Time Machine: Google Maps Now Lets You Travel Back in Time

by William White | April 23, 2014 1:24 pm

Google (GOOG[1]) Maps now lets users hop in a virtual time machine[2] to see what places looked like seven years ago.

time-machine-google-maps-goog-stock[3]

The new feature of Google Maps allows users to scroll back and see older images of a location while in Street View. The time machine allows people to look back to when Google Maps was first launched in 2007. Some areas have more images available for viewing than others. The ability to look back in time has doubled the amount of images available on Street View, reports Christian Science Monitor.

“As time goes by, many of these images are going to become vintage,” Vinay Shet, a Google product manager involved in the time machine feature, told San Jose Mercury News[4]. “We want our maps to be comprehensive as we build a digital mirror of the world.”

While seven years may not seem like a long time to look back, the time machine feature does show some major changes in certain areas. For example, Google Map users can look over images that illustrate the development of the 2014 World Cup stadium in Fortaleza, Brazil and the construction of the Freedom Tower in New York City, Christian Science Monitor notes.

More Google News

Endnotes:

  1. GOOG: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=GOOG
  2. hop in a virtual time machine: http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2014/0423/Google-Street-View-heads-back-in-time
  3. [Image]: https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/google-maps-sign-630.jpg
  4. San Jose Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_25620437/time-travel-google-maps-now-allow-look-back
  5. Google Wallet Pushes Forward in Online Payments Race: https://investorplace.com/2014/04/google-wallet-winning-payments-game/
  6. Nest Thermostat May Be Coming to Google Play: https://investorplace.com/2014/04/google-play-nest-thermostat-goog/
  7. Report: Is Square Mulling a Sale to Google?: https://investorplace.com/2014/04/report-square-mulling-sale-google/

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2014/04/time-machine-google-maps-goog-stock/