Google’s Camera Car in NYC

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/ny...l?ref=nyregion

Put on Your Best Clothes Before Going Out: Google’s Camera Car May Cross Your Path

Has anyone seen it...

In the past few days, a gray four-door sedan with 360-degree panoramic cameras on its roof has been roaming the city’s streets, photographing sidewalks and buildings. It is on a mission for Google, creating a virtual streetscape for Street View, a feature of the Google Maps Web site.

The Google car has gained near-mythic status, in large part because it is easy to miss, even with its odd rooftop adornment, as it moves like Pac-Man through the city grid.

In recent days it has been glimpsed in Manhattan; earlier it was seen in Brooklyn.

Sightings are most frequent among those who make their living or spend their days on the street. Among those reporting it have been bike messengers, cabdrivers, panhandlers, FedEx workers and doormen.