

Ask HN: why is Google's StreetView is so awful in US, and so awesome in Europe? - old-gregg

I couldn't answer this question myself by googling it.
Just compare:<p>Why does NYC need to look like this:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&#38;client=safari&#38;q=bh+photo+video&#38;ie=UTF8&#38;sll=40.706010,-74.001274&#38;sspn=0.096553,0.011645&#38;ei=oaBHSs68GZPMMbnJ6bEJ&#38;sig2=pRDX296Zs7VzKAr2SCYaDw&#38;cd=1&#38;cid=40752898,-73996373,7885407876687864647&#38;li=lmd<p>... Compare that to London:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&#38;source=s_q&#38;hl=en&#38;geocode=&#38;q=London,+UK&#38;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&#38;sspn=44.60973,83.583984&#38;ie=UTF8&#38;ll=51.496454,-0.142479&#38;spn=0.007721,0.040812&#38;z=15&#38;layer=c&#38;cbll=51.496467,-0.142476&#38;panoid=Qb4nLCuQrwtkMWTjdt6MzA&#38;cbp=12,44.86,,0,9.35
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jcsalterego
Perhaps Google deployed StreetView state-side first, and then they refined
their technology for Europe. Just pure speculation, though.

~~~
martey
Wikipedia (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Street_View#Development>)
suggests that this is correct. New York City was added at its launch in May
2007. London did not appear until March 2009, almost two years later.

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jmonegro
I don't see what you're talking about. The quality of both views looks the
same to me.

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apu
Maybe I'm being slow, but I don't see a difference in the two...

~~~
martey
I think the quality of the London images is better than those in the New York
sample.

