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Google Street View arrives
08.10.10
by Caoimhinn Barr, Inishowen Independent
GOOGLE has well and truly hit the streets of
Inishowen with ninety per cent of the peninsula now
visible on the global company’s online website.
Previously visible from space via the Google Earth
satellite, internet users can now drop into
Inishowen at ground level, where they can survey 360
degree high definition images from Malin Head to
Burt.
Cyber travellers may zoom across Inishowen in
seconds, checking out local landmarks like Donagh
Cross or Fr. Hegarty’s Rock in Buncrana while
surfers can skim the coastline from Caratra and
Tremone across to Kinnego Bay for the first time. |
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Check out
Google Maps to view Inishowen from an entirely
new perspective.. |
Much of the newly-uploaded images date from the
summer and autumn of 2009, when the Google vehicle,
complete with state-of-the-art cameras, could be
seen criss-crossing Inishowen. Election posters for
successful local candidates, Cllrs. John Ryan and
Padraig MacLochlainn, can be seen hanging from the
telegraph poles in the online view of Bridgend.
Former Buncrana Mayor Cllr Lee Tedstone, who had
written to Google asking it to launch the service as
soon as possible, said there were many benefits for
Inishowen tourism.
“Many tourists, especially Americans and Europeans,
use their smartphones – iPhone, Blackberry, Android
or whatever – when they come to an area. Google
Street View will improve the searchability of
tourism attractions and facilities in Inishowen,” he
said.
“For example, if a tourist arrives in Buncrana, he
or she can then log onto Google maps and check out
what’s on offer here. And the more people use it the
higher the ranking, or listing, will be achieved.
Google Street View is the difference between
Inishowen sounding good, and actually looking good
on screen.”
Notable absentees from Inishowen Google Street are
Moville and Greencastle, which are represented only
with a number of electronic snapshots in the
north-east corner of the peninsula. When contacted
yesterday a spokesperson for Google said:
“We try to include as much imagery as possible which
we have collected. Occasionally there are gaps where
we don't have images and we'll work to add them
later as we know people are keen to explore their
local area.” |
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