What an awesome news - Google and Singapore government agencies are working together to create StreetView imagery of our hawker centres.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/google-hawker-centres-stalls-street-view-maps-trekkers-11764968
If you are not familiar, hawker centres contain many many hawker stalls, each selling their own speciality food and dishes. It’s one of the staples of Singapore food culture even though they are not big name restaurants. In the past, most of them were not placed on Google Maps as it was hard to document, list and review them. With this move and proper listing, it will be so much easier to find them, rate them, and share them with others.
Many Singaporeans and food experts fear the loss of this cultural heritage as young people lose interest in the hard work of operating a hawker stall, and more go to airconditioned shopping malls and restaurants.
I’m really looking forward to this going live on Google Maps in 2020.
Do you have a favorite hawker centre in Singapore? If you ask this to a Singaporean, it will be a neverending debate of which food is better.
Do you think it will also be useful for your country? I know that in Southeast Asia, lots of great food is found at the streetside, in similar hawker areas. The locals know where to find the best noodles nearby, but how do you share that with someone or leave a 5 star review?
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I’m happy to hear this, congratulations to your country. Singapore is actually my birth nation but I moved out at the tender age of 3.
I now live in New York City. I have relatives who remember when Singapore hawkers sold food/drink on the streets, meaning, decades ago, hawkers didn’t have an indoor/organized “centre” with a roof! They were at the mercy of the elements. But I’m probably not telling you anything new, I’m stating it more for members of Local Guides Connect.
Hi, @JulienH
It’s excellent news! I’m looking forward to walking there via Street View before going to your country:-)
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@SocialAlex It’s awesome that you are living in NYC, another great city! Your food trucks are great!
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@HiroyukiTakisawa Thank you Connect Moderator for visiting my post!
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@JulienH I imagine photo-mapping especially the adding of geo pins in hawker centres or any type of food complex isn’t the easiest task. (Though it would be lovely (and ultra helpful) to see the final result!)
Regular mapping is straightforward, but photo map-pinning in any type of food court would make my brain tired. We have a few food courts near here: I imagine they aren’t photo-mapped. I’d be shocked to learn they’re both mapped and pinned.
@SocialAlex hello! Thank you for joining the discussion.
Yeah I so wish us users and local guides can do more to help out, or if Google would give us the power.
In this case, I’m so glad the hard work is going to be done by them and paid workers! I wouldn’t be able to handle it and spend all my free time arranging dots on the map.
Really looking forward to the results for sure!
Stay tuned! Nah, it’ll only be done next year.
