Google on Thursday announced the launch of a new update to the application for the Street View app in Android, allowing users to participate in the service via smartphones.
"With our updated Street View app on Android, it's now easy to collect your virtual roaming photos and put them in the right place in Google Maps," the American tech giant said in a blog post. "With our new connected photo tool in the app, you can take a series of connected photos when you're walking down a street or road."
Google explained that these images are taken using ARCore, the same augmented reality technology that the company uses to offer other experiences, such as Live View. After taking and posting photos through the Virtual Roaming app, the company automatically rotates them, repositioning them to create a series of connected images that are then placed in the virtual roaming service.
Google noted that prior to this feature, users had to have 3D cameras to capture and publish virtual roaming images.
Google also noted that virtual roaming service equipment and its cars have collected more than 170 billion images from 10 million miles from around the world, yet there are still many parts that have not been added to the service. Therefore, over the past years, the company has worked to provide new ways to enable people to contribute to the map service.
"As with our other images, these images will help make Google Maps more accurate and up-to-date for everyone," Google said. For example, we can use the information in virtual roaming images to update Google Maps with details, such as business names and addresses that are not currently on the map."
Google explained that it will also offer these images related to the same privacy controls, including: face blur, and a license plate that you see in regular virtual roaming images taken by Google. It will also make it easier for people to report photos and other types of content for review.
The company said: The trial feature of connected images is now available to people who use the Virtual Roaming app with an ARCore-compatible Android device in Toronto, Canada, New York, austin in the United States, as well as Nigeria, Indonesia and Costa Rica, and will be available for more areas soon.
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