The next time you spot a blue camera attached to a car, you’ll know that it’s Google whipping out its latest camera technology with its new Google Street View cars. As the first Southeast Asian country to hit refresh on Google Maps with the new tech, you can expect to see the streets of Singapore in better color, with sharper images, and more business details when the country has been re-mapped.
Of course, updating its street view maps isn’t a new thing for the tech giant, which has been conducting yearly refreshes of Singapore since 2009. But as Street View Program Manager for Google Asia Pacific Cynthia Wei told Channel NewsAsia on Monday, those updates usually focus on areas that experience frequent changes, such as the CBD and the vicinity of the Marina Bay Financial Centre. Seeing as how neighborhoods like Punggol are ever-changing and growing, Google realized the need to map out the country again.
With one car on the streets since Monday and the other two rolling out by the end of the week, you’ll soon see more of the Street View vehicles equipped with seven cameras, with 20 megapixels each. Additionally, Wei revealed to CNA that the cars are furnished with Light Detection and Ranging sensors to better place the imagery captured during post-production, as well as side-facing cameras to take in street-level storefronts.
Drivers also have it easier now, with a camera rig that’s about 60 percent lighter and can be lowered automatically.
Fingers crossed, the data collection will be done in three months, Wei said to CNA. But with all the rainy weather we’ve been experiencing lately, who knows how long it’ll actually take. Add in post-production processes to the mix, and we may or may not be seeing the latest Street View maps by the end of 2018.
