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Google Street View car taking snapshots of Maine

A Google Street View vehicle turns onto Harthorn Avenue from Sixth Street as it takes 360 degree street images of Bangor early Tuesday afternoon July 5, 2011.

By Ryan McLaughlin, BDN Staff

Posted July 06, 2011, at 4:09 p.m.
Last modified July 06, 2011, at 5:57 p.m.

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John Clarke Russ | BDN

A Google Street View vehicle makes its way down Lincoln Street as it takes 360 degree images of Bangor early Tuesday afternoon July 5, 2011.

BANGOR, Maine — For several years, Google Maps has been a resourceful tool for motorists seeking the best directions to a destination.

Thanks to a feature known as Street View, people have a more flexible way to look up businesses and residences, and Google’s Street Car has been traveling Bangor and Portland and updating those photographs over the past week.

The Street View tool allows users to visually explore and navigate a neighborhood through panoramic street-level photographs, as opposed to typical Google Maps shots, in which only a map of local streets is featured, according to Google Communications and Public Affairs spokeswoman Deanna Yick.

Tanya Pereira, an economic development specialist for the city of Bangor, said the Street View tool will do wonders for residents and prospective visitors.

“We’re excited that Google is doing such an extensive street view look at the city,” she said. “It gives us more flexibility and better perspective than just an aerial photograph.”

To view the images of the Street Car, one can zoom into the lowest level on Google Maps, or draw the orange “Pegman” icon on the left-hand side of the map onto a street outlined in blue. One can then navigate up and down the streets, or look around in 360-degree panoramas.

The Street View car has a special camera on top of it that includes face-blurring technology, which makes sure that people on the streets or driving can’t be identified, while license plates are also blurred.

Pereira also said the technology will help people locate businesses and eateries in downtown Bangor, while also aiding officials in the economic development office.

“It sort of adds to the information that we have when we’re talking with people,” she said. “From our perspective, it’s a helpful tool.”

Street View first became available on the Web in 2007, and can now be accessed in a number of cities in 27 countries. Google’s Street View contains images of areas in Maine such as Portland, Lewiston-Auburn, Bangor, Camden and Presque Isle.

The images are taken only on public property. Those who want to contact Google, such as asking for images of their houses or cars to be further obscured, may click on the “Report a Problem” link on the bottom left-hand side of the Street View image and submit a request to have the image blurred.

To check out the images of Maine, log on to maps.google.com, and type an address into the search window at the top of the page.

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CountyBoy

Guess I better get home and mow before they drive by my house…haha…
http://www.infowars.com Pat Riote

Prank time! Everyone should dress up as zombies and chase the car. I’d love to see that on street view.
Anonymous

“Street view imagry of Bangor is already up and running.” Yeah, judging by the picture of my address, for the past four years.
marcel couturier

I wish I had known street view was coming on trash day after collections scattered the recepticles all over my driveway
marcel couturier

I wish I had known street view was coming on trash day after collections scattered the recepticles all over my driveway
Anonymous

All I know is my GPS occasionally sends me in circles in Maine neighborhoods. It’s like being in the Twilight Zone, wondering if there really is a world out there. Maybe this Google thing will set me on a straight course before I return to using paper maps.
Anonymous

Yes…this is very interesting report. We used this “Google Street View” on our recent trip to Maine. [By the way...we had computer problems and did not update the security protection and wormed the entire deal...this is still "The Greek SailorBC; but I had to reset our user name and passwords with Discus]. You know…people really do not understand sometimes how beautiful Maine (and Bangor) really is until you get away and remember all those warm, comfortable homes, the restaurants, the nice people there and the lack of heavy traffic and pollution which comes with living in a large city. We see some of this in the BDN photos taken and the one of Lincoln Street, too.

(Hope the device atop the car does not get snagged on a low-hanging line crossing the street!)
Anonymous

Yes…this is very interesting report. We used this “Google Street View” on our recent trip to Maine. [By the way...we had computer problems and did not update the security protection and wormed the entire deal...this is still "The Greek SailorBC; but I had to reset our user name and passwords with Discus]. You know…people really do not understand sometimes how beautiful Maine (and Bangor) really is until you get away and remember all those warm, comfortable homes, the restaurants, the nice people there and the lack of heavy traffic and pollution which comes with living in a large city. We see some of this in the BDN photos taken and the one of Lincoln Street, too.

