Google Maps, an Internet-based mapping service that utilizes satellite imagery to aid its users, has gotten a local boost.
The program’s state-of-the-art “Street View” has been expanded to include Iola, Moran, LaHarpe and parts of Gas.
Street View works just as it sounds. With a few mouse clicks, a user can see the driver’s perspective of pretty much every street in town.
The access is made possible by driving camera-equipped cars along streets and highways to photograph 360 degrees from the driver’s perspective.
The service is a particular boon for users looking for specific landmarks when getting directions, although privacy advocates note Street View gives the entire Internet a full view of homes, businesses or anything else visible from the street.
The camera-equipped car was spotted in the area in late April and early May, and the Street View images appear to have stemmed from that time period.
Street View has been around for years, particularly in major cities, but has only expanded to rural locations recently.
One aside — although the Google car also was spotted in Humboldt about the same time as Iola and elsewhere, Street View images for that community are not yet available.
Iola on the map
