Very soon, Google maps will feature 3D experiences of the streets of Penang, Malaysia. And the person driving the Google Street View car around is Penang’s very own hawker, Cody Wong. Wong, who is 25 and holds a diploma in IT, is from Alma in Bukit Mertajam and freelances as an IT technician in the region. The curry mee hawker has been busy plying the roads of Penang for the past month, capturing pictures for Google Maps. Wong is on a 2-month contract with Google to cover the entire city’s streets and is said to be very happy with the package.

Google street view cars are driving in Malaysia

Wong started off work on November 1, 2013 and has managed to cover most of the mainland so far. He drives his Google Street View Car from 8:30 in the morning to 5:30 in the evenings on weekdays. Like him, many others are also at work driving the Google Street View cars across Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Batu Pahat, the Kinta Valley and Kuantan.

The cars are equipped with GPS systems and cameras offering 360 degrees panoramic view of the streets. As Wong drives through the city, Google’s software clicks the pictures of the streets in all angles. The software also ensures that faces of people and other personal identifiers are blurred and only what is essential for Google Maps is shown clearly. The three lasers on top of the Google car reflect off structures like buildings and bridges, indicating the distance so that the Google Street View developers can build 3D models required for Maps.

Going places, even where cars can’t go

Regardless of where the place is and how the terrain is, Google is determined to cover it and include it in its maps. On terrains where cars cannot go, Google sends its Street View Trike, which is a tricycle  used for covering streets and roads in villages and uneven pathways. Google uses the Street View Snowmobile for snowy regions, the Street View Trekker for mountainous regions, and the Street View Trolley, which is a push cart, for covering museums, stadiums and other similar areas.

Without doubt, a lot of hard work goes into building the Google Maps with panoramic street views.

You can also learn more about Google Street View here.

Check out the video below, showing a behind the scenes look of Google Street View in Venice. 

Story Source Credit: The Star

Photo credit: curiousmarcus / Foter.com / CC BY