캐나다, 체코에 구글맵 스트리트뷰 등장(A gold medal-worthy Street View update)

10월 7일자 구글 LatLong 블로그 소식입니다. 캐나다와 체코 주요 도시에 거리에서 촬영한 360도 파노라마 사진 서비스인 스트리트 뷰(Street View)가 등장했다는 내용입니다.

먼저 캐나다는... 아주 극히 일부 대도시만 스트리트뷰가 등장했습니다. 아래는 캐나다 서부지역인데, 캘거리와 밴쿠버시에 등장했습니다.

화살표를 쳐둔 곳이 밴쿠버시인데, 그 윗쪽 꼬다리 부분이 내년도에 동계 올림픽이 열릴 휘슬러(Whisler)로서 스트리트 뷰를 촬영했네요. 참고로 동부지역엔 토론토, 오타와, 몬트리올, 핼리팩스 등이 포함되었습니다.

하지만... 아래에서 보다시피... 미국과 비교를 하면 차이가 정말 심하죠? 구글에서 자체 도로지도를 제작하면서 자체 스트리트뷰 영상을 사용했다더니 충분히 그럴만 하다 싶습니다. 이제 거의 빠진 곳이 없을 정도네요.

그런데... 특이한 점이 한가지 있네요. 캐나다 지역은 스트리트뷰를 촬영하면서 관련 지방자치단체와 협력이 이루어졌다는 겁니다. 2010 동계 올림픽이 열리는 뱅쿠버시, 브리티시 콜롬비아주 관광청, 북아메리카 속의 프랑스 몬트리올(Montréal) 등에서 맵플릿 등을 제작했습니다.

그리고 체코 공화국(Czech Republic)의 경우엔 상당히 의외라고 생각되는데, 동유럽에서는 최초이면서도 상당히 넓은 지역의 데이터가 취득되어 있네요.

그런데... 올해 5월경 구글에서 스트리트뷰 소개 사이트를 만들고, 그곳에 현재 촬영중인 지역을 볼 수 있는 페이지도 삽입했다는 글이 올라왔었는데, 지금 이 사이트는 닫혀 있네요. 무엇때문일까요? 요즘 여러 나라에서 프라이버시 문제때문에 구글 스트리트뷰가 고생을 하고 있고, 심지어 일본에서는 재촬영에 들어가기까지 했다고는 들었지만, 그런 문제는 아닐 것 같고... 아무튼 좀 그렇네요.

민, 푸른하늘
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http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2009/10/bonus-batch-of-street-view-imagery.html
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Posted by Mike Pegg, Product Marketing Manager

As a former Toronto resident, one of the most enjoyable experiences I look back on is taking in the city from a street car gliding along Queen Street West. From my perch high atop cars and cyclists it afforded me the chance to see vibrant, colourful shops, parks and developing residential communities. I'm happy to share that we've expanded our coverage of Street View on Google Maps to include parts of Canada, so others can virtually experience that same street car ride.

Now, whether from your chesterfield or smart phone, you can explore 360-degree street-level photographs of Canadian hotspots ranging from Parliament Hill and the CN Tower to Old Quebec City and Halifax's Pier 21. We're also thrilled to be shining a light on the site of the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games by including imagery of Vancouver and Whistler.

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Whistler Creekside

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Toronto's CN Tower

As you might expect, I am quite a hockey fan - which is why I'm excited that today we're also launching brand new imagery in the Czech Republic, another hockey "hot"spot. You can see some of the beautiful landmarks of Prague, such as the famous Charles Bridge:

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or the National Museum in Wenceslas Square:

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In Canada, we're thrilled to be partnering with several organizations for this launch:

• City of Vancouver - With the world coming to this great Canadian city for the 2010 Winter Olympics, explore what it has to offer using Street View and plan your visit

• Tourism British Columbia - Using Street View imagery embedded on pages throughout their site, plan your trip to the province hosting the 2010 Winter Games
• Tourisme Montréal - Get down to street level and find out why this is considered one of North America's most unique cities
• Heritage Toronto - Explore Toronto's storied buildings, museums and iconic structures

• ChicWalks.com - Take a shopping tour of top fashion cities using Street View

We've also consulted with the data-protection authorities in Canada and the Czech Republic, and have made user privacy a priority. The imagery was gathered from public roads, and is not real-time. Identifiable faces and licenses plates are blurred automatically, but we also allow any user to flag an image for removal by clicking on the "Report a problem" link at the bottom of every Street View window.

Along with Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler, today's launch includes imagery from Banff, Calgary, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Quebec City and Halifax. If you're disappointed that your hometown or your favorite vacation spot isn't featured yet, sit tight: we're working to add new places!

Whether you want to virtually wander the next Olympic city, or feel like you're strolling across one of Prague's historic bridges, we hope you enjoy exploring Canada and the Czech Republic like never before

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