Google will let you contribute to Street View

Insta pro 360

After enabling user to contribute to Google map using videos, Google is taking new initiative and letting user to contribute to Google Street View with-in a new program called “Street View Ready”.

“Street View Ready” make it possible that anyone can shoot Street View video with right hardware. Typically, this type of hardware are assembled on the top of Google’s official 360-degree camera enabled Street View cars. The first camera officially designated ‘Street View ready’ is Insta360’s Pro camera, the 8K 360 camera which captures still images at up to 5 frames per second, and which has real-time image stabilization built-in — reported by Tech news website Techcrunch

Google will make it possible to control the Insta360 Pro from directly within the Street View app, and will also be allowing device to capture photos and videos and upload them from the official Insta360 Stitcher software. The Pro’s 5 fps 8K shooting mode is a new feature being added to the camera via software update tailor-made for capturing Street View content, and a new USB hardware accessory will also be shipping from Insta360 to attach GPS data to captured imaging data automatically.

This is great idea by Google, suppose someone is going to an trip and don’t find street view of that location. He/She can contribute to Google map’s “Street View Ready” database. Google has done limited contributions with third-parties in the past, including Fore Islanders with its “Sheep View” project, but this could cast a far wider net – provided, of course, contributors are willing to pony up for the expensive Insta360 Pro hardware.

There are some required specification for the Hardware used by the contributor:

Street View mobile ready

  • ≥7.5MP
  • Capable of recording video at ≥5fps
  • 360º horizontal FOV
  • ≥120º, contiguous vertical FOV
  • On-device stitching
  • Google will review image and geometry quality

Street View auto ready

  • ≥15MP at ≥5FPS
  • 360º horizontal FOV
  • ≥135º contiguous vertical FOV—if less than 180º vertical FOV is captured, the FOV must at least cover the zenith
  • Google will review image and geometry quality

Street View vr ready

  • Geometry for the entire area represented by 360 photos, provided in XDM format
  • ≥15MP 360 photos
  • 360º horizontal FOV
  • ≥135º, contiguous vertical FOV
  • Google will review image and geometry quality

There are some more information required regarding camera architecture and other details, that can be found here