Twenty years ago, Google co-founder Larry Page had an idea that would forever change the way we explore the world.

"Larry drove down some of these streets with a camera and handed it to someone and said, 'Hey,'" said Maria Biggs, technical program manager for Google Street View, a key feature of Google Maps. , what can you do with this?'".

Biggs spoke to CNBC on a tour near Google's Silicon Valley headquarters in a car equipped with the latest Street View cameras. First launched in 2022, it is the first camera model that can be added to any car rather than built into the vehicle.

“We’re going to Hawaii with these next-generation camera systems because we don’t have to ship the entire vehicle,” Biggs said. “We can put the camera system in a box and ship it there and then rent a car when we get there.”

Biggs said the new technology will allow Google to update data in some places for the first time in a decade.

"We'll be able to easily move these cameras around and make our maps fresher," she said.

With over 2 billion monthly users, Google Maps is the world's top navigation application. Maps is approaching its 20th anniversary in February, and Google is working to stay ahead of the curve with new cameras and generative artificial intelligence.

A more flexible camera allows Google to roll out updates to dozens of countries. It also produced at least three new maps - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Namibia and Liechtenstein. Street View cameras are an important part of how Google collects mapping data, but it also relies on satellite and aerial imagery, as well as information from more than 1,000 third-party sources, such as local governments and users. This massive data collection system enables Google to provide maps for more than 250 countries and territories.

In October, Google launched Maps with its generative AI chatbot Gemini. Gemini can help you find a venue that meets a range of detailed specifications, such as a dog-friendly sports bar with a TV and outdoor dining area. It can summarize thousands of reviews, provide drivers with real-time reports on disturbances such as unplowed roads or flooded areas, and overlay weather conditions on an immersive view along the route.

On public transport, there are now details such as delay reports, alternative routes and the location of tube entrances. At your destination, Maps can suggest parking and then help determine walking routes from there.

Gemini also enables voice-activated reporting in Waze, which Google acquired in 2013 for $1.3 billion. This data is fed into Google Maps to help alert drivers about hazards in real time on both apps.

"We hope our products will help people navigate more confidently and safely," said Chris Phillips, vice president and general manager of Google Geo, which operates maps. Waze also helps improve road safety by "letting people know that a certain street has had problems in the past and we've seen noticeable changes in the behavior of people driving on those streets," he said.

Waze is also known for offering alternative routes.

"We'll be giving you some more aggressive maneuvers along the way to help you avoid traffic," Phillips said.

But the alternative route also worsens traffic conditions in some communities, where smaller roads may not be able to accommodate many vehicles.

Phillips said Google only uses public roads and works with local authorities to adhere to the rules for specific streets.

“The use of these navigation apps, whether embedded or on smartphone devices, is almost universal,” said James Hodgson, automotive at ABI Research.

Hodgson said one problem currently is that the technology is specific to each user. To be more efficient, he said, "We're approaching a point where we need to have a broader, almost fleet-level view."

Hodgson said a major "cognitive hurdle" facing Google is data privacy.

Identification information such as faces and license plates are blurred on Google Maps, and users can request that an area on Street View be blurred to prevent risks such as thieves analyzing their property.

Users can also turn off location history or delete places they have visited. Certain places, such as abortion clinics or domestic violence shelters, are automatically removed. In December, Google started saving location history on the device rather than in the cloud, making it harder for authorities to access location history.

Google's spending and revenue on Maps has been kept secret. Parent company Alphabet doesn't list Maps separately in its earnings report, instead grouping it with other services like search and YouTube. One of the only predictions comes from a 2019 report from Morgan Stanley, predicting that mapping revenue will grow from $2.95 billion in 2019 to $11 billion in 2023.

Revenue is primarily built on a model Google knows well: advertising.

"When people are looking for a restaurant or a place, we're always focused on providing them with results that most accurately match what they're looking for," Phillips said. “Merchants have the opportunity to actually pay for advertising to have their location appear on that list.”

Google also makes money by selling software interfaces with detailed data to solar companies looking for new customers. It has high-precision roof images, measurements, elevations and shadows of approximately 480 million buildings in 40 countries.

Google sells access to its mapping platform to companies like Wayfair and Dominos. Developers have used it to build more than 10 million websites and apps in areas such as food delivery, ride-sharing, and real estate. For example, in 2019, Uber Says it paid Google $58 million over the past three years for its mapping technology.

Google's Android Automotive operating system and Maps also make money. It powers many cars’ infotainment systems polar starVolvo, Honda, General Motors and Ford.

As robotaxis become mainstream, accurate mapping will be critical and a huge opportunity for Google.

Alphabet's Waymo dominates the U.S. robotaxi market in 2024, allowing passengers in Phoenix to hail a fully self-driving car directly from the Google Maps app. Robotaxis also have the potential for a virtuous cycle.

"I think Waymo's ambition, and what we've seen from almost every other self-driving vehicle platform provider, is to try to close the loop and contribute to the creation of the map using the same vehicles that benefit from the map," Hodgson said. “This is the future of self-driving mapping.”

Watch the video to learn more.