Google starts Street View in India with local partners after policy change

Tech Mahindra and mapping firm Genesys will work with US technology giant to show a 360-degree view of streets, landmarks

Google Maps has launched Street View in India in collaboration with Tech Mahindra and Genesys International, marking the first time in the world the service will be handled completely by local partners.

The service for a 360-degree view of streets, tourist spots, and landmarks could not be launched in India before because of regulatory hurdles.

Street View will be available on Google Maps with imagery licensed from the local partners and covering over 150,000 km across ten cities: Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Nashik, Vadodara, Ahmednagar, and Amritsar. Google, Genesys International, a mapping and geospatial company, and Tech Mahindra plan to expand the service to more than 50 cities by the end of 2022.

Street View comes to after India’s changes in geospatial guidelines. In February 2022, the Department of Science and Technology presented guidelines for geospatial data to encourage the growth of domestic companies providing mapping technologies. The policy restricts foreign companies to a 1-metre accuracy and mandates the use of APIs for such companies from authorised domestic licensees. Thus, it requires the collection and ownership of the data to remain with the local entities.

Miriam Daniel, vice president at Google Maps, said the new guidelines allowed Google to collect and use geospatial imagery in India through partnerships with local companies.

“The policy is very clear. It tells who can collect the data, at what level of fidelity the data can be collected, who can they share it with or license it to, and what can it be used for. All of this is clearly laid out,” Daniel said.

“It actually even tells, which areas you can collect public areas in which areas are negative or excluded areas like government areas, various military areas, and so on,” she said, referring to how the new policy resolved security concerns.

Data collection by Tech Mahindra and Genesys will also help Google Maps to show roads, and infrastructure planning, and provide an online presence to various businesses.

As a part of a licensing deal with Google, Genesys and Tech Mahindra will avail the infrastructure for imaging and mapping Indian streets. Tech Mahindra has partnered with Mahindra and Mahindra for cars and e-rickshaws. The vehicles will be mounted with cameras and driven to the street to collect data. The company aims to collect 700,000 km of data over the next couple of years.

Google Maps will work with government authorities to promote safe driving. It will now show speed limits data shared by the traffic authorities, starting with Bengaluru.