Google Imagery Update Enables Street-Level Exploration in 80 Countries; Introduces Historical View in Google Earth

Google Street View has received one of its biggest updates in recent years. It is now available in nearly 80 countries, some of which have Street View imagery for the first time ever. The feature, available on Google Earth and Maps, stitches together billions of panoramic images to provide street-level views which users can access from home. Following the update, users will be able to access more picturesque locations, with contributions from its more portable Street View camera.

Google Street View Update

In a blog post, Google detailed the new updates coming to Google Earth and Maps. Street View will now be available in 80 countries, including Australia, Bosnia, Brazil, Denmark, Japan, Liechtenstein, Namibia, Paraguay, the Philippines, Rwanda, Serbia, and South Africa. The Mountain View-based tech giant has also unveiled its newest Street View camera which is claimed to be mountable on any car weighing approximately 7kg.

Updated Street View images from around the world will now be available, enabling users to see far-away locations up close.

It is also making efforts to sharpen up the imagery across both Google Earth and Maps using its artificial intelligence (AI) cloud-removal technology. The company is leveraging its Cloud Score+ AI model to remove elements like clouds, cloud shadows, haze, and mist from images. Meanwhile, it will keep weather patterns such as ice, snow and mountain shadows visible on the map.

Google has also announced historical imagery for Earth. Users will be able to explore the changes in geography using its library of satellite and aerial imagery dating as far back as 80 years. The company claims it can help users understand how “forests have been affected by human activity and the changing climate”.

Users can also utilise the Timelapse feature to get a visualisation of how locations have changed over time. It will them to access custom projects created in Google Earth directly from a newly designed home screen. This feature is said to be an interactive experience built from millions of satellite images.