GOOGLE PUTS SINGAPORE HAWKER CENTRES ON THE MAP
For the first time, all 114 hawker centres in Singapore will be documented on Google Maps’ Street View by early 2020
Singapore, 30 July 2019 – Today, Google and the organisations that are co-driving the nomination to inscribe Hawker Culture in Singapore on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, National Heritage Board (NHB), National Environment Agency (NEA) and Federation Of Merchants’ Associations, Singapore (FMAS) announced a joint initiative to document Singapore’s beloved hawker centres on Google Maps to make them discoverable to anyone curious about our hawker centres or looking for their favourite hawker stalls.
Street View Trekker at Chinatown Market
Google will collect indoor imagery of all 114 hawker centres, starting with Chinatown Market, Geylang Serai Market, Tekka Market, Maxwell Food Centre and Golden Mile Food Centre, amongst others. As these centres are located across Singapore, from the city and recreational districts to HDB estates, operators will be travelling on foot using the new Street View Trekker, which comprises a state-of-the-art 360° camera system mounted on a wearable backpack, to capture the required imagery.
The imagery is expected to be completed and launched on Google Maps by early 2020, for the public to access. This initiative follows Singapore’s recent nomination submission in March 2019 to inscribe Hawker Culture in Singapore on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and its documentation of our hawker centres and stalls strengthens the safeguarding of our Hawker Culture for future generations.