With the World Cup fever building, people from around the globe are keen to experience everything that South Africa has to offer, so over the coming months Google will help bring South Africa’s vibrant cityscapes to the world. You can expect to see one of a fleet of Toyota Priuses on the road in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Durban.

So what is Street View?

It is a hugely popular feature of Google Maps that is already available in more than 100 metropolitan areas around the world. It allows users to virtually explore and navigate a neighbourhood through panoramic street-level images. It is also available in Google Earth and on Google Maps for Mobile.

Images collected by the cars in South Africa will be processed and carefully stitched together, a technological process that can take several months. They will be made available at a later date in Street View on Google Maps for South Africa. As with all Street View imagery, Google will apply face-blurring and license plate blurring to all these images to protect people’s privacy. Once images are available, people will be able to report images for removal or additional blurring by clicking on ‘report a problem’ on the bottom left hand corner of the image.

If you’re driving around any of these city’s and happen to spot a Toyota Prius kitted out with our amazing camera technology, then smile broadly!

Toyota Prius kitted out with amazing Google camera technology

“Newton brings extensive online experience to his new role, helping to increase the flow of information in South Africa by getting businesses online and helping South Africans benefit from Google’s free online services,” Google said in a press statement.  Before joining Google, Newton was Vice President of Double Click’s Ad Exchange and General Manager of Hitwise UK.

Newton takes over from Stafford Masie who left Google SA at the end of April, and will take up his position on the 1st of July 2009.

Source: My Broadband

The article states that Google, on Monday, confirmed Stafford’s resignation as the head of Google’s South African operations and that the search for a replacement is on. The main reasons for his departure is to spend time with his family.

Having met Stafford personally and having worked with him and his staff, it is a pity to hear of his resignation and departure at the end of April. I believe that Google SA would have gone much further and would have achieved much greater things in 2009 and the years following. Stafford (and the local team) has already achieved so much and the vision they shared and proclaimed would have changed the digital world in South Africa on a large scale.

I am sure Google remains committed to the goals set previously (see older posts on advancements and future strategies – Stafford Masie Presents Google South Africa’s Hot New Trends and Google’s Stafford Masie presents to Lowe Bull Group) and that we haven’t heard the last of these developments. I also hope that Stafford’s replacement is as charismatic and committed to South Africa and the growth of digital solutions in the South African market as Stafford has been.

Stafford, from all of us here at longtail, we enjoyed working with you and wish you all the best!