In brief
Streetside, Microsoft’s answer to Google Street View, has begun to gather street level imagery in Europe. Microsoft’s Streetview service currently only exists in fifty-six US cities.
The task of mapping Europe’s streets commenced today when cars equipped with special cameras began rolling out across London. Other locations in Europe, likely including Dublin, are expected to be recorded in the near future.
Unlike Google’s Street View service, Microsoft only plan to include major cities in their street level mapping efforts, ignoring rural areas at least in the immediate future.
With Microsoft already so far behind Google in terms of street level mapping services, this latest move may become another step too little, too late for Microsoft.