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Google Adds Street View To Driving Directions

Like the drummer from Green Day, this is Tre(s) Cool. If you use Google Maps to get driving directions from Point A to Point B, you'll now be able to add Street Views to the directions to see a clearer picture of exactly where you're going.

This is the next step in the evolution of directions. First we saw lines printed on 2-D maps. Then came the 3-D software on products such as those from Garmin and TomTom. These displayed a 3-D graphical representation of the buildings and landmarks around you on the screen of your navigation device. With the addition of Street View to Google Maps, you can now see a live picture of where you intend to travel, and portions of the route to get there.

As long as Google has driven its little car down the street and taken pictures of it, the images will be available as a feature in Google Maps.

Google said in a press release, "Users will see camera icons next to each step of their directions, which will open a Street View image of the location, along with an arrow showing the action to be taken. Users can click through their entire route through Street View, and when the journey is complete, a green marker will indicate arrival at their destination. By viewing Street View images alongside directions, drivers have visual context for intersections and action points along their route, enabling them to be aware of landmarks and other factors such as tolls, speed limits, size of the road, and the availability of parking at their destination."

Google isn't the only company providing this type of functionality. During CTIA, I saw a demonstration from Blue Dasher Technologies. Blue Dasher is driving around and providing 360-degree street level views of the country's major metro areas, as well. In contrast to Google's Street View, Blue Dasher's technology allows you to view the front of buildings, look directly at the physical address you're navigating to, see through intersections to get a good idea of which way to turn, and is available on in-car navigation devices, not just PCs. It also takes more pictures per minute than Google does, so more information is available to drivers.

For those who are easily lost, or need landmarks to find new locations, services such as this will be a boon.

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