Old Street View Lawsuit Allowed Another Gasp

About 22 months ago, Google was sued over its Street View program by a couple named Aaron and Christine Boring.  The entire suit was dismissed a little while later.  Now, the Borings have made a small bit of headway with an appeal, but it doesn't appear that Google has much to worry about.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is sticking by the dismissal of the Borings' claims for invasion of privacy, unjust enrichment, injunctive relief, and punitive damages.  The only claim that will be allowed to go forward is one regarding trespassing.

  (Now-Deleted) Street View Shot Of The Borings' House

The Borings, who originally sought $25,000 in damages, don't seem likely to get much money due to this, either.  A court document stated, "[T]hey 'bear the burden of proving that the trespass was the legal cause, i.e., a substantial factor in bringing about actual harm or damage' . . . if they want more than a dollar."

This looks to be a significant win for Google.  Had things gone another way, the lawsuit could have encouraged all sorts of people to sue the company.  Taken to an extreme, Street View might have met its end as a result.

Yet as things stand, no one can count on getting more than a single dollar, and that's only if Google's Street View drivers prove unable to turn back at "Private Road" signs.

Have You Read This?

> Street View Spreads To Denmark, Sweden

> Google Headed To Swiss Court Over Street View

> Google Street View Hits Hawaii, Mexico

Street View Spreads To Denmark, Sweden

Google Street View has taken in a couple more countries.  Today, coverage of Denmark and Sweden was introduced, and there are new photos of many especially interesting places in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and other areas, as well.

The pics of Denmark and Sweden are more or less standard Street View fare - high-resolution shots (with license plates and people's faces blurred) captured throughout the countries by some cars driving along main roads.  You can see things like Hans Christian Anderson's home and Copenhagen Town Hall (below) as a result.

The photos documenting the other countries are more unique.  As Google London's Laura Scott explained on the LatLong Blog, they were taken from Street View Trikes, and "[t]hanks to the National Trust - a charity with a love for preserving historic places and spaces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland - our Trike riders were given access to a whole host of beautiful places . . . .  [T]hey pedalled around a collection of the National Trust's iconic castles, country houses and outstanding landscapes . . ."

Elsewhere in the world, the Trikes toured the San Diego Zoo, Penn State, Busch Gardens, Sesame Place, Water Country USA, and parts of Italy and Taiwan.

This should be a fun update for Street View fans.  Let's just hope Google doesn't get hit by any more legal challenges as a result.

Have You Read This?

> Could Billboard Ads In Google Maps Street View Become A Possibility?

> MapQuest Gets Its Own Street View

> Google Headed To Swiss Court Over Street View

Google Street View Hits Hawaii, Mexico

Attention all Street View fans: another update's been announced, and this one could be considered especially significant.  Images of Hawaii were released, meaning Street View now has coverage of all 50 U.S. states.

Street View's come a long way since its early days of functioning as a fun little distraction/curiosity.  It's now a useful resource for travelers, an advertising aid for businesses, and even a friend of some tourist agencies (the Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau worked with Google on this latest update).

Street View remains a nifty way to glimpse cool locations, too, of course.  Waimea Bay, which you can see below, is one such spot.  On the Official Google Blog, Laura Melahn also recommended Iolani Palace.

And the new Street View update actually includes images originating from a place other than Hawaii; Mexico, our neighbor to the south, was covered for the first time.  Shots of Cancun, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Playa del Carmen, Puebla, and Puerto Vallarta are all available now.

So if you're more a fan of warm temperatures and sea breezes than snow-covered pine trees, this is definitely the update for you.  Have fun exploring from your office chair.

Have You Read This?

> Street View Coverage Of Two More Countries Goes Live

> Street View: Soon With More Blurriness

> Google Now Identifying Businesses In Street View

 

PC–Based Mapping Sites Attracting More Visitors

Mobile mapping portals continue to grow in popularity, but PC-based mapping sites continue to attract more visitors, according to a new report from ABI Research.

The report found that the Asia-Pacific region is currently lagging behind North America and Europe, but it is on track to surpass both regions by 2013 with 245 million visitors, driven by the growing popularity of local Chinese portals Sohu and Baidu.

"In the US, the protracted battle between Google Maps and MapQuest has finally been won by Google surpassing its competitor in terms of visits for the first time in April 2009," says ABI Research practice director Dominique Bonte.

"The unique Google Street View feature, the availability of Google Maps for mobile on the iPhone including the recently launched crowd-sourced traffic information, and geo-enabled location toolbars have all been deciding factors."

At the same time, navigation vendors TomTom and Nokia continue to integrate their online mapping portals into their mobile offerings. The TomTom route planner features real-time traffic information for immediate departures or historic speed information for future trips to find the best route.

The report also found that Nokia is increasingly promoting its Ovi Maps as a differentiator and that NAVTEQ has launched its own mapping portal with a suite of features.