(Hope the device atop the car does not get snagged on a low-hanging line crossing the street!)
Anonymous

i hear that, apparently the people who used to live in my apartment had a jet black mustang, what a pity they didnt leave that behind instead of the mousetrap.
Anonymous

Great news! I bet the quality of the new images will be fantastic.
Downeasta

This is also helpful for truckers that need to make deliveries. We can google off ramps and bridges and make sure the directions given allow us to navigate safely to our destination. Too many times our routes are given by 4 wheelers whom drive that way all the time and dont consider our vehicles need 13 feet 6 inches clearance, or the roads are posted “no thru trucks”.

Now if Google would make a route feature for trucks.
Downeasta

This is also helpful for truckers that need to make deliveries. We can google off ramps and bridges and make sure the directions given allow us to navigate safely to our destination. Too many times our routes are given by 4 wheelers whom drive that way all the time and dont consider our vehicles need 13 feet 6 inches clearance, or the roads are posted “no thru trucks”.

Now if Google would make a route feature for trucks.
Anonymous

I looked at some views around other countries and was amazed at some of the locations they took pictures of. Some countries have opted out though because they don’t want terrorists to use this against them.

Google Maps is far better than Map Quest. IMO

I also look at some of the web cams available on the net and found that you can control some of them for a better view. Plus you can find animal cams for you kids to enjoy. Everything from elphants to polar bears. My grand kids love it. They think it’s better than the dizzy web site.

One thing about this though is you have to remember that with all those cameras out there you had better be on your best behavior or you may end up on you tube, or Facebook. Or worse yet, in jail!!
Anonymous

I looked at some views around other countries and was amazed at some of the locations they took pictures of. Some countries have opted out though because they don’t want terrorists to use this against them.

Google Maps is far better than Map Quest. IMO

I also look at some of the web cams available on the net and found that you can control some of them for a better view. Plus you can find animal cams for you kids to enjoy. Everything from elphants to polar bears. My grand kids love it. They think it’s better than the dizzy web site.

One thing about this though is you have to remember that with all those cameras out there you had better be on your best behavior or you may end up on you tube, or Facebook. Or worse yet, in jail!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Utterback/501326477 David Utterback

This is news?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Regina-Hosebeast/100002095287763 Regina Hosebeast

I heard Google Street View was responsible for Bin Laden’s demise. The camera caught him at his computer on a Christian dating site.
Anonymous

What? If you call IcePiePreteens a |”Christian” site!
Lori Cole

There are still major parts of rural Maine where google maps doesn’t work. For example, if you google my address they can’t find it. I suppose that’s better than it used to be, when it was located five miles south — IN A DIFFERENT TOWN! Wonder if anything will change on that score, or if this is just a Bangor/city story.
SwiftyMorgain

Street View ?

Try looking out your windshield!
Anonymous

Don’t tell people how nice it is here it attracks too many of the wrong kind of people. Every time a flat lander moves here they want to bring all the stupid laws, high taxes, crime, welfare and pollution they claim they want to get away from.
A guy at a self car wash tried to get in a fight with me about what a bunch of backward hill billies we were because the little town he moved to didn’t have street lights for security or road side trash pick up and heavens dirt roads. I told him the only crime in that town would be someone stealing his trash but if he wanted it back just follow the dust cloud to their house.
http://twitter.com/TheHumbleFarmer Robert Karl Skoglund

A reader writes, “All I know is my GPS occasionally sends me in circles in Maine neighborhoods. It’s like being in the Twilight Zone, wondering if there really is a world out there. Maybe this Google thing will set me on a straight course before I return to using paper maps.”

You know that what you say of the GPS and Google is true in many places. With a GPS you very often have to know where you are going at intersections that give you three or more options.

If you type 785 River Road, St. George, ME 04860 into Google Maps, you will get a choice between two miles below that address (which you are told is in a town named Knox) plus another place across the river in Cushing very close to Walky Chalkie’s house. Plug that address into my GPS and it directs you to a place half a mile up the road. If you want to take the Old County Road shortcut between Rockport and Thomaston, the GPS will fight you all the way and try to get you back on Route One.

A woman who works for a business that requires her to give accurate directions told me about Bing maps. Sure enough, type that 785 River Road address into Bing, and it puts you right in the driveway. Although I don’t know if there is a GPS for Bing, Bing certainly is a help when giving others directions or checking out your route ahead of time.

Does Bing work well for you?

The humble Farmer
http://twitter.com/TheHumbleFarmer Robert Karl Skoglund

A reader writes, “All I know is my GPS occasionally sends me in circles in Maine neighborhoods. It’s like being in the Twilight Zone, wondering if there really is a world out there. Maybe this Google thing will set me on a straight course before I return to using paper maps.”

You know that what you say of the GPS and Google is true in many places. With a GPS you very often have to know where you are going at intersections that give you three or more options.

