Groningen leads the Netherlands on Google Street View

GRONINGEN – The northern Dutch city of Groningen made history last year as being the first one to be fully accessible online through Google Street View. Now, most of the Province of Groningen as well as neighbouring Drenthe can be accessed as well. Google has so far documented 75,600 kilometres of Dutch streets, which can viewed by typing in the address and city. In due time, the entire country will be accessible online. By navigating the circle icon in the top left corner the image turns away from the road to the building or house located at that address. Immigrants in North America could check out that way the current condition of their ancestral or parental home. Tourists could research sites and attractions before deciding to actually pay a visit there, especially helpful when interested in architecture or places such as the millennia-old boulder structured graves, know in Dutch as hunebedden. The service is not without its critics. Germany is considering putting restrictions on Google Street View so privacy concerns are fully addressed. The service already blurs faces and license plates of cars.