Apple appears to be testing a pool of cars near San Francisco that are equipped with powerful camera rigs. A Claycord blog has published photos of a car that CBS affiliate KPIX 5 has confirmed is leased to Apple. The mysterious cars have been spotted a number of times over the past several months in and around San Francisco. A video, published on YouTube in September, also shows a complex camera rig mounted on the roof of a similar Dodge minivan in New York. Both of the cars near San Francisco and New York appear to be equipped with the same LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) camera system. 
 
 LIDAR has been used extensively by Google, Nokia, and others to map out imagery for Street View services. The technology is also used in some adaptive cruise control implementations to monitor distances between vehicles and automatically apply the brakes on a car. It’s possible that Apple is using LIDAR to create its own Street View rival, or at least testing that scenario. Apple’s car also includes the same wheel sensor that Navteq used on its Bing cars previously to create street imagery for Microsoft’s mapping service. 
 
 Could Apple be creating a Google Street View rival? 
 
 Apple has been gradually improving its mapping service since it controversially dropped Google Maps as the default maps app for iOS more than two years ago. Inaccurate listings, poor 3D imagery, and bad driving directions plagued the service initially, but things have improved. Apple Maps still lacks a rival to Google’s Street View, but if Apple is planning its own then it faces a daunting task to match Google’s comprehensive coverage. A test in New York and San Francisco isn't enough to map all of the world’s streets. 
 
 Google also uses LIDAR cameras to help power its self-driving cars. Google’s system is mounted on top of its fleet of cars, and the camera spins constantly to evaluate its surroundings. In the video published on YouTube, you can see a spinning camera system at the rear of the vehicle. While it’s possible Apple may be testing its own self-driving car, the company doesn’t have a permit to test them yet. As KPIX 5 points out, that doesn’t mean Apple couldn’t partner with an authorized car company to test them initially. With Apple refusing to comment on the cars, it looks like these curious vehicles will remain a mystery for now. ||||| Apple Apple camera car on San Francisco streets leads to 'street view' speculation Apple vehicles covered in cameras show company could be working on a Google Street View competitor for Apple Maps A specially equipped van with scanning equipment registered to Apple was spotted on the streets of New York and San Francisco. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian 
 
 A car leased to Apple and covered in cameras and scanning equipment has been spotted driving around San Francisco. 
 
 The people carrier with system of 12 cameras and a lidar sensor, which scans the environment using a spinning laser, attached to its roof was spotted by a Bay Area local blog called Claycord news and talk. 
 
 The unmarked vehicle was confirmed as having been leased to Apple via its number plate, and it could indicate that the company is preparing a large update to its maps app for the iPhone and iPad, similar to the street-level photography within Google Maps. 
 
 Apple’s update to its operating system for the iPhone and iPad, iOS 9, is expected to debut in the summer and could introduce the new feature. That would require a significant investment from Apple and a fleet of cars to photograph and map roads. 
 
 A similar car to the one spotted in San Francisco was also captured on video in New York last year. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mapping car in New York. 
 
 Google’s Street View was introduced in 2006 across five major US cities before expanding to the rest of the UK and Europe in 2008. It marked the switch for Google from relying on other providers for maps to building its own. 
 
 Apple has invested heavily in its maps app and made it the default mapping application on the company’s smartphones and tablets. 
 
 Apple Maps was notoriously buggy with inaccurate data on its launch in 2012, prompting the chief executive Tim Cook to publicly apologise for user frustration stating that the company was “doing everything we can to make Maps better”. 
 
 Apple maps: how Google lost when everyone thought it had won Read more 
 
 Street View was a crucial step in improving the accuracy of Google Maps as part of the company’s “Ground Truth” project, adding context such as no access roads, traffic signs and the context not available from satellite or aerial photography. 
 
 Tracking the cars route with GPS and other sensors not associated with photography verified routes and brought local knowledge to the standard map. 
 
 A similar project from Apple could boost the accuracy of its map application and bring it up to par with competitors from Google and Nokia’s Here maps. ||||| UPDATE with PICS/VIDEO: The Mystery Van Driving Around Claycord 
 
 We posted these pictures earlier today, and asked you if you knew what this mystery van was doing driving around Claycord. 
 
 When asked about what they are doing, the person sitting in the vehicle would never give an answer. 
 
 After several comments on the subject, a few people posted that it has the same type of appearance as the Google self-driving vehicle, and we even received a video of another similar looking van in Brooklyn, New York. 
 
 Same type of equipment on the roof, same type of equipment on the tires, etc. 
 
 Google’s self-driving vehicles are clearly marked, which means this appears to be coming from another company other than Google. 
 
 Here is an image from Google’s self-driving vehicle, which was taken from a YouTube video. 
 
 Thanks for all your comments, videos, etc. on the subject. Without you, this mystery couldn’t have been solved. 
 
 What’s your opinion? After comparing the two pictures and seeing the video, do you think this is a self-driving vehicle that’s roaming the streets of Claycord? 
 
 RELATED STORY: The Mystery Vans Around Claycord – What Are They Doing? ||||| Rating is available when the video has been rented. 
 
 This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.
– A minivan driving around San Francisco has fueled speculation that Apple may be creating its own "street view" for Apple Maps, the Guardian reports. Spotted by the Claycord News & Talk blog, the van had 12 cameras mounted along with a lidar sensor, which uses a spinning laser to survey the environment. "When asked about what they are doing, the person sitting in the vehicle would never give an answer," says the blog. What's more, CBS San Francisco reports that the vehicle is leased to Apple. Could they be mounting a rival to Google Maps' popular Street View? After all, Apple is planning to release iOS 9 for iPhones and iPads in the summer, and was rather embarrassed by Apple Maps' poor directions and subpar 3D imagery when it first came out. Yet Apple would need a fleet of vehicles to challenge Google's Street View, the Verge notes. Also, technology analyst Rob Enderle says the van has "too many cameras" for street-viewing and may in fact be a self-driving vehicle. The van also resembles one seen in a Brooklyn YouTube video that describes it as a "self-driving car." Apple isn't among companies with a permit to test self-driving cars, but the van may be used by an Apple partner who does: "You know, they have partnerships with a variety of the carmakers," says Enderle. "Just because they’re leasing the car doesn’t necessarily mean it’s their project." Apple has no comment on the high-tech van or vans—so "it looks like these curious vehicles will remain a mystery for now," says the Verge. (See why Uber may use "robo-cabs.")