New Delhi: Tech major Google on Wednesday announced a partnership with IT services firm Tech Mahindra and mapping firm Genesis International to launch Google Maps’ Street View product in India. Street View products were not allowed in India until now, as government policies did not allow foreign firms to hold imagery data in the country, but the new National Geospatial Policy, 2021, allows such products, as long as foreign Firms do not have ownership. such data.
Google said it will license the imagery data for Street View from Tech Mahindra and Genesis and will not own the data itself. Google Street View will be available from today in ten cities: Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Nashik, Vadodara, Ahmednagar and Amritsar. The three companies plan to add 50 more cities by the end of the year.
To be sure, while the imagery data will be owned by Tech Mahindra and Genesis, the data received from users of Street View and Maps will remain under Google’s domain.
Miriam Karthika Daniel, Vice President of Google Maps Experience, said this is the first time Google has used such a licensing partnership for Street View and the company is looking to replicate the model in other countries as well. “We are committed to collaborating with local organizations and government as we work towards delivering even more useful features and information on the map. We will continue to do this responsibly, enabling accurate, authentic and reliable information. We look forward to expanding our technology and expertise to the local ecosystem.”
The company will also provide an application programming interface (API) for Street View for local developers, allowing them to build apps around the platform.
Google also announced a number of other partnerships with both local authorities and organizations in the country. The company has partnered with Bengaluru Traffic Police for a pilot project to manage road congestion and optimize traffic light timings. In a press release, Google said that the partnership will eventually be extended to the entire city, and it plans to expand the effort to Kolkata and Hyderabad as well.
“As per the data provided by Google, the revised plan by Google has resulted in a 20% reduction in waiting time on an average per driver passing through the pilot intersection during the day,” said Ravikanta Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru.
The search giant said it has partnered with traffic authorities and aggregators in eight cities in India, including Delhi, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Agra.
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