Google comes to Chiang Mai

Two Google Street View cars after a day of photographing city streets.

(Photo by Ron Lister).

Google street view cars have been spotted cruising the streets of Chiang Mai in the past week, photographing the city in a bid by internet giant Google and the Tourism Authority of Thailand to expand coverage of Google Street View to Thailand. This follows their opening their first office in Thailand, based in Bangkok.

It is expected it will take the Google Street View team 2-3 years to complete the task of surveying the country, which, Google’s new country manager Ariya Panomyong said that proportionally, no other country sends as my visitors to Google Street View maps as does Thailand.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has invited Thai residents to send in their favorite places to be surveyed by the Google team. Google Street View has caused some controversy over privacy issues. However, faces and license plates are blurred out according to their privacy policy and further blurring or removal will be available upon request.

Additionally, on September 24, Google will be holding a Google DevFest in Chiang Mai at Chiang Mai University. Registration for this free event is required but the all day seminar will allow developers to learn of the latest developments in Maps, Apps, Android, Cloud, Chrome and others. Web, mobile, and enterprise developers encouraged to attend. Registration can be found here: http://code.google.com/events/devfests/2011/seasia.html#chiangmai

[chiangmaimail]2011-09-14[/chiangmaimail]

One of the cars spent a fair amount of time around Nimmanhaemin today, and sat side-by-side with my husband as he rode the motorbike down Suthep, today.

I am just glad that we have peace loving, privacy respecting world governments so that this technology is not used for the wrong purposes.

I am just glad that we have peace loving, privacy respecting world governments so that this technology is not used for the wrong purposes.

Wholeheartedly agree but suspect we have no chance.

It's astonishingly intrusive.

Orwell will be smiling ....................wryly.