Internet
Google Street View: Fresh pictures from Germany online
A Google Street View vehicle equipped with cameras. photo
© Marcus Brandt/dpa
Twelve years ago, data protectionists and politicians got upset about the panorama photos from Google Street View. The restart of the service after a long break is now completely silent.
When Street View was introduced in Germany in 2010, the service encountered strong resistance from politicians, homeowners and data protection officials. Almost a quarter of a million people objected at the time, forcing Google to pixelate their homes, impacting the overall quality of the service. In 2011, the group then announced that it would no longer do any more tracking shots.
Google employees walking with camera backpacks
The pictures now published are from last year. Google has also been on the road with vehicles in Germany since June in order to be able to add more regions to Street View. The vehicles will continue to drive through town and country to take photos until October. In order to capture certain sights well, employees with a camera backpack are also on foot.
The Google cars do not film videos, but create high-resolution 3D panoramic images every few meters. These will later be linked digitally with software so that the user can move virtually in the streetscape on their smartphone or PC. The total of nine cameras are located at a height of 2.9 meters and also capture street signs and shop lettering. License plates and the faces of passers-by are automatically pixelated.
New version as cloud service online
The new version of Street View is put online as a cloud service. This can take several hours. Prominent streets such as Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm were already online in the morning with fresh image material. Virtual trips to the City Palace in Berlin, to the newly created Werksviertel in Munich with its Umadum Ferris wheel or a virtual visit to the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg were also possible.
As in 2010, Google has to redact every apartment or house before publishing the new pictures if tenants or owners want it. However, the old applications from back then are no longer valid and must be re-submitted. The objection can be made by e-mail, by form or by post. So far, only a few people in Germany have spoken out against the publication of the panorama images.