Launch of Google Street View

Google Street View started in 2003 with founder Larry Page experimenting with capturing street level views on a large scale. By 2005, the project had grown in scope and was greatly expanded by the acquisition of a number of companies that provided Google with the technologies that would drive the growth of Google Maps and Google Earth. Under the leadership of Engineer Luc Vincent, the Google team refined the Street View technology to fit into a standard car and take panoramic images of a landscape. Street View originally launched in 2007 with coverage of four US cities. The imagery has continued to expand and has gone beyond the street to include paths, trails, and historical landmarks including museums (Figures 2-4).

Weber, Marc. “Going Places: A History of Google Maps with Street View.” Computer History Museum. Accessed 24 November 2015. http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/going-places-a-history-of-google-maps-with-street-view/