If you type 785 River Road, St. George, ME 04860 into Google Maps, you will get a choice between two miles below that address (which you are told is in a town named Knox) plus another place across the river in Cushing very close to Walky Chalkie’s house. Plug that address into my GPS and it directs you to a place half a mile up the road. If you want to take the Old County Road shortcut between Rockport and Thomaston, the GPS will fight you all the way and try to get you back on Route One.

A woman who works for a business that requires her to give accurate directions told me about Bing maps. Sure enough, type that 785 River Road address into Bing, and it puts you right in the driveway. Although I don’t know if there is a GPS for Bing, Bing certainly is a help when giving others directions or checking out your route ahead of time.

Does Bing work well for you?

The humble Farmer
http://twitter.com/TheHumbleFarmer Robert Karl Skoglund

A reader writes, “All I know is my GPS occasionally sends me in circles in Maine neighborhoods. It’s like being in the Twilight Zone, wondering if there really is a world out there. Maybe this Google thing will set me on a straight course before I return to using paper maps.”

You know that what you say of the GPS and Google is true in many places. With a GPS you very often have to know where you are going at intersections that give you three or more options.

If you type 785 River Road, St. George, ME 04860 into Google Maps, you will get a choice between two miles below that address (which you are told is in a town named Knox) plus another place across the river in Cushing very close to Walky Chalkie’s house. Plug that address into my GPS and it directs you to a place half a mile up the road. If you want to take the Old County Road shortcut between Rockport and Thomaston, the GPS will fight you all the way and try to get you back on Route One.

A woman who works for a business that requires her to give accurate directions told me about Bing maps. Sure enough, type that 785 River Road address into Bing, and it puts you right in the driveway. Although I don’t know if there is a GPS for Bing, Bing certainly is a help when giving others directions or checking out your route ahead of time.

Does Bing work well for you?

The humble Farmer
http://twitter.com/TheHumbleFarmer Robert Karl Skoglund

A reader writes, “All I know is my GPS occasionally sends me in circles in Maine neighborhoods. It’s like being in the Twilight Zone, wondering if there really is a world out there. Maybe this Google thing will set me on a straight course before I return to using paper maps.”

You know that what you say of the GPS and Google is true in many places. With a GPS you very often have to know where you are going at intersections that give you three or more options.

If you type 785 River Road, St. George, ME 04860 into Google Maps, you will get a choice between two miles below that address (which you are told is in a town named Knox) plus another place across the river in Cushing very close to Walky Chalkie’s house. Plug that address into my GPS and it directs you to a place half a mile up the road. If you want to take the Old County Road shortcut between Rockport and Thomaston, the GPS will fight you all the way and try to get you back on Route One.

A woman who works for a business that requires her to give accurate directions told me about Bing maps. Sure enough, type that 785 River Road address into Bing, and it puts you right in the driveway. Although I don’t know if there is a GPS for Bing, Bing certainly is a help when giving others directions or checking out your route ahead of time.

Does Bing work well for you?

The humble Farmer
http://twitter.com/TheHumbleFarmer Robert Karl Skoglund

A reader writes, “All I know is my GPS occasionally sends me in circles in Maine neighborhoods. It’s like being in the Twilight Zone, wondering if there really is a world out there. Maybe this Google thing will set me on a straight course before I return to using paper maps.”

You know that what you say of the GPS and Google is true in many places. With a GPS you very often have to know where you are going at intersections that give you three or more options.

If you type 785 River Road, St. George, ME 04860 into Google Maps, you will get a choice between two miles below that address (which you are told is in a town named Knox) plus another place across the river in Cushing very close to Walky Chalkie’s house. Plug that address into my GPS and it directs you to a place half a mile up the road. If you want to take the Old County Road shortcut between Rockport and Thomaston, the GPS will fight you all the way and try to get you back on Route One.

A woman who works for a business that requires her to give accurate directions told me about Bing maps. Sure enough, type that 785 River Road address into Bing, and it puts you right in the driveway. Although I don’t know if there is a GPS for Bing, Bing certainly is a help when giving others directions or checking out your route ahead of time.

Does Bing work well for you?

The humble Farmer
Anonymous

Lots of interesting stuff available from various street view shots :

http://www.streetviewfun.com/

:)
Anonymous

Lots of interesting stuff available from various street view shots :

http://www.streetviewfun.com/

:)
Anonymous

Great..we will finally be on the Google map!!!yea!
http://www.facebook.com/susan.b.clark Sue

Haven’t tried Bing, but sometimes Google Maps is way off as far as the best directions. Invariably it will give me a wrong turn, or tell me that the road goes this way when it goes that way, and of course the addresses are *way* off. Or to take this exit, which shows it going one way when it doesn’t.

