Google Streetview Cars

[Cip]

Ben and I spotted one of these at lunch driving past my work in subi, except unlike the big ugly panel vans ive seen pics of from the states, this one was a small car and had a ~1m high pole in the centre of the roof with 4 or so lenses in the top to make the 360 degree panorama

how exciting; they're doing perth already

sorry about the crappy pic, the lights just changed and he was taking off (it's the grey car). it had a google (labs i think?) logo on the driver's door



someone needs to find this car while they're riding and show them what you can do

[taint]

They have been doing over East for a few weeks now. They are usually in beetles over there.

Remember that they did hire a heap of staff for their mapping stuff not too long ago

[Bendito]

The camera is the red bit on the pole, and the yellow part on the rear rack is the GPS unit.

[Turfie]

Saw that thing in Perth this morning was wondering what the hell it was.

[Davey]

google rules.

[thro]

fear google's processing and storage capacity hey...

I mean they're doing perth now - just think how many more interesting/larger cities they've done before bothering to come out here in the sticks...



edit:
not to say perth is a shit hole or anything, but as far as cultural/interesting man made landmarks go... it's a wasteland compared to say... anywhere in europe...

[Turfie]

I wonder if there will be the same uproar like when it came out in the states when peole were snapped walking out of strip clubs etc.

[shmoo]

wonder what the lead time is from filming to linking it all up with the maps. Must be a hell of a big job to do. It is incredibly impressing but hey.

[likefry]

Google is going to rule the world one day

[Cip]

wonder what the lead time is from filming to linking it all up with the maps. Must be a hell of a big job to do. It is incredibly impressing but hey.

i'd imagine it would just take some simple scripts to piece it all together tho

[Yorik]

Not really simple, the biggest issue is taking appropriate shots and then picking what can and can't be used, then mathcing the image frames in a linear style fashion.. I saw how this did this in Charleston SC (USA) as they fired up a new office there recently and a good friend of mine lives there.. The process is more about accuracy then efficiency.

[Ambian]

Well, wouldn't you know it... I was on the way to work this morning, driving down Lord St, right near Lloyd Chapman and a Google Car pulls out of a side street in front of me... I recognised the roof mounted camera and GPS and then saw the Google logo on the side when it turned a corner further down the road...

No pics sorry, I was too busy having to explain what Google Streetview was to my missus...

[xphread]

Not really simple, the biggest issue is taking appropriate shots and then picking what can and can't be used, then mathcing the image frames in a linear style fashion.. I saw how this did this in Charleston SC (USA) as they fired up a new office there recently and a good friend of mine lives there.. The process is more about accuracy then efficiency.

I can guarantee its 90+% automated. They have the GPS location and direction the photos were taken.... hence will be named and stored appropriately.
Free auto-stitching programs have been pretty good for a while now... you can only imagine what google will be capable of getting their hands on (or making).

[Dubs]

yeh what is it anyways?

Dubs

[CT90]

I wonder if there will be the same uproar like when it came out in the states when peole were snapped walking out of strip clubs etc.

That would be it. Cheaters beware.