Start virtual tour to Bangalore with Google Street View

Bangalore, May 26: Bangaloreans set to get the bigger piece of Google Street View pie! The web-search giant Google has started collecting photographs of public locations around the city for Google Street View service in Google Maps.

The Google Street View, which allows users to virtually explore and navigate a neighborhood through panoramic street-level images, will be available through Google Maps India. Google started to collect images of Bangalore streets using specially designed Street View cars and trikes, which are embedded with high resolution cameras mounted on top.

The Street View, which is available in 100 cities in 27 countries, can be accessed through the Google Maps by dragging orange 'Pegman' icon on the left-hand side of the map onto the blue highlighted street. This service also allows users to access the images by zooming into the lowest level. It offers a 360 degree view of different places.

"We decided to start driving in Bangalore because it is the IT capital of India and feel that the IT savvy users will be able to leverage the benefits of the product to the fullest. Street View is useful for urban development planners, law enforcement agencies, househunters, and travelers," Vinay Goel, Product Head, Google India said.

"It (Street View) lets users check out restaurants before arriving, make travel plans and arrange meeting points. Businesses can also benefit from the Street View technology by embedding Google Maps directly into their site for free. Hotels can use it to show off the convenience of their location, and restaurants can use it to raise awareness," he added.

Google official said that they had implemented a highly sophisticated technology to keep the personal features secure. This technology effectively blurs human faces and number plates of vehicles. Google officials added that Street View is designed to comply with all local laws including those related to security and privacy in India.

"We are committed to balancing the needs of our users with concerns about security. At Google, we recognize the sensitivity associated with certain locations and are committed to working with relevant stakeholders to ensure that their concerns are addressed," Vinay Goel added further.

OneIndia News