So far, Google Street View footage has been obtained from the company's own custom-fitted cars with high-resolution 360-degree cameras. To encourage all Android smartphone users to contribute to the database, Google has now agreed to open up the technology.
Google updated the Street View software on Android as part of its efforts to crowdsource Street View photos, meaning that users can now shoot their own Street View pictures as they drive down a path and put them on Google Maps. Using ARCore, the same platform that the organisation uses to create virtual reality experiences such as Live View, the videos are recorded.
The decision to crowdsource Street View images would allow the technology to be experienced by more people around the world, particularly in places not on Google Maps. Although more than 170 billion photos from 10 million miles across the globe are claimed to have been captured by the company's own Street View trekkers and vehicles, most regions around the world remain unmapped, which is why the company claims it has chosen to come up with a new approach.
For people using the Street View app with an ARCore-compatible Android smartphone, the related images feature is available in beta in select cities in the US, Canada, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Costa Rica, with more regions expected to be brought under its control soon.
Featured Image Courtesy: Google
Source: Google
