# Google street view car
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 22, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746 "2008-02-22T17:59:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@neorxnawange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neorxnawange)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/1 "2008-02-22T17:59:21Z")
So I drove behind (what I assume was) a Google Street View car today. It had google stamped on the side of the car with a large panoramic camera device on top, computer equipment inside, with California plates.
Wierd thing is that I work at VERY rural school in the middle of Texas, so I found it kinda strange that it was crusing down the lane. Cool thing is that a few of my students were outside at the school and could have been caught on camera, as well as me trailing in my car.
The Question - is it likely that this was indeed a Street View camera car? Is it likely that the cameras would have been recording my school’s rural street? How long until I get to see me and my students online?
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### Author:  [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/2 "2008-02-22T20:29:26Z")
Seems likely. They’ve done some fairly rural-ish areas near me.
Check out Indianapolis, for example. It seems they start out in a major city, and once that’s done, they sort of use the city as a base and drive out along both highways and smaller roads to nearby cities. [link](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=39.800096,-86.325073&spn=1.907549,4.246216&z=8&layer=c)
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### Author:  [@zyzzyva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zyzzyva)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/3 "2008-02-22T20:44:54Z")
Several months ago, Google was hiring drivers to map the “in-between” parts of the country. Presumably, this includes those parts that aren’t in major metropolitan areas.
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### Author:  [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/4 "2008-02-22T21:07:03Z")
I wish they’d do the Washington DC area already. Why does Indianapolis get street views and not us?
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### Author:  [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/5 "2008-02-22T21:16:04Z")
I wonder if they trace the route multiple times? I was stuck behind one for a bit getting off the Ambassador bridge through downtown Detroit. I eventually was able to pass and get on my way, and then a few weeks later, Detroit got street view, but I can’t find my car anywhere. ☹
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### Author:  [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/6 "2008-02-22T21:22:23Z")
I didn’t know about street view! Wow! I don’t think they’ve come to Kentucky yet; I’m not seeing any blue-lined streets in any major cities.
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### Author:  [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/7 "2008-02-22T21:37:42Z")
[QUOTE=Neidhart]
I wish they’d do the Washington DC area already. Why does Indianapolis get street views and not us?
[/QUOTE]
They have held off on doing both Baltimore and Washington due to security concerns. From what I have heard though, they do plan on completing those two cities some time in the near future.
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### Author:  [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/8 "2008-02-22T22:19:07Z")
Are they still looking for people to map out areas? I’d be willing to do it. I don’t think anywhere near me has gotten street view yet.
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### Author:  [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/9 "2008-02-22T22:43:38Z")
What kind of car was it?
Most of them are [Chevy Cobalts](http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/07/googles_secret_cameracar_armad.php), but some of them are [New Beetles](http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/01/take-a-look-at-the-vehicle-thats-taking-a-look-at-you/), apparently.
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### Author:  [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/10 "2008-02-22T22:46:35Z")
There are other companies doing the same thing; you may have spotted one of them. One is the holy-shit-you-kick-Google’s-ass [http://www.mapjack.com/](http://www.mapjack.com/) which is SF Bay Area-only at the moment.
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### Author:  [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/11 "2008-02-22T23:31:28Z")
I’d be interested in doing this too. But I can’t find any info anywhere about how to get a job doing this.
I think the neighborhood views are pretty cool. Suburban (or rural) Indianapolis doesn’t look much different from the suburbs of New Orleans, except the lack of sidewalks.
This could also be good material for a game in the new “Game Room”, such as a scavenger hunt…Spot the red '75 Chrysler Cordoba backed into a driveway in suburban Indianapolis and win a brand new '75 Chrysler Cordoba with Rich Corinthian Leather!
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### Author:  [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/12 "2008-02-23T00:51:31Z")
[QUOTE=zyzzyva]
Several months ago, Google was hiring drivers to map the “in-between” parts of the country. Presumably, this includes those parts that aren’t in major metropolitan areas.
[/QUOTE]
They still haven;t gotten to half of the country’s 25 largest cities. They’ve done Albany and Boise but not Atlanta.
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### Author:  [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/13 "2008-02-23T01:28:03Z")
Google’s puny street-view cars have nothing against Microsoft’s equivalent monstrosities!
> **[SEO for Beginners: An Introduction to SEO Basics](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo/)**
>
> This must-read guide covers the meaning of SEO: what is SEO, why it's important, how to rank higher, and how to get more organic traffic.
> **[Windows Live Local SUV spotted in Sacramento](https://www.engadget.com/2007-06-21-windows-live-local-suv-spotted-in-sacramento.html)**
>
> Leave it to Redmond to ante up with a big, gas guzzling SUV for its "street-side view" purposes. Recently caught cruising in Northern California, this hulking Chevy makes Immersive Media's Google fleet (family mini-van and college grad's first car)...
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### Author:  [@neorxnawange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neorxnawange)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/14 "2008-02-23T03:08:33Z")
[QUOTE=Randy Seltzer]
What kind of car was it?
Most of them are [Chevy Cobalts](http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/07/googles_secret_cameracar_armad.php), but some of them are [New Beetles](http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/01/take-a-look-at-the-vehicle-thats-taking-a-look-at-you/), apparently.
[/QUOTE]
It was a Chevy Cobalt, but unlike those in the link it was white.
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### Author:  [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/15 "2008-02-23T12:44:33Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF]
One is the holy-shit-you-kick-Google’s-ass [http://www.mapjack.com/](http://www.mapjack.com/) which is SF Bay Area-only at the moment.
[/QUOTE]
Wow, you ain’t kidding…Google Maps got _served_. Hopefully this thing will expand its coverage to other cities; I can’t think of a more useful tool for making tourist plans.
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### Author:  [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/16 "2008-02-23T18:11:08Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF]
There are other companies doing the same thing; you may have spotted one of them. One is the holy-shit-you-kick-Google’s-ass [http://www.mapjack.com/](http://www.mapjack.com/) which is SF Bay Area-only at the moment.
[/QUOTE]
That is quite awesome! 🆒
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/17 "2008-02-23T22:55:21Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq]
That is quite awesome! 🆒
[/QUOTE]
Seconded. Now I want to go to San Francisco again.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/18 "2008-02-24T02:29:13Z")
I like the fact that if you look down, you can see the car it’s mounted on.
How fast do these cars go. I find it odd that nothing is blurred, indicating that they go somewhat slow, but no one is looking at car suggesting that it’s not just creeping by.
Eitherway, pretty freaking impressive the way it’s all stiched together so well.
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### Author:  [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-street-view-car/438746/19 "2008-02-24T23:09:56Z")
There are a few blurry shots in New York City. I think the exposure might’ve been longer because it was overcast.
If the camera is shooting a 1/500 or 1/1000 exposure in bright daylight and the car is moving around 30 MPH, there’s not going to be much blur, if any at all.
I was trying to find a section of Broadway in Harlem and started navigating down some of the side streets and there was a guy walking towards his car and in the 3 frames I looked at, it only looked like he took a few steps. I’m not exactly sure how far apart the pictures are taken, but I’d guess the camera had move about 50 or 60 feet across the three shots, so the car certainly wasn’t just creeping along.
I also noticed what must have been an early morning shot driving along one of the streets that cross Central Park because when you look at the view facing east, everything is washed out by the sun just over the horizon.