Google Maps- Street View.

[jhopgood]

Valencia has had Google Map, Street view, for some time. Judging from the photos, they went round last summer.
They do it with a car driving around the street with cameras perched on top, getting just about a 360 degree view. I think it is all done with a series of photos, a bit like cartoons. That way they can delete photos people don't want in the public eye. There is an option to report inappropriate views, so they can be taken out, but as far as I know, there have been no complaints here in Spain.
It seems people are more sensitive about these things in the UK than they are here in Spain.
I have no problem with it.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Bet they havn't been to my place --- in Deepest Dorset ----Some approaches by Satnav have you on an unmade road !
We do have some made up, I live 100m from the County Boundary -- difficult, as even my PostCode puts me in a different Authority !

[Vonny]

Bet they havn't been to my place --- in Deepest Dorset ----

They haven't been to me yet either and I am Dorset!

[jhopgood]

To give you an idea, I have no problem in you looking at my address

Go to

http://maps.google.com/

In the search maps block, type in

Calle del Serpis, 68, 46022, Valencia

That's it.

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Bet they havn't been to my place --- in Deepest Dorset ----Some approaches by Satnav have you on an unmade road !
We do have some made up, I live 100m from the County Boundary -- difficult, as even my PostCode puts me in a different Authority !

Daughter and son-in law live on an unsealed road (in Wistow, South Australia). We didn't see the camera car go past, but know roughly when it was, as we can see the partially demolished wedding marquee in the house paddock and two horses in the far paddock. Fee joined the family on Good Friday 2008 (the day before I left for my 'business' trip to Hertford), and Tower died several months before the wedding, so, oh well, you can work it out if you are remotely interested

[englishangel]

It was done last summer. Only big cities so far in UK.

Downing Street and the Bleughs' house in Connaught Square have been removed. Also a picture of some little ones running around naked in a small park somewhere has been removed. There have also been a couple of people doing things they should not, a man going into a strip club and another vomiting in the street.

[marty]

I can't see that Street View is any different from actually going to the place yourself - there are no restrictions on that are there? All it means is that people will be on a PC looking at photos rather than getting off their backside and visiting the place "in the flesh". We should be more worried about how this contributes to obesity levels, rather than some presumed invasion of privacy.

[Sallz]

They uploaded my street the other day, and my little sibblings were very exited.
When we went to have a look at our house however, it said image not avaliable. Frustrated, I emailed google, who replied saying they had had an email from a residant of the house (giving my 10 year old computer obsessed cousins name), who had requested to have it removed because a window had the curtain slightly open.

Very unimpressed, said cousin has been forced by his parents to sort it out with google.

[marty]

I am not sure that having your doorstep shown on somebodies computer is good security. There are a lot of Militant nasties out there and you really do not want them to know where you live.

Alan, indeed I don't but where on Street View does it say who lives in the street?

[jhopgood]

Wonder why the Blairs and the Browns have objected? Surely if it's good enough for the rest of us,it's good enough for them.

Having read a Guardian article on tis, I understand that the authorities were happy for it to go ahead.
"The Information Commissioner's Office, which had been investigating complaints about Street View, last year cleared the service for launch in the UK".

Politicians privilege to take the fun out of life, I suppose.

[sejintenej]

Both the house and the farm are on Google world but ....................

the house has a car in front which might be a Model T Ford (the focus is cr**) or failing that a crate I got rid of eons of time ago.

the farm is totally out of focus - so much so that the road has been drawn in - apparently by hand and wrongly - whilst half of the hamlet seems to be missing.

Just had a communication from some energy firm** claiming to be working on behalf of the local council and demanding to know all sorts of information about my family, my house .................... even what poverty grants I am claiming. George Orwell was 25 years too early

** I've had e-mails from them in the past but they - Energy Saving Trust - wouldn't tell me who in tarnation they are. As a result I treat them like I treat 419 scammers, with contempt.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Yesterday Afternoon --- a man came to my door to sell me a photo of my house, with gardens, fountain, garage ---- It was taken as an arial photo with perfect detail apparantly from about 300 feet up.
Since I am a cautious old B, I don't buy at the doorstep , although I am now beginning to have second thoughts--- it wa beautifully framed and glazed, I didn't ask the price -- but to prepare individual photos in that way, must be an expensive "Shot in the dark " for door to door.
Any body else had this ?

[marty]

Well,no. But if they do manage to get your address from elsewhere, this is certainly going to be a major boon. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid?

I think you probably are, Alan. To be able to look up a street on Street View you have to know it's there in the first place. It's not pin the tail on the donkey. It doesn't give out any personal information. It doesn't list who lives there. It doesn't give a good indication as to what goes on in the street as it's only a very short snapshot of time. In fact if anyone was to attempt to use it for illicit purposes they would be using information that is out of date and not wholly accurate, after all streets change over time and movements of people/traffic etc cannot be fully garnered from one photo. Anyone wanting to 'stake' a place out would need to physically visit it or have access to live images over a significant length of time to build up a proper picture of the area.

[englishangel]

There have always been companies that take aerial photos and flog them door to door usually as a sideline to something else. My Dad has one of his parents place taken back in the 70s (in Black and white) and we have one from the place we rented in the States in the early 90s

The chap flogging it was a student from Manchester and I gave him a shock by telling him when it was taken. There was only one week when two shrubs were in flower together and from the stripes on the lawn it had to be the day after the lawn was mowed. Easy-peasy. I still have it.

[sejintenej]

Yesterday Afternoon --- a man came to my door to sell me a photo of my house, with gardens, fountain, garage ---- It was taken as an arial photo with perfect detail apparantly from about 300 feet up.
Since I am a cautious old B, I don't buy at the doorstep , although I am now beginning to have second thoughts--- it wa beautifully framed and glazed, I didn't ask the price -- but to prepare individual photos in that way, must be an expensive "Shot in the dark " for door to door.
Any body else had this ?

Yes - and it was totally free!