We’re familiar with Google Earth and Google Maps, but could the popular search engine be planning enhancements to their mapping service with something called Google Store Views?

Search Engine Land received word that a Google representative had recently visited a New York retailer called Oh Nuts to snap pictures from within the store. Pictures were snapped every six feet throughout the store and in every direction. Pictures were also taken of products being sold.

Google Street View is a cool service that lets you take a look at streets in your backyard as well as in other foreign cities. Could Google Store View just be an extension of this service. As you take a virtual trip down any street through Google Street View, you come across an interesting store and decide take a virtual tour of the store and the products that it carries.

It’s an interesting idea but no further details are available and Google had “nothing further to announce at this time.” The big challenge would be to keep the digital images from within Store Views fresh and updated. Maybe real time data using the store security cameras could be used, something similar to a project being undertaken by Austin Abrams, but then those would have to be networked and someone would have to foot the bill. It will be interesting to see how this develops if it ever does.

Via: Search Engine Land, DVICE