Streetview Updating by Hertz
“Streetview Updating by Hertz” is a project that is utilizing crowdsourcing to help Google keep their streetview maps up-to-date. With a fleet of over 500,000 cars, Hertz has the equipment and consumer base to equip their rental cars with camera equipment in order to continually update Google’s Street View maps.
The initiative was started by Miami ad School in New York because Google Street View maps are not updated frequently enough and it takes a large fleet of automobiles to update maps (thus the involvement of Hertz). Cars are outfitted with mobile cameras which take pictures of the Street View when drivers pass by outdated spots near by. After which the data is sent to Google and drivers receive points for their efforts. Drivers are deemed collaborators by Google for the updated areas they drive-by and will also receive bonus points by for reaching areas that are deemed pending of an update.
In the end, this crowdsourcing initiative is a win-win-win situation for all involved: Hertz gets new customers, Google gets the job done and you obtain rewards for a service that can be used for yourself.
Tags: Car Rental, Google, Google Maps, Street View