Google and Street View
I posted the following text to the FPP group, and due to the big reaction in that forum (http://groups.google.com/group/flashpanoramas/browse_thread/thread/f5754...) I think people here could be interested. One of the proposals that have been made is to build a kind of 'Open Street View', to defend us from the voracity of Google. Anyone interested in building that open alternative to Street View?
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Hi,
may be this is not directly related to FPP, but I think that it
concerns to all of us. There is a strong rumor on the net that Google
plans to show the interior of shops, restaurants etc in street view.
If Google makes those virtual torurs for free I think it will strongly
hurt many of us. I have sent the following message from the contact
page of Google (http://www.google.com/contact/), perhaps if lots of
people send them the same idea, they will think on the possibility of
opening the street view platform and allow us to survive in this
bussines. I invite you to send a similar message to them, of course
adapt it to your own circumstances.
Thanks !
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I've heard on the net that you are planning to show the interior of
the shops, bars, restaurants, etc in Street View.
Have you thought on the possibility that other companies can do the
job for you? We are developing the project Esloqueveo in Spain (http://
www.esloqueveo.com) and we have been waiting the possibility of
introducing our virtual tours in Street View, for example, you could
enable Street View so companies like ours can place an icon on the
front of a shop and that icon gives access to the virtual tour of the
shop made by us (and by many other companies that are making virtual
tours). You could earn revenue by charging us to place the icon, this
would allow us to grow as a business and make you grow.
If you merely enter the interior of the stores doing the inside tours
by yourself and without charging anything to the shops, you will just
destroy this market that is now beginning to develop, our only option
will be disappearing, and many other companies and professionals like
us too.
Thanks.
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Re: Google and Street View
Submitted by Vincèn PUJOL on Sat, 2010-02-13 07:39.Well there is already such sort of project with 360Cities I think ;) and all the more it's included in a layer in Google Earth. In my idea Google Street View may be a help for us to sell.
When you look at qualities of panoramas published by Google, they are ok for street navigation but definitively not enough quality for inside shop. So it can be a good way to show at shop's owner Google "Quality" and VR quality made by a pro. What do you think ?
Vincèn
Re: Google and Street View
Submitted by janavgar on Sat, 2010-02-13 08:58.Correct me if I'm wrong, but 360cities is not a 'Open' platform, you can not use it freely if you want to sell pano to a customer.
Re: Google and Street View
Submitted by Vincèn PUJOL on Sat, 2010-02-13 12:26.Not an open platform that's right but you can nevertheless use it free :) Myself I sell panoramas at my customers and give them the virtual tour/visit they can use, and I tell them also panoramas are published on 360Cities (and for that it's free). I never sold yet virtual visits in 360Cities as it's too closed and not easy to find in Google I think !
Vincèn
Re: Google and Street View
Submitted by Kris Bulman on Sat, 2010-02-13 21:44.re, inside shop.. check out this video on TED
http://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera.html
this demos the new augmented-reality mapping technology from Microsoft.. check out around the 4:20 mark, they mention the "backpack camera" showing street view type panos indoors, including live video in them.
This is the real competitor to Google, if they don't get to it first, Microsoft will.