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Google Reveals Maps Numbers: 10 Million Miles of Street View Imagery

For the first time in 12 years, Google has revealed figures showing the extent to which its services have mapped the world, and they come as a surprise even for those complaining that the search giant knows too much about our private life.
Google Street View cars have mapped 10 million miles in imagery 5 photos
Photo: rd.com / Michal Zduniak / Shutterstock
Picture of Google Street View' Subaru ImprezaGoogle Street View Car in Orlando, Florida, United States.Google Street View Car after crash in MichiganLocation of accident on Google Maps
Speaking to CNET at the end of last week, Google says that it has more than 10 million miles of Street View imagery and 36 million square miles of Google Earth imagery, which means the search giant has mapped almost the entire world. Or, as the publication puts it, these images map out parts of the world where 98% of the population lives.

Thanks to its camera-strapped Street View cars and even using hikers, camels and sheep with cameras strapped on their backs in the early days, in parts of the world where cars did not have access, Google has been mapping the world since 2007, when Street View was launched. The 10 million miles would equal to circling the Earth more than 400 miles, in case you need a better appreciation of how impressive (and possibly daunting) the feat is.

“Imagery is at the core of everything we do,” Ethan Russell, a director of product at Google Maps, tells CNET in an email. “We think of it as the foundation of the entire mapmaking process.”

Of course, with Google, mapmaking in itself is not the goal. Maps has over 1 billion users a month and is the company’s most popular product, allowing it to deliver targeting advertising. To that end, Maps has received several new features recently, including food delivery options, translation tools and augmented-reality directions (Live View).

Addressing privacy concerns and perhaps anticipating more of the same in light of these impressive figures, Russell notes that all of Google’s mapping imagery is taken from public places: places you’d see standing on the street or flying overhead. Satellite photographs are provided by third-party providers.

In 2018, an Associated Press report revealed that Google tracked locations even after users had turned off location-sharing on their phones. A previous report showed that the search giant shared user location data with federal agencies and law enforcement to aid in ongoing investigations.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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