BLOOMINGTON - Google has finally put Bloomington on the map - and it's sort of creepy. Google's Street View feature, which strings together street-level images into a virtual tour, has finally mapped part of Bloomington. | FLICK VIDEO: B-N on Street View | Top 10 uses | Business uses | Find something on Street View? Tell us

The images, taken from a camera on top of a specially rigged car, were posted in recent months, after several other cities in Central Illinois - Peoria, Springfield, even Lincoln - were mapped previously as part of Google's ongoing project.

But even as Street View puts Bloomington on display for the whole world to see, it's also created a few mysteries that Pantagraph.com readers and viewers are asked to help solve.

When did Google's high-tech camera-rigged car drive through town? Are there any identifiable Central Illinoisans in any of the Street View images? Did the Google cam catch any wacky happenings during its tour?

Columnist Bill Flick took to the streets with a video camera to try and answer some of these questions. Check out his findings, and then try to discover your own clues and pass them along to Bill at bflick@pantagraph.com.

Find someone you recognize in any images from Central Illinois? Using visual clues, can you determine when Google drove through town? Are you creeped out sufficiently to "report a concern," which you can do on each image?

Google declined to return calls or e-mails about the company's process for mapping new communities. But here are the basics:

• Google started posting Street View images for large U.S. cities - San Francisco, Las Vegas, etc. - in 2007. In the time since, it's trickled down to smaller communities.

• A vehicle rigged with a camera drives through the community being mapped, taking images periodically that are linked together for a 3D environment. Users are then able to click through the images for a sort of virtual tour.

• It takes some time, at least several months, between the drive-through and when the images finally appear online at www.google.com/maps.

• To see Bloomington on the Street View - sorry, Normalites, you've been slighted - go to www.google.com/maps. Then, type in Bloomington IL, and the city will pop up. Then, find the little-yellow-person icon on the left side of the map. Now, click on him and drag him to a street on the map that is highlighted in light blue. There's only a few streets mapped in Bloomington, but there's more mapped elsewhere in our area.

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Top 10 tips for everyday use

1. Explore parts of the world you've always wanted to visit - see famous attractions, buildings, architecture and remote landscapes. Or reminisce about places you've visited and give recommendations to friends about where to stay and how to get there.

2. Preview your vacation accommodations. How close is it to public transportation, amenities or the beach? Is there a high-rise building blocking your oceanfront view?

3. Show your overseas or out-of-town friends and family where you live and work.

4. Can't remember the name of that amazing restaurant or clothing store you visited a few months ago? Walk the streets online and find it. And then use the driving directions in Google Maps, with Street View images of intersections and landmarks, to get there.

5. Use Street View to study the geography, architecture, vegetation and landscape of different parts of the world. Teachers can incorporate Street View in Google Maps and Google Earth into lesson plans or arrange a virtual field trip.

6. Plan your day virtually - show your party guests where the venue is, or teammates where the weekend sportsground is. Plan bike trips and walking routes.

7. Looking to buy or rent a property? Take a virtual walk-through of the area to check nearby amenities such as parks, roads, bus stops, shopping areas and parking. Save time by not going to open houses that don't meet your criteria.

8. Look for picnic tables or benches so you can head outside and make the most of a sunny day.

9. Don't get stuck without quarters: see if the area you need to park at has parking meters.

10. Does your child have to walk to or from school? Plan their journey, show them local landmarks and look over the walking route together. Or see where their school field trip is taking place.

SOURCE: http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/10-tips-for-everyday-use.html

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Top 10 tips for businesses and organizations

1. Encourage tourists to visit your area or stay at your hotel by showing them amenities, landmarks and lesser known secrets nearby.

2. Promote your business by embedding a Street View image on your website to show customers your storefront, office or building, as well as parking facilities and make it easier for them to find you.

3. Scout for new locations for offices or commercial premises from the comfort of your desk chair. Evaluate locations for marketing campaigns, film shoots, product launches or other public events.

4. Contractors and home repair services can preview a client's property to ensure they have the appropriate tools and supplies, like a tall ladder or the correct roofing material.

5. Schools can incorporate Street View into geography or history lessons, or conduct virtual fieldtrips.

6. Help your new employees get to work by showing them your office location, where to park, or the nearest bus or train stop.

7. If you're a real estate agent or property developer, use the Street View API on your website to show prospective buyers or tenants available properties.

8. Architects and planners can get a feel for the style of particular areas, to help with planning, design or preserving heritage.

9. Publishers and journalists can embed Street View images on their websites to show the location of news events.

10. Give customers or clients better directions to your shop or business by finding landmarks along the route to help guide them.

SOURCE: http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/10-tips-for-businesses.html

On the Web:

http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/faq.html