“Larry drove down a few streets with a video camera and handed it to someone and said, ‘Hey, what can you do with this?’” recalls Maria Biggs, technical program manager at Google Street View.

Biggs takes a trip near Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters in the latest Street View camera car. Launched in 2022, it’s the first camera model that can be mounted on any car, rather than built into the vehicle.

Biggs said they will be traveling to Hawaii with the new camera system because they don’t have to transport a whole truck. They can just box up the cameras, ship them to the island, and rent a truck to use them. The new technology will allow Google to update data at some locations for the first time in 10 years.

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Google's new Street View camera system can be mounted on any car. Photo: CNBC

With more than 2 billion monthly users, Google Maps is the world's most popular mapping app. This February, the app turns 20. Google is working to maintain its lead with the help of new cameras and generative AI.

Street View cameras are a key part of Google's ability to collect data for its maps, but the company also relies on satellite and aerial imagery, as well as information from more than 1,000 third-party sources like local governments and users.

The massive data collection system allows Google to provide maps in more than 250 countries and territories.

In October 2024, Google integrated its Gemini AI chatbot into Maps. Gemini helps find places that match specific criteria, such as bars that are pet-friendly and have outdoor tables.

It also summarizes thousands of reviews, provides real-time road incident reports or weather conditions.

For public transportation, Maps shows delay reports, alternate routes, details like subway entrances and exits, parking suggestions, walking paths, and more.

Chris Phillips, Vice President and Head of Google Geo, the Maps operations division, said he hopes the product will help people travel more safely and confidently.

To protect privacy, identifiable information such as faces and driver's licenses are blurred on Google Maps. Users can request that an area be blurred on Street View to prevent bad actors from analyzing their assets.

They can also turn off location history and delete the places they've visited. In December 2024, Google will start storing location history on the device instead of in the cloud.

Want to make money from Google Maps?

How much Google spends and earns from Maps remains a mystery. Parent company Alphabet doesn’t disclose Maps in its earnings report, instead lumping it in with Search and YouTube.

In 2019, Morgan Stanley bank predicted Maps would bring in $11 billion in revenue in 2023 from $2.95 billion in 2019.

Maps' revenue relies on a model that Google specializes in: advertising.

According to Phillips, they are always focused on making Maps the most accurate answer when users search for something. Merchants have the opportunity to buy ads to have their businesses appear in the listings.

Google also makes money by selling software interfaces with detailed data to solar companies looking for new customers. The company has highly accurate images, measurements, elevations, and roof shading for about 480 million buildings in more than 40 countries.

Google also sells access to its Maps platform to companies like Wayfair and Dominos. Developers use it to build more than 10 million websites and apps for purposes like food delivery, ride-sharing, and real estate.

For example, in 2019, Uber disclosed that it paid Google $58 million for mapping technology over the previous three years.

Android Automative, with its maps, is also a moneymaker. It powers infotainment systems in cars from Polestar, Volvo, Honda, GM and Ford.

As autonomous taxis become more common, accurate maps are crucial, and this is a huge opportunity for Google. Alphabet’s Waymo will dominate the autonomous taxi market in the US by 2024. Passengers in Phoenix can order a ride directly from Google Maps.

(According to CNBC)