“Google [would like] to map as much as we can on our own, but the world is still a big place,” the Google spokesperson explained. “Contributions from people can help keep Street View imagery updated.” So while Google’s ubiquitousness might make it seem like it could easily cover the whole globe, that’s far from the truth! The spokesperson confirmed that the cars are only used in 87 countries. So sometimes, if there’s a tiny country that doesn’t have Google Street View cars, or a very geographically remote location where cars wouldn’t be conducive, Google can use images from its volunteers.
