THE WORLD PICTURED BY GOOGLE STREET VIEW
Since it first launched in 2007 Google Street View (GSV) has managed to capture over sixteen million kilometres of Street View imagery across eighty-three countries. This visualisation stands between a globe and a cartogram. To visually represent how much or how little you can actually see by googling from
Italy a certain area of the world, more than a thousand Google Street View pictures have been taken to fill the surfaces of the lands. Every image is framed in a pixel, that, according to its size, metaphorically represents a percentage of coverage in a certain area. The smaller the pixel, the higher the coverage, which also means high
ABOUT THE VISUALISATION
CLAUDIA MARIA CUTRUPI / SARA FERRINIBEATRICE MAGGI / GAIA PANFOLIISABELLA POSSAGHI / VIRGILIA RAMELLA
PROJECT BY GROUP 1
MICHELE MAURI / ANGELES BRIONES /GABRIELE COLOMBO / SIMONE VANTINI /SALVATORE ZINGALE
FACULTY TEACHING ASSISTANTS
ANTONELLA AUTUORI / ANDREA BENEDETTI /MATTEO BETTINI / TOMMASO ELLI / ANDREA FEBRES / BEATRICE GOBBO
definition of the images contained in the square. Instead, when in shortage of coverage, the pixel’s size increases, providing a less clear image. In lack of data there are no pixels. Some countries decide not to provide full access to their imagery: the limitation applied has economic reasons or privacy concerns.
Antartica
Oceania
South Asia
Africa
Europe
North America
South America
East Asia
NC NZ
AUSB
PG
MYPW
PH
TW
CN
BN IDSG
HK
VN
TH
KH
MN
MM
BTBD
LKIN
IOMV
MU
PKAF
IR
OMIQ
AE
SO
ET
MG
TZKE
SZ
LS
ZA
MZ
CDAO
NA
NG CM
GH
SN
MO
TR
TN
DZ
EG
JP
KRKP
RU
MHAS
FJTO
CK WS
IS
GL
PMPR
CUDO
PA
VE
GT
NI
MX
SR GY
PEBO
EC CO
BR
AR
CL
FK
AQ
US CA
Focus of Europe
GB
IS
GL
NLBE
IE
FR
ES
PT
IT
DKPL
FI
SE
SE
NO
GR
RO
BG
AT
DE
UA
Types of filters:
How to read it
The peculiar Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion Map has been used to depict the world as represented by the imagery of Google Street View, browsed from Italy. If GSV has coverage in a certain area, that Country is made of pixels, each one containing an image of that same zone, randomly taken “walking” down some of the covered streets of the represented Country, moving GSV man multiple times.
Labels on Countries:
IT special filtering policies
ISO code
NC
country with no information about the addition date on GSV
link to full name of countries
Special filtering policies:
45° lines on pixels represent Countries offering a filtered-partial view of their images
Percentage of GSV coverage on Countries:
50 - 90%
90-100%
0 - 10%
10 - 50%
very poor coverage
excellent coverage
Touristic policy or on requestThe Country restricts the imagery of its territories
On request onlyThe Country provides some imagesfor a fee
Privacy policyThe Country strongly protects its imagery due to strict privacy policies
Amazon forest - BR:The distribution and the quality of images may also depend on the physical characteristics of the areas: some are difficult-to-reach places, with no roads, like the Amazon Forest.
United States - US:GSV mapping started in 2007 in the United States, and for over a year it has been the only Country with imagery on the platform. More than ten years later, almost every american country and city, including buildings and public insides is visible on GSV.
Germany - DE:Due to legal and privacy issues, GSV coverage in Germany is restricted just to major cities, such as Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Frankfurt.
Australia - AU:Hoping to stop forbidden excursions on the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, GSV has removed all the imagery regarding Uluru, a sacred site for Indigenous Australians.
China - CN:According to Google's chief legal officer China’s imagery is mainly requested (and obtained) for legitimate criminal investigations or for the removal of child pornography content.
Faroe Islands - FO:Google teamed up with the inhabitants of the islands and lent cameras to generate Street View imagery. The sheep continued doing their thing, while also creating pictures of their land.
Austria - AT:It was only from June2020 that major roadsand highways allthroughout Austria became available, accesible fromevery states' browser.
