Google has some fun toys, that much is known. However, some of those toys are really cool (that much we expected) and almost practical. One of them, dubbed the Holodeck, uses the Google Street View data to give a (near) 360 degree view experience that puts you in the driving (well, floating with attitude) seat. The system was shown off at the recent Google I/O event.
Google Street View is a feature of Google Maps and Google Earth that provides for many streets in the world 360° horizontal and 290° vertical panoramic views from a row of positions along the street (one in every 10 or 20 meters, or so), from a height of about two meters. It was launched on May 25, 2007, and has gradually expanded to include more cities, and in these cities more streets, and also some rural areas. These photographs are currently available for countries including United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Coverage is shown by dragging "pegman" from its position, on a map of any scale.
source: wikipedia