P.S. I don’t use GPS, I prefer to rely on my “superior” sense of direction, which often leads me on an “adventure.”But then, my preferred tool for directions is a mirror. It doesn’t tell me where I’m going, but it sure as heck tells me where I’ve been. ;-)
http://www.facebook.com/susan.b.clark Sue

Haven’t tried Bing, but sometimes Google Maps is way off as far as the best directions. Invariably it will give me a wrong turn, or tell me that the road goes this way when it goes that way, and of course the addresses are *way* off. Or to take this exit, which shows it going one way when it doesn’t.

P.S. I don’t use GPS, I prefer to rely on my “superior” sense of direction, which often leads me on an “adventure.”But then, my preferred tool for directions is a mirror. It doesn’t tell me where I’m going, but it sure as heck tells me where I’ve been. ;-)
Anonymous

That would put a few people out of a side job in Chicago. There were some placed in that town that were almost impossible to get to without a guide.
Anonymous

Street view is also available on the free download version of Google Earth.
Anonymous

Street view is also available on the free download version of Google Earth.
Anonymous

The street address locations on Google Maps have always been sketchy, even in urban areas. Their database is not the best for that; Yahoo or any GPS system is better. But I love Street View. Use it almost daily. And it’s not limited to cities, and not limited to the U.S. If you aren’t familiar with it, do yourself a favor and check it out. You can take a walking tour of almost any place on Earth without ever getting on an airplane.
Anonymous

The street address locations on Google Maps have always been sketchy, even in urban areas. Their database is not the best for that; Yahoo or any GPS system is better. But I love Street View. Use it almost daily. And it’s not limited to cities, and not limited to the U.S. If you aren’t familiar with it, do yourself a favor and check it out. You can take a walking tour of almost any place on Earth without ever getting on an airplane.
Anonymous

The street address locations on Google Maps have always been sketchy, even in urban areas. Their database is not the best for that; Yahoo or any GPS system is better. But I love Street View. Use it almost daily. And it’s not limited to cities, and not limited to the U.S. If you aren’t familiar with it, do yourself a favor and check it out. You can take a walking tour of almost any place on Earth without ever getting on an airplane.
Anonymous

I alway wondered what kind of pies a humble farmer makes?
Karen

That’s how we found out who hacked our debit card numbers- got the address from bank and goggled it, and Bang- Cops got the guy. Love it!!!!
Anonymous

Both services are likely to improve their accuracy over time.
Anonymous

This should get better in time.
Anonymous

This should get better in time.
AionNV

Bing, yahoo maps, mapquest, I don’t rely on any single one exclusively for directions.

Couple years back I used the above services to plan an elaborate several day motorcycle trip through several state parks and a national park. I stopped at rangers stations for local maps, only to find the maps the local rangers had were absolutely awful, and didn’t have ANY of my routes on them. Indeed, the forest rangers told me that the routes on MY maps meticulously compiled over two weeks, did not exist. And the rangers laughed about how so many people came in to their station with maps from the internet of roads that didn’t exist.

ALL the routs did exist. Not just that, they were all good paved roads. We had a blast, and one of the remote forest roads had just been freshly repaved.

I never use any services route planner for anything but a rough idea of where to go, the actual routes I take the time to plan out myself, using multiple sources.
Anonymous

When I checked out my brother in Missouri with Google Earth, it took me to his street and as I clicked along his street…There he was standing in his driveway. We lost him on Christmas Day. I go there now and it is nice to see him.
Anonymous

When I checked out my brother in Missouri with Google Earth, it took me to his street and as I clicked along his street…There he was standing in his driveway. We lost him on Christmas Day. I go there now and it is nice to see him.
Anonymous

When I checked out my brother in Missouri with Google Earth, it took me to his street and as I clicked along his street…There he was standing in his driveway. We lost him on Christmas Day. I go there now and it is nice to see him.
Anonymous

When I checked out my brother in Missouri with Google Earth, it took me to his street and as I clicked along his street…There he was standing in his driveway. We lost him on Christmas Day. I go there now and it is nice to see him.
Anonymous

Hi, Scintillate…just a remind…I’m The_Greek_SailorBC…had problems with the computer in Bangor (my son did not make the security update and downloaded something strange and we had a bad virus). Had to reset with a new name above…but no relationship to ANY “Tea Party” politics.

Too bad the hypocrite had to tell on himself at the car wash! Why did he even move to Maine in the first place? Wait awhile, tell him, and he will find Maine does not have “hillbillies” at all. If he needs help, who will come to assist him…as always, neighborly, kind and helpful Mainer’s. If he does not like where he lived…it was his decision to move to a remote area. In fact, I’d love it!

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