Google Street View was a massive undertaking from Google, and aside from their less than commendable data gathering practices in many countries, you can't help but agree that the service is anything but good and helpful, it - along with rival services, defines the way we use mapping and technology to make our lives easier in the digital age.
But have you ever wondered about the places the street view car couldn't map? Maybe a favorite park, or one that you plan to visit. Wonder no more, as it's now possible to build your own Street View experiences to do just that. Using a new feature in the Views community, you can easily connect your photo spheres to create 360º virtual tours of the places you love, then share them with the world on Google Maps.
In the above example Evan Rapoport, who is the Product Manager at Google Maps & Photo Sphere, created this Street View experience from photo spheres he created with an Android phone (Nexus 4) and a DSLR camera. Now everyone can virtually explore this beautiful location he visited on his vacation.
Creating Photo Spheres is as easy as connecting the dots into what looks like a “constellation” of stars. You can connect your photo spheres using your Android phone or a DSLR and then share them on Views. Next, select the photo spheres from your profile and use our new tool to connect them together (as seen in the example above). Once your photo spheres are connected and published, people can navigate between them on Google Maps, just like they can in Street View, for more information on using Photo Spheres click here.
This adds a new dimension to Google Maps, eventually allowing people to explore landmarks, favorite hangouts and, as in the above example, areas where a street view car can't get to, such as a park.
Source: Google Maps Blog | Image: Google
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