Cou
ntry
- IS
Ofir
stim
age
last
upda
teye
ar o
fpu
blis
hing
no d
ates
avai
labl
e
Alg
eria
- D
Z
Ang
ola
- AO
Coo
k Is
l. - C
K
Cub
a - C
U
Con
go -
CD
Bru
nei -
BN
Cam
erou
n - C
M
Ethi
opia
- ET
Guy
ana
- GY
Fiji
- FJ
Iran
- IR
Afg
hani
stan
- A
F
Åla
nd Is
land
s - A
X
Alb
ania
- A
L
Am
eric
an S
am. -
AS
And
orra
- A
D
Ant
artic
a - A
Q
Arg
entin
a - A
R
Aus
tral
ia -
AU
Aus
tria
- AT
Ban
glad
esh
- BD
Bel
arus
-BY
Bel
gium
- B
E
Ber
mud
a - B
M
Bhu
tan
- BT
Bol
ivia
- B
O
Bot
swan
a - B
W
Bra
sil -
BR
BIO
T - I
O
Bul
garia
- B
G
Cam
bodi
a - K
H
Can
ada
- CA
Chi
le -
CL
Chi
na -
CN
Chr
istm
as Is
l. - C
X
Coc
os Is
l. - C
C
Col
ombi
a - C
O
Cos
ta R
ica
- CR
Cro
atia
- H
R
Cur
açao
- C
W
Cze
ch R
epub
lic -
CZ
Den
mar
k - D
K
Dom
enic
an R
ep. -
DO
Ecua
dor -
EC
Egyp
t - E
G
Esto
nia
- EE
Esw
atin
i - S
Z
Falk
land
Isla
nd -
FK
Faro
e Is
. - F
O
Finl
and
- FI
Fran
ce -
FR
Ger
man
y - D
E
Gha
na -
GH
Gib
ralta
r - G
I
Gre
ece
- GR
Gre
enla
nd -
GL
Gua
m -
GU
Gua
tem
ala
- GT
Hon
g Ko
ng -
HK
Hun
gary
- H
U
Icel
and
- IS
Indi
a - I
N
Indo
nesi
a - I
D
Iraq
- IQ
Irela
nd -
IE
Isle
of M
an -
IM
Isra
el -
IL
Italy
- IT
Japa
n - J
P
Jers
ey -
JE
Jord
an -
JO
Keny
a - K
E
Kyrg
yzst
an -
KG
Laos
- LA
Latv
ia -
LV
Leba
non
- LB
Vene
zuel
a - V
E
Sam
oa -
WS
Som
alia
- SO
Solo
mon
Isl.
- SB
Mar
shal
l Isl
. - M
H
Moz
ambi
que
- MZ
Mal
dive
s - M
V
Mau
ritiu
s - M
U
Nic
arag
ua -
NI
Nor
th K
orea
- K
P
Om
an -
OM
New
Cal
edon
ia -
NC
Pana
ma
- PA
Papa
New
Gui
n. -
PG
Pala
u - P
W
Toke
lau
- TO
Leso
tho
- LS
Lith
uani
a - L
T
Luxe
mbo
urg
- LU
Mac
au -
MO
Mad
agas
car -
MG
Mal
aysi
a - M
Y
Mal
ta -
MT
Mar
tiniq
ue -
MQ
Mex
ico
- MX
Mon
aco
- MC
Mon
golia
- M
N
Mon
tene
gro
- ME
Mya
nmar
- M
M
Nam
ibia
- N
A
Nep
al -
NP
Net
herla
nds
- NL
New
Zea
land
- N
Z
Nig
eria
- N
G
N. M
aced
onia
- M
K
N. M
aria
na Is
l. - M
P
Nor
way
- N
O
Paki
stan
- PK
Pale
stin
e - P
S
Peru
- PE
Phili
ppin
es -
PH
Pitc
airn
Isl.
- PN
Pola
nd -
PL
Port
ugal
- PT
Puer
to R
ico
- OR
Qat
ar -
QA
Réu
nion
- R
E
Rom
ania
- R
O
Rus
sia
- RU
SPM
- PM
San
Mar
ino
- SM
Sene
gal -
SN
Serb
ia -
RS
Sing
apor
e - S
G
Slov
akia
- SK
Slov
enia
- SI
Sout
h A
fric
a - Z
A
SGSS
I - G
S
Sout
h Ko
rea
- KR
Spai
n - E
S
Sri L
anka
- LK
Sval
bard
- SJ
Swed
en -
SE
Switz
erla
nd -
CH
Taiw
an -
TW
Tanz
ania
- TZ
Thai
land
- TH
Tuni
sia
- TN
Turk
ey -
TR
Uga
nda
- UG
Ukr
aine
- U
A
Uni
ted
Ar.
Em. -
AE
UK
- G
B
Uni
ted
Stat
es -
US
U.S
Virg
in Is
l. - V
I
Uru
guay
- U
Y
Vanu
atu
- VU
Viet
nam
- VN
Zim
babw
e - Z
W
Surin
ame
- SR
20072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Alphabetical order of 156 Country added in GSV from 2007 to 2020
The Dymaxion is a projection representing the world map on the surface of an icosahedron, that can be, once unfolded, flattened to two dimensions. Lands and seas do not have any breaks and it is the projection, amog many, that gives the lower distortion in their contour and masses.