Loading iClyck Photosynth panos and panorama photos onto Google street view and Google maps
Mon 14 Apr 2014First why?
The latest version of Google Maps (2014) has gone full page. Part the great new interface an overlay that pops from the bottom showing photo assets that have been contributed from various resources. These include "Photo Spheres" which people can now simply capture and upload from there Andriod phone.
Having a large inventory of quality panos made with iPhone, iClyck and Photosynth I would like to contribute and expose this content onto Google Maps. The present showcase for my 360 panoramas collection is an expensive pro account on the sometimes clunky 360cities.net.
Can you contribute panos and panoramas made elsewhere to Google Maps
YES. Google supply a means for pros and people without Photo Sphere/ Andriod phones
Here is the outline of the procedure
- Convert the Photosynth image / generic Panos using Google's meta data tool.
- Upload your pano to an album on your Google +.account
- Introduce your Google uploaded pano to Google Views and wait for approval
Now each step in detail
Before you begin you need:
- A pano image on your computer
- A Google plus account
- Go to the settings for it and tick "upload full size images"
1. Convert
Click Here and use the upload button to select the pano image from your computer. Using chrome you can see a progress indicator in the corner showing that the file is being loaded.
The next page will show the image in preview
There are then a couple of inputs and the only one that requires change / thought is the north orientation.
For this you have to look at the centre of image and guess the compass bearing. I look.
Remember
North 0
North East 45
East 90
South East 135
South 180
South West 225
West 270
North West 315
There is also a Google map placement. IPhone combined with Photosynth should collect and insert an accurate gps fix in the image... And the converter should pick it up. Zoom in on the Google map to check and adjust for perfection. (You will also find it good to zoom in and use the map to help orient North)
The other parameters should not require adjusting.
Click to proceed to the next step.
The following page will make the converted image available. Download to a sensible place on your computer. Note: the preview does not work for me.
Loading to your Google+ album
Find your way to your
Google albums is at this page at the time of writing.
Use the upload / drag drop to upload the converted image. During upload I was able to name a new album "Panos" or similar.
Almost done.
The completed uploads should be properly titled for later.
You can also check the album. The images should have been automatically sensed as panos and viewable as a pano right now.
Introducing your pano to Google views.
This will be your home for Google views to start of Google views and supplying panos to Google maps.
On this page you should find you are already logged into your Google+ account. At the top left corner is a camera icon with a plus.
When you click this a page will appear with your Albums from Google+.
Select the images you would like to make available on Google views and publish. Its certainly the easiest step.
Now the images will be queued for acceptance and should shortly become available on Google views, and then very quickly onto Google Maps as a shared images resource available to the world.
I also go though and add additional text descriptions against my panos to promote the client business or my own iClyck.com system.
Once accepted, an email will be sent to your confirming it. You can then also return to your Google views home page to view the panos. There is also a personal url available which you can share with friends and customers. There are tools to track views and connect panos together as a tour.
Important for a number of clients is the ability to embed the images into client and my own web sites. This is super simple with your panos loaded on Google maps. Google have thought this through and come up with a pretty good outlet for panorama assets.
Overall the process is a bit tedious, but "batching" the existing images has provided reasonable pace for upload with the benefit and enormous outlet of the recognition on Google Maps. Give it a go.
