Olympic tourists planning to visit Vancouver in 2010 can sneak a peek at the entire region through Google Maps Street View.
The Internet behemoth revealed the "last level of zoom" on its popular maps feature for 11 Canadian cities at a press conference downtown yesterday.
"It's very cool," said Mayor Gregor Robertson. "It makes us proud to be leading the charge in Canada and boosts our reputation going into the games."
The web application allows users to travel through streetscapes captured earlier this year by a 360-degree camera mounted on top of a car. Clicks of the mouse can send users up and down streets and zoom in on landmarks or businesses.
Plans are to have Google cars hit the streets one more time to capture completed Olympic venues in time for opening ceremonies.
Faces and licence-plate numbers have been blurred as a way to address privacy concerns.
Individuals or businesses still worried about privacy can contact Google to have an image blacked out.
However, businesses that aren't happy with images of activity outside their shops - such as panhandling - won't have the option to arbitrarily black people out, said Luc Vincent, Google director of engineering.
Robertson expressed no concern by what Google cameras may have captured.
"It'll be face value," he said. "We don't have anything to hide here and Google is helping us in a way to make that known and look at the next step to solving it."
Though Vincent said Google has no plans to monetize the service, Vancouver technology expert Buzz Bishop believes it's only a matter of time before advertisements begin appearing on Street View maps.
"When you're on a block that has a Roots, and a Le Chateau and a Body Shop those ads might pop up on the side," Bishop said. "Though, I do buy Google's altruism in going out and index the world."
