Google Plans 3D City Maps
Siliconvalleywatcher.com reports that Google Maps plans to go 3D by using trucks equipped with photographic equipment. The project will include major US cities beginning with San Francisco:Google plans to use trucks equipped with lasers and digital photographic equipment to create a realistic 3D online version of San Francisco, and eventually other major US cities.The online mapping services battle expanded last week when Microsoft announced plans to launch an online satellite mapping service called MSN Virtual Earth later this summer.
The move would trump Amazon's A9 service, which offers two-dimensional photos of buildings on US city streets.
The trucks would drive along every San Francisco street using the lasers to measure the dimensions of buildings, to create a 3D framework onto which digital photos can be mapped. This would complement the mostly top-down view of San Francisco available through Google's Keyhole satellite photo application.
Posted on June 9, 2005
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