Google Data

Today, Google is publishing new Street View imagery of three parts of New York that embody the spirit and strength of the city and its people: the 9/11 Memorial, Central Park and the neighborhoods struck by Hurricane Sandy. We’ve also collaborated with the nonprofit Historypin to create a shared collection of images and stories highlighting the impact of the Hurricane and the progression of recovery.

As a Staten Islander born and raised, this collection is especially meaningful to me. Imagery on a map can make it possible for people everywhere to explore and discover new places around the world. Images can also serve as an important record of the places we know best -- capturing our communities as they were, as they are and showing how they change over time.

Imagery of Hurricane Sandy
To create a space where the New York community can share memories from before, during, and after the storm, we partnered with Historypin on a community photo and video album called Hurricane Sandy: Record, Remember, Rebuild. In the album, you can discover and contribute old and new images of the places that mean the most to you.

For example, I found this photo of a house on Staten Island’s New Dorp Beach. “You can take our home but you can’t take our heart” is scrawled across its boarded up windows. That’s Staten Island for you -- we persevere and help each other up when we fall.

I hope you’ll be just as moved by Historypin’s growing collection of imagery. Take a look, and we hope you will take part in building this important archive that gives us all an opportunity to reflect, remember, and look to the future.


Tour the 9/11 Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site is a moving tribute to those who lost their lives in the attacks on New York City, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, PA. Panoramic images of the North and South pools allow you to see victims’ names engraved along the edges of the pools. If you aren’t able to visit lower Manhattan to pay your respects in person, let Street View be your guide to this important and moving memorial.


Explore Central Park
It’s hard to find a more beloved piece of the city than Central Park. In partnership with the Central Park Conservancy, our Street View crew went all around park collecting 360-degree imagery of its trails, paths, and plazas, to bring views of both famous and little-known areas of the park to your browser or mobile phone.


As a lifelong New Yorker, I’ve seen the city change a lot over the years. This collection showcases some of what has changed -- but also what hasn’t: in spite of the challenges, New York City continues to be a symbol of the American dream, an inspiration to people around the globe and an ongoing source of pride for New Yorkers like me.

Posted by Susan Molinari, VP of Public Policy