Google Maps, how and when are the photos taken for Street View?

Perhaps the most well-known functionality of Google Maps is the GPS navigator. With it, we can calculate the fastest route, the shortest one, or even the most eco-friendly. We can also know how long it will take us to arrive or avoid traffic jams.

But Google Maps has another very useful functionality: Street View. This allows us to preview the place we want to go.

Thanks to it, we can check if the street is accessible, if there are parking spaces, what the establishment we are going to looks like, and many more things. Even how the neighborhood is where a house we are interested in is located, the options are limitless.

How does Google obtain the images for Street View

Street View allows us to know practically any accessible place in the world, and it does so thanks to images captured periodically in those places.

To do this, it uses three systems. The first is the Street View cars, and the second is the so-called "trekkers". Additionally, it relies on content generated by the users themselves.

The Street View car

This is the main way to obtain the images. This vehicle is equipped with a 360-degree camera mounted on a tripod on its roof. The only thing the driver has to do is follow the marked route so that, later, those images can be used to create the map and the Street View view.

Google began using these cars in 2007 and, since then, has captured more than 16 million kilometers in over a hundred countries.

The trekkers

Known as Google Trekkers, the trekkers use cameras the size of a backpack to access narrow streets, alleys, paths, and, in general, places inaccessible to a car.

They do not only go on foot; they can also use motorcycles, snowmobiles, electric scooters, etc.

Collaborators

The third way is the application collaborators. Users who, equipped with compatible cameras that capture 360-degree images, upload images to the system. This allows Google to reach remote places or areas where there is no extensive network of the company's vehicles.

When does Street View take the images?

As you may have noticed, Street View does not always have updated images of all places. It can even happen that the same street offers images taken on different dates depending on the section.

Google Street View is constantly updated with images that are taken, generally, in a period of between one and three years. Obviously, larger metropolitan areas are updated very frequently, while more rural areas take much longer to do so.

Additionally, all license plates and faces that appear in them are pixelated to preserve the identity and privacy of citizens.

In theory, Google Street View can reach any public place in the world, but not in private areas such as residential communities, plots, government facilities, etc. Furthermore, some countries have stricter regulations that may prevent images of their streets from being published.

Be that as it may, the reality is that Google Maps has become one of the most popular and widely used applications in the world.

And although there are even more interesting navigators, none offers such a wide range of functionalities. In that sense, Street View is clearly a differentiator.