Explained: What is Google Street View and why has it launched in India now?

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: What is Google Street View and why has it launched in India now?” published in Indian Express on 31st July 2022.

What is the News?

Google Street View has been launched in ten cities in India under the Guidelines of the National Geospatial Policy(NGP), 2021.

What is Google Street View?

Google Street View is an immersive 360-degree view of a location captured using special cameras mounted on vehicles or on backpacks by data collectors moving around the city streets. 

The images are then patched together to create a 360-degree view which users can swipe through to get a detailed view of the location. 

How has Street View been launched in India?

The National Geospatial Policy,2021 lets Indian companies collect map data and license it to others. 

After this, Google tied up with Tech Mahindra and Mumbai-based Genesys International to enable Street View for 10 Indian cities initially. This is the first time Google is working with partner data to enable this feature. In India, the data will be collected and owned by these partners.

Are there any limitations on Street View in India?

Street View in India is not allowed for restricted areas like government properties, defence establishments and military areas. This means in a place like Delhi, the cantonment area will be out of bounds for Street View.

What are the issues with Google Street view?

1) Over the years a lot of privacy and other issues have been raised regarding Street View. These include showing people’s faces and other identifiable aspects, like car number plates and house numbers, These pieces of information are being misused in different ways.

2) Security concerns about this kind of view being available, especially for sensitive locations.

3) Google has had issues with the local authorities in countries like Austria, Australia and Germany, though it has come back in most of these locations.