History of Google Street View / Nigeria
The first Google Street View coverage in Nigeria dates back to the end of the year of 2016 (Specifically from October to December), in which the city of Lagos was covered.
In 2017, Google officially released the first coverage of Lagos State.[1] In 2019, the company organized another event to indicate the expansion of GSV to other Nigerian cities.[2]
The Nigerian vehicles are four-bar pickup car in the case of Gen 3 coverage, and come with several police cars, following the expansion of new cities into the country in 2018 in order to secure the equipment. In 2021, Google started replacing its Gen 3 cameras with others in the country. This involved adding Gen 4 trekkers without the bar platform and using unofficial cameras to cover specific areas.
The company in charge of providing street view to the country is Polaris Digitech LTD, a company based in Lagos, in charge of the development of Geo-information and localization projects.[3]
Additionally, the Google Arts and Culture team has been involved in the digitization of several Nigerian museums, mainly based in the city of Lagos, including the National Museum and other tourist sites such as the Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, the Lekki Conservation Center and the Millennium Park in Abuja, covered between 2017-2018 in collaboration with support from Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation.[4]
Later art galleries such as the African Artists Foundation, Terra Kulture and the Rele Gallery. This event was launched in 2021 as "Eko for show" in collaboration with 7 cultural institutions.[5]
In October 2021, Google launched street view at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art located at the Pan-Atlantic University in Lekki, as part of the "Cradle of Creativity" project.[6]
In 2022, Google officially launched together with Adunni Olorisha Trust and CyArk, the "Heritage on the Edge" exhibition, where part of the Osogbo grove was digitized with tripod coverage.[7]
In September 2023, Google began photographing cultural sites in Northern Nigeria such as the Fombina Palace Museum in the city of Yola, as well as the Garga Traditional Palace near Hong in Adamawa State. Other important additions also included tripod views of the Palace of the Hidi located in the Sukur Cultural Landscape, a national monument located in Madagali State, Adamawa.
History
Note: We take into account the date when the coverage was taken, not the date when it was published.
Source: Nigeria's Coverage Dates - Emily Geo Website
| Year | Additions |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Lagos |
| 2017 | Tripod views at the Nigerian National Museum |
| 2018 | Abuja, Ibadan, Enugu and Benin City |
| 2019 | Tripod views for the Osun Sacred Grove, one of the UNESCO registered sites for Google Arts and Culture. |
| 2020 |
|
| 2021 |
|
| 2022 |
|
Gallery
Credits: Juanpiss & Mapper for finding the Gen 4 Cars
Trekkers
Gen 3 Cameras
Gen 4 Cameras
Coverage Maps
Resources
- Nigeria at Google Street View Cars Mapped
- Detailed list about each tripod/trekker in Nigeria
- Nigeria on Google Arts and Culture
References
Aginam, E. (2017) "Lagos now on street view in Google maps" Vanguard News.
"Abuja, Ibadan, two others get Google Street View navigation" (2019) The Guardian.
Google Street View Project. Polaris Digitech Official Website. (Archived Version)
Ehimuan, J. (2018-07-26) "Google for Nigeria: Making the internet more useful for more people" The Keyword.
Ojewale, C. (2021-04-29) "Google unveils ‘Eko for show’ to showcase Lagos’ creative industry" Business Day.
Rami, J. (2021-10-06) "Explore the Cradle of Creativity on Google Arts & Culture" The Keyword.
Aimuengheuwa, J. (2022-10-20) "Google Arts & Culture and Partners Launch Digital Library to Preserve Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove" TechEconomy.
