Historical Street View

[jakeroot]

I'm a big history nut, and I'm also a roadgeek like the rest of you, so today's announcement that Google will begin rolling out older street view imagery really excites me! 

The Verge

The feature, which Google is rolling out to the web version of Maps today, generally stays out of the way unless you want to go back in time. If you're viewing a location with earlier recorded images, there's now an hourglass and a slider in the top left of the screen that shows you the month and year. Dial it back and it sweeps to that copy stored on Google's servers, almost as if you were clicking on a location just up the road.

I think I know what I'll be doing in my free time for the next few months. 

[Zeffy]

Pretty cool, except I wonder what places are going to have it? I thought that it would almost certainly include a time-slider for the World Trade Center in Manhattan, showing it's construction, but it doesn't, unless it hasn't rolled out yet.

[getemngo]

Pretty cool, except I wonder what places are going to have it? I thought that it would almost certainly include a time-slider for the World Trade Center in Manhattan, showing it's construction, but it doesn't, unless it hasn't rolled out yet.

I wonder if you have to be using the "new" Google Maps for the feature to work? (Probably.) Regardless, "beginning to roll out" usually means "wait at least a couple weeks."

[jakeroot]

Pretty cool, except I wonder what places are going to have it? I thought that it would almost certainly include a time-slider for the World Trade Center in Manhattan, showing it's construction, but it doesn't, unless it hasn't rolled out yet.

I wonder if you have to be using the "new" Google Maps for the feature to work? (Probably.) Regardless, "beginning to roll out" usually means "wait at least a couple weeks."

They said it would roll out completely today. Which does surprise me. I also do not have it. Waiting patiently...VERY PATIENTLY.

[agentsteel53]

I really, really hope that they can set the slider back beyond 2009 by taking dozens of archive photos and putting them in their correct context.  it wouldn't be a full "street view" but it would be the little blue dots.

also, historic aerials, anyone? 

[Pete from Boston]

Will Camilo Vergara retire now?

[bandit957]

I think this feature is just an urban legend. I can't find it anywhere.

[DTComposer]

I just looked at a random point on Market Street in San Francisco, and it does indeed have a slider going back to April 2008.

[Zeffy]

I just looked at a random point on Market Street in San Francisco, and it does indeed have a slider going back to April 2008.

Same with Hillsborough, same with Trenton.

[1995hoo]

I just looked at a random point on Market Street in San Francisco, and it does indeed have a slider going back to April 2008.

For those who cannot find this, using the new Google Maps look up in the top left corner where it tells you what you're viewing. The slider pops down from that.

[hotdogPi]

I can't do this, because I have the old Google Maps, not the new one.

[jakeroot]

I also have it now. Seattle is running.

[vdeane]

I can't do this, because I have the old Google Maps, not the new one.

But at least we still got some new imagery from that update... Rome went from "atrociously bad coverage" to "the most excellent coverage possible", as did parts of northwestern Jefferson County and Corning.  Hill Island (Ontario) also got coverage finally (they should have done Wellesley Island and the North Country while they were at it, but oh well).

[1995hoo]

I can't do this, because I have the old Google Maps, not the new one.

But at least we still got some new imagery from that update... Rome went from "atrociously bad coverage" to "the most excellent coverage possible", as did parts of northwestern Jefferson County and Corning.  Hill Island (Ontario) also got coverage finally (they should have done Wellesley Island and the North Country while they were at it, but oh well).

[hotdogPi]

Question mark box.

[1995hoo]

Question mark box.

Damn. Oh well. It was a picture of Bill and Ted.

[bandit957]

If classic Google Maps doesn't have it, it doesn't really exist.

[Duke87]

Since Street View imagery from prior to 2007 simply does not exist, the scope of what this can do is decidedly limited.

Still, it is a nice feature to have... and will only become more useful as the years go by, and the older imagery becomes more "historical". Imagine that in 2114 people will be able to virtually explore the world as it existed 100 years ago. How's that for a freaky thought.

On an also important note, I appreciate the fact that the date of the "current" imagery is shown again. The fact that that information was removed from new Google Maps was one of my larger grips. Nice to have it back.

[Zeffy]

Since Street View imagery from prior to 2007 simply does not exist, the scope of what this can do is decidedly limited.

Still, it is a nice feature to have... and will only become more useful as the years go by, and the older imagery becomes more "historical". Imagine that in 2114 people will be able to virtually explore the world as it existed 100 years ago. How's that for a freaky thought.

On an also important note, I appreciate the fact that the date of the "current" imagery is shown again. The fact that that information was removed from new Google Maps was one of my larger grips. Nice to have it back.

Really? Mine was shown in the bottom right corner (Image Date: xxxx). I was using IE to use the new Google Maps, which works unbelievably well.

[jakeroot]

Since Street View imagery from prior to 2007 simply does not exist, the scope of what this can do is decidedly limited.

Still, it is a nice feature to have... and will only become more useful as the years go by, and the older imagery becomes more "historical". Imagine that in 2114 people will be able to virtually explore the world as it existed 100 years ago. How's that for a freaky thought.

On an also important note, I appreciate the fact that the date of the "current" imagery is shown again. The fact that that information was removed from new Google Maps was one of my larger grips. Nice to have it back.

Really? Mine was shown in the bottom right corner (Image Date: xxxx). I was using IE to use the new Google Maps, which works unbelievably well.

Regarding both of your observations, I agree. a) the date has always been in the bottom right, and b) I used it yesterday trying to get the new street view thing, and couldn't help but notice how remarkably well it worked. COME ON GOOGLE, Chrome should work better than IE (I would like to think).