Author: StreetViewFun.com

Can Waymo self driving cars be used to take Google Street View images?

Articles by StreetViewFun.com · Reply
Waymo Google Street View
Photo by gibblesmash asdf on Unsplash

Waymo, Zoox and Tesla now offer self driving cars in the US. Can these type of self driving cars be used to collect images for Google Maps Street View in the near future? Maybe, but the roof of the Waymo cars are occupied by camera and lidar sensors to navigate to the destination. We need some Street View cameras there for this to work.

Waymo car Google
Photo by Aamy Dugiere on Unsplash

The most likely self driving car to be used to collect Google Maps Street View images is still the Waymo cars since the service is owned by Google (Alphabet Inc). Currently the self driving cars is only available in a few cities in mainly California and Texas, but both Waymo and Tesla plan to expand rapidly this year.

Will Google start to use the cars for Street View? Can the Street View cameras be moved from the roof to the side of the car or made smaller? The Waymo sensors around the car is already kind of bulky and ugly. Or can Waymo and Google Street View use the same cameras? Any thoughts?

Challenge: Find a troll on Google Maps Street View

Funny maps by StreetViewFun.com · Reply

Over the years Danish artist Thomas Dambo has created hundreds of giant trolls out of scrap wood. The trolls are located in forests around the world. Most are far away from any roads. So, the question is; are any of the trolls despite this visible on Google Maps Street View? We don’t know. Find a troll and report back to us. There is a handy troll map available where you get the approximate location of the trolls Dambo has made. Maybe there is even a troll nearby you. Let the troll hunt begin!

Google Street View exhibition at Denmarks largest art museum Louisiana

About Street View Art by StreetViewFun.com · 1 comment

The Google Maps Street View images collected by artist Jon Rafman is currently displayed at the Louisiana art museum in Denmark. Many of the images shown in the exhibition have been posted here on streetviewfun.com over the years since we opened up in 2007. Here’s an inteview with Rafman:

The project Nine Eyes, considered a milestone in recent history of art, is presented for the first time in a museum exhibition. The work, which is Jon Rafman’s breakthrough project spans almost two decades and focuses on both the everyday and the existential aspects of life in the age of digital surveillance.

The exhibition is open until the 11th of January 2026.