Google already has images of the world from just about every angle. Now it's letting users go back in time to see how streets, buildings and landmarks have changed over the years.
The new "historical" Street View images more than doubles the imagery now available on Google Maps, according to the company. Users can type in an address and if they see a clock icon in the upper left-hand portion of a Street View image, they can click on it and move the slider through time.
The feature wasn't yet available for me. But a Google spokeswoman told me it will be rolling out over the next 24 hours and should be available to everyone very soon.
There are limits to Google's time machine. The historical imagery collected from past Street View collection only dates back to 2007. Still, the digital time capsule has captured some pretty stunning before and after shots. For instance, it shows the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the devastation of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan as well as the reconstruction. Users can see the construction of the Freedom Tower in New York City and the World Cup stadium in Brazil.
Here's a GIF and a few images showing the new Street View feature. The GIF shows construction of the Soumaya Museum in Mexico.
The next photo shows the destruction from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
And finally, an image of a street before and after Hurricane Sandy.
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