After the announcement that Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Iceland and the Faroe Islands, will be getting Gen 4 soon, and with Google cars set to arrive in Serbia and Albania, it appears that Google is intensifying efforts to close the remaining gaps in Gen 4 coverage across Europe. This focus is further evidenced by job offers in the country of Cyprus! (Yes, this was copied from the previous article) This news comes after Apple Look Around (the Street View service for Apple Maps) announced their intent to cover Cyprus from August-September 2024.
Google Street View
Recently, JSAN Consulting Group, which also has the job offers for Gen 4 Trekkers, Sarawak, Serbia and Albania posted a new job offer with Cyprus. This job offer was included with the Albanian job, which was previously confirmed to be Google.
In the job offer details, limited information is provided, with the exception of the job’s duration in Albania. As a result, most additional details were obtained via email.
Firstly, this job offer was confirmed to be in the southern half of the island, the Republic of Cyprus. We can likely expect coverage similar to that in the other Balkan countries, such as only including paved roads or covering the same areas as Apple.
The job offer also states that the project is expected to be completed within 5-6 months, with a possibility of extension. Based on the job description, the project is likely to be done in a timeframe similar to those in Albania and Serbia.
Regarding the camera quality, no specific details have been provided yet. We can hope it’s Gen 4 and not Badcam, especially with the increased presence of it in Europe. Since Cyprus is the only member of the European Union without Street View, it should be relatively straightforward to introduce Gen 4 cameras in the country.
It’s worth noting that Google previously offered similar job opportunities in Cyprus back in 2022, but no driving operations were done at that time. The situation could be different this time, especially given the planned start date in the near future for Albania and Serbia, which this is linked to.
This project will probably start this month, so expect spottings soon!
Apple Look Around
Recently, Apple updated their Image Collection list, and a new country was added, Cyprus! Apple intends on covering the districts of Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia and Paphos, with Nicosia and Paphos also being covered by backpack. Backpack coverage will be done between August and September 2024 and car coverage in September 2024. Northern Cyprus is not included in this coverage, as Kyrenia, which is entirely in Northern Cyprus won’t be covered, along with Famagusta, which is mostly in Northern Cyprus. This could be a sign that we can expect Google to follow Apple and cover this country, which is the only country in the European Union without Street View.
