Are Google ‘Street View’ Drivers Drunk? ;-)
I’ve been poking through Google Street View, which was launched this morning in Canada, and keep finding examples where its photo-car seems to be driving in the oncoming lane. There are lots of instances of this, actually. Obviously they weren’t (let’s hope), but I can’t figure out why the photos would come out like this.
The camera sits atop the vehicle, like a small vertical tower, so it’s not like the camera is leaning over the side of the car or anything.
Can you figure it out?
Comments (8)
October 7th, 2009
the camera is a 360-degree camera, with 8 lenses mounted in all directions, which means it takes pictures ahead, to the left and right, and behind the car, which is why it looks like it is in oncoming traffic. I suspect if you step one image "ahead" from the shot you posted, you may see the same or similar traffic, which would mean (if that shot were facing forward) that all the traffic was moving backwards.
October 7th, 2009
But the diagonal cameras (south-west, north-west, etc) could not possibly shoot down the street in a straight line. They'd shoot diagonally across.
The only way a shot like the above could be taken is with a camera located at the centre of the photo, pointing straight down the street (as in this pic).
October 8th, 2009
What David said. Cameras look behind you, too. They're EVERYWHERE!
October 8th, 2009
the camera was just pointing backwards, dude.
October 8th, 2009
I guess this was from a rearward facing camera, rather than one pointing out the front of the car, and that the car was leading this line of traffic, rather than bearing down on them only a theory though!
October 8th, 2009
Hey Tod,
Yeah, the camera is shooting behind itself toward the following traffic. But here is a bizarre situation. I was checking out some of my old haunts in Vancouver and as I travelled down Thurlow towards Robson I suddenly found myself in an alley with the direction of traffic pointing directly though a building… Maybe the driver had to sneak off to take a leak behind a dumpster…
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3422/3992075777_81...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3992834950_00...
…Go figure?!?
I find it quite addicting and have travelled to streets all over the world to see my old houses and apartments. I even found a friend's house with her whole family clearly identified in her front yard.
They even went through little ol' Pictou county, Nova Scotia recently so we'll look forward to some small town coverage soon.
Cheers, – Bruce
October 8th, 2009
No wonder I couldn't find the car when it was in town, I was looking in the wrong lane ; )
October 10th, 2009
As a parent, I want one of those cameras. With a skull-mount.
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