Launched in the US in 2007, the Google Maps Street View site shows people photographs of individual streets in 25 cities in the UK. Users can zoom in on their streets, arrange meeting points or explore an area.
People can find pubs recommended by Fancyapint.com by location through Street View, while the Greater London Authority promotes London attractions.
The Tate has highlighted works of art by location so that users can see paintings of buildings and places alongside their newly photographed image on Street View.
Findaproperty.com has incorporated the Street View service into its own site, allowing people to look at areas and houses of interest to them.
Visit Britain plans to inspire people to visit the UK by allowing web users to link from the Street View site to destination guides on the Visit Britain site and plan their trips with help from virtual tours of cities.
Mike Bedingfield, director of Visit Britain marketing, said the partnership with Google ‘ties in directly with Visit Britain's digital strategy' as it planned to encourage people to share their experiences online about the UK as a travel destination.
Google's geospacial technologist Ed Parsons said there were ‘no specific ad opportunities tied to Street View' presently.
But Google is providing listings of local businesses alongside maps. It is letting local businesses use Street View to show their location and incorporate a Street View image of their business on their own websites.
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