TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS ANNOUNCED that Google Maps has now put its “Street Level” feature online for the City of Toronto. That means that you can enter your own address — or any other GTA address, for that matter — into the text field at maps.google.com, and in addition to ability to see an overhead view of your neighbourhood, you can now drag the little orange icon of a dude from the top left corner of the map onto the street that you want to see in photographs. You can then navigate your way through the city streets, and manipulate the angle of the camera by clicking inside the image and dragging in different directions.
THIS KIND OF TECHNOLOGY raises some serious privacy issues that haven’t been hashed out yet. At the same time, I’ve got to admit that it’s kind of cool to be able to navigate 3-D space from the comfort of my La-Z-Boy. In any case, we’ve already figured out one use for it — the original reason that it was invented — to help you find an address: specifically, ours. We are a bit removed from the road, so it can be a bit confusing to find our offices. I’ve added an arrow to the image below, so you know which driveway to turn down, and which door to enter. Now that you know, you’re welcome to visit us anytime. And you’re especially welcome if you bring a nanaimo bar or two!
