Mapping the world: Google Street View gets new camera, historical images feature for mobile

Google is celebrating the 15th year of its Street View Feature. As part of its celebrations, the tech giant is coming out with a slew of developments for its most widely used application. There is new mapping hardware and Google is also introducing the historical Street View feature on smartphones.

The tech company introduced the feature to view old Street View records on the web application in 2014. This feature essentially enabled users to travel back in time and view places captured earlier in the application. Now, Google is bringing the same feature to the Android and iOS versions of its application.

Users can see the older locations by opting for the ‘See More Dates’ option after launching the app. This will open a carousel of older captures of the location. According to Google, Street View imagery dates back to 2007.


Google in its blog said that the Street View was not only helping users to virtually explore places, but it is also critical to their mapping efforts. The tech behemoth also unveiled its newest camera to help its users explore more historical imagery going forward.

Google said that it is piloting a new camera that will roll out next year to collect high-quality images from more places. The camera which is roughly the size of a house cat comes with superior power, resolution and processing capabilities. It weighs less than 10kgs and is customisable.

“This new camera takes all the power, resolution and processing capabilities that we’ve built into an entire Street View car, and shrinks it down into an ultra-transportable camera system that’s roughly the size of a house cat. But unlike house cats, it’s ready to be taken to remote islands, up to the tops of mountains or on a stroll through your local town square,” read the post on Google’s blog.