Google doubles Street View coverage in U.S.
Hello, Dakotas! Google Maps Street View now extends to many more parts of the United States, including rural areas.
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
Street View is continuing its seemingly inexorable spread across Google Maps, with Google announcing that it's doubled the feature's coverage of the United States.
The states that now have some coverage are Maine, West Virginia, North Dakota, and South Dakota, Google said Tuesday. Cities now covered include Memphis, Tenn., Charleston, S.C., and Birmingham, Ala., and Google filled in many gaps between cities as well; Google spotlighted the Devil's Tower in Wyoming on its Lat-Long blog announcement.
Upon seeing the updated Street View coverage maps posted Tuesday on Google's blog, one co-worker quipped, "It's like a zombie infection!"
Street View, like the satellite views of Google Maps before it, initially raised hackles that Google's all-seeing electronic eye was eroding privacy, even though taking photos from public streets is legal. But it appears to me the ruckus is dying down. Am I right about that? Chime in with comments if you see things differently.
Google also has expanded internationally this year, with Street View scenery now available in France, Italy, Japan, Australia, Spain, and New Zealand.