. I hope they do, but without taking the service down again.