Although Google emphasizes the new camera’s portability, Street View’s hardware team head Steven Silverman thinks there should be some enhancements to how each panorama appears as well. “The sensors are even better, with a lower signal-to-noise ratio,” Silverman explains. “These photographs will be even more stunning.” The seven camera sensors in each camera capture panoramic views with 140-megapixel quality, as before, and while lidar sensors aren’t included by default, Silverman says the camera is designed to be adjustable so that they may be added as needed.
Street View is both a genuinely helpful function (how many of us have looked up a location online before visiting it) and a pleasant novelty (with an intense competitive scene to match). However, having cameras wandering the streets is also a useful technique for Google to improve its Google Maps data. Street View photography is utilized to add newly opened companies to Google Maps, improve company opening hours information, and offer road speed limit information.
