Internet giant Google started photographing the streets of Colombia Wednesday for its Street View program, which provides panoramic views of much of the world using satellite, mapping and imaging technologies.
Google will send teams to various cities across the country, using its multi-lens cameras to capture 360 degree views of Colombia at street level. Street View is useful for tourists and business owners, who can use the program to fully map out travel routes, according to Google.
“This tool will improve the search process and position the business to have much more visibility,” said Laura Camacho, general manager of Google Colombia.
Users concerned with their privacy need not worry, as the program will only display images that can be viewed by anyone from the street, said the company’s Colombian manager of corporate communications, Susana Pabon. “We have developed a technology that can blur faces and license plates. Once the images are available for public access, users will have tools available to them so they can request the removal of images that show inappropriate content,” she announced on Google’s official Latin American corporate blog.
Colombia becomes the third Latin American country after Mexico and Brazil to be covered by Street View, which was launched in 2007. Images can now be seen in 48 countries and dependencies around the globe.
No announcement was made as to when Colombian images will be available through the program.