Botswana is to be showcased to Internet users across the globe via Google Street View. Street View was launched in South Africa just before the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Botswana will become the second country in Africa to feature.
Within coming weeks, Google cars will drive around the country and images collected will be processed and carefully stitched together, a process that can take several months, after which they will be made available in Street View on Google Maps.
Street View will allow users to view and navigate 360-degree street-level imagery of Botswana’s streets and sites. Botswana businesses can also benefit from the technology by embedding Google Maps directly into their sites at no charge, helping them to promote and increase awareness in hotels, local stores or restaurants.
Initially, it will primarily focus on the major urban areas of Gaborone and Francistown as well as the country’s top destinations and wildlife reserves – Chobe National Park, Moremi Game Reserve, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Nxai salt pans.
Minister of Wildlife and Tourism, Onkokame Kitso Mokaila, said Street View would enable international visitors to virtually explore the country and provide them with a chance to carry out tourism research in advance before visiting.
Street View is already available in more than 30 countries and is also available in Google Earth and on Google Maps for Mobile.
