Google Street View Car Spotted In Sioux Falls; See It Up Close
Google Maps is amazing. There I said it. Type in an address or coordinance and you are taken right to the destination. Google Street View allows you to see a destination before you arrive so you can know what to expect. That feature has helped me tremendously over the years.
I'm sure you've seen Google Street View cars around Sioux Falls, but have you ever seen one up close? I haven't until last Thursday (12/23) when I saw one parked at the Walmart lot on South Minnesota Ave and 85th Street. So I took out my phone and grabbed some pics.
This particular car was a 2016 or 2017 Hyundai Elantra hatchback with the 360° camera at the top of a mast bolted to the roof.
The interior picture shows a large touch screen interface. I wish the driver was around so I could ask a few questions and get a close-up shot of the interior.
Note the sticker on the right side; it shows the clearance of the mast when it is either deployed or stowed.
Google Maps wasn't the first virtual mapping system, but they are arguably the best and certainly the most used. The history of "Web Mapping" dates back to 1988 to the birth of the internet as we know it today. However, that service wasn't readily available for public use.
Most people will remember the first user-friendly Web Mapping software, MapQuest that was released in 1996. Just install the software on your computer, input the starting point and destination and you got a perfect route. Well, most of the time.
Various other Web Mapping services were released before Google Maps launched in 2005. This was one of the first web-based map services to use GPS data to integrate satellite imagery and real-time traffic conditions. Google Earth was also released in 2005 and allowed you to travel around the world from the comfort of your couch.
All that leads us to Google Street View which launched in 2007 and since then has been seen all over Sioux Falls.
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