1:30pm Friday 12th March 2010
Pembrokeshire was virtually put on the map yesterday (Thursday), when images of the county's streets, villages and towns were added to Google Street View.
Throughout the world, people will now be able to view and explore 360-degree street-level views of Pembrokeshire locations from Strumble Head to Saundersfoot.
The internet giant has added around 210,000 extra miles to its update of Street View, which It now covers an estimated 95 per cent of British homes.
Images of Pembrokeshire were captured last year by special Google vehicles, each fitted with a panoramic camera which took pictures from different angles as the driver moved along the roads.
When the service was launched in March 2009, it covered 25 cities and only 28,000 miles of roads in the UK. But with the new coverage of virtually every street in the UK, the country now joins the USA, Spain, France and Italy in enjoying nationwide coverage.
Said a Google spokesperson: "People can check out a restaurant before arriving, make travel plans, arrange meeting points, get a helping hand with geography homework or just get to know their town better."
Tourism operators and other businesses will be able to make the most of the technology for free by embedding Google Maps into their websites.
Added Ed Parsons, Google's Geospatial Technologist: "Street View takes mapping to a level not possible before. The new imagery of so many stunning British places means it's the ideal time to start planning a trip, kick-start a house-hunt or simply ensure you never arrive late to a meeting again."
The original launch of Google Street View sparked off a number of complaints that the pictures were a breach of privacy. The company has blurred vehicle numberplates and faces, and has provided a 'report a problem' button, which allows users to flag up sensitive or inappropriate images.
• To access Street View go to google.co.uk and click on maps. Drag the man icon above the zoom button onto the map to see the Street View image.
• Have you spotted anything we should know about on Google Street View? Add your comments below, or e-mail the newsroom on yourtelegraphnews@westerntelegraph.co.uk
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