Getting Lost in Singapore Will Now Be Impossible!

Now there will be no more reason to get lost in Singapore. With the official launch of Street View from Google, a collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore becomes the first nation in South East Asia to utilize it.

By using a browser on a computer – http://maps.google.com/streetview/ or surfing via Google Latitude or surfing to http://m.google.com/maps, you will be able to do more than just getting from Point A to Point B.

 

 

 

Presenters from Google as well as Singapore Tourism Board was on hand to demonstrate the effectiveness of using Google Street View, beyond getting around Singapore. The implications on tourism is higher as people both in & out of the country now have a better way to show Singapore, as not just another tiny red dot in South East Asia, but as a nation state that is alive and navigable.

In a press statement released, Mr Ken Low, Assistant Chief Executive (Marketing), STB, says, “STB is very excited by Street View’s marketing potential as it will further raise Singapore’s prominence and reach through the Internet. People unfamiliar with Singapore can now get a first look at our city. The convenience of Google Maps, and the Street View feature, will give people from anywhere in the world a much better idea and picture of what Singapore looks like, and what it has to offer and we welcome private sector initiatives such as these which help us add value to our visitors’ experiences."

OCBC have already jumped on the bandwagon with its OCBC Cycle Singapore which makes full use of Google Street View. Once participants have logged on to www.ocbc.cyclesingapore.com.sg, they will then have the opportunity through Google Street View to experience the route of their selected ride.  Users will be able to navigate between routes of different distances and experience first-hand, the twists and turns involved in the various rides. Do check the website out to see how you can get in on the action too!

There are several ways for businesses to effectively use Google Street View in their daily affairs;

• Help tourists plan itineraries by showing them famous landmarks near your hotel.

• Embed a Street View image on your website and show customers your storefront.Embed Street View images on your news website to show the locations of news events.

• Research new locations for offices or commercial premises from the comfort of your office.

• Check the location of customer and supplier offices before leaving work.

• Incorporate Street View into geography or history lessons.

• Evaluate locations for marketing campaigns, film shoots, or other events.

• Use the Street View API to show prospective buyers or tenants available properties that you’re developing or selling.

• Get a feel for the style of particular areas to help with design, urban planning, or preserving heritage.

• Help your new employees get to work by showing them your office location, where to park, or the nearest transit stop.

For the average traveler in & out of Singapore, here’s a list that you could do with Google Street View;

Explore parts of the world you’ve always wanted to visit. Preview how close your holiday accommodation is to transportation. Show faraway friends where you live and work. Walk the streets to find the amazing restaurant whose name you can’t remember. Arrange a virtual field trip for your students. Show your party guests where the venue is. Take a virtual walk through a neighbourhood before buying or renting a property. Moving to a new area? Explore nearby amenities such as parks, bus stops, and parking. Ensure a building entrance has wheelchair access. Plan your child’s walking route to school; show them landmarks so they don’t get lost.

The question of privacy, in the case of dispute over identification of persons, vehicles or landmarks have also been addressed during the launch. Since the launch of Street View in 2007, Google has gained a considerable amount of experience with regards to dispute managements & verification of disputes.

Here’s what Google promise.

How does Google ensure privacy and legal compliance?

Street View features photographs that are no different from what a person can readily see or capture walking down the street. Imagery of this kind is available in a wide variety of formats for cities around the world, from Sydney to Tokyo to New York. We are committed to respecting local laws and norms in each country in which we launch Street View. Blurring technology and operational controls such as image removal are among the ways in which we ensure that an individual’s privacy is respected. We make it easy for users to ask to have photographs of themselves, their children, their cars or their houses completely removed from the product, even where the images have already been blurred.

My image is in Street View and I’d prefer it not to be. How do I get it taken down?

It’s very easy to remove images from Street View. If a user finds an image that they consider objectionable they can report it by clicking on "Report a Problem" in the bottom left-hand corner within a Street View image. Here, there is an easily accessible link to report inappropriate imagery. Once the claim is verified, the image is removed. More details about requesting an image’s removal are in this YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4ZdgH5n3XI.

Click on this image to see clearly that the vehicles & people captured are blurred out as part of the privacy measures. 

And finally,

The winner of the Street View Trike online vote is…

Google and STB also announced the winners of the online poll in which the Singapore public voted for the best tourist attractions to be photographed by the Street View trike. Google received thousands of suggestions and votes over the past month and the top winner in each of the four voting categories are: Chinatown, Pagoda Street and Mosque Street for ‘Cultural Areas’; the Southern Ridge, Henderson Wave Bridge, Hort Park and Kent Ridge for ‘Hidden Gems’; Sentosa’s beaches and trails for ‘Natural Wonders’; and the Quays (Robertson, Clarke, Boat) and the Fullerton for ‘The City’.

And the top spot goes to… Sentosa, Asia’s favourite playground, which received the most number of votes to be hailed as Singapore’s most popular tourist attraction! These top voted locations will get a visit from the trike first while it is here in Singapore. The images it collects will later appear in Street View to help millions of Google users in Singapore and all over the world get a special view of some of Singapore’s famous attractions and inspire them to visit the attractions for themselves.

Update: @gotheresg: Sneak peek update: We’ve integrated Google Street View! http://bit.ly/5tAJzA