Google adds Panoramio user photos to Street View

Stephen Withers
Friday, 27 February 2009 10:03

Business IT - Networking

Google caused a fuss when it augmented Google Maps with its systematically-taken Street View photos. Will the addition of user-contributed images lead to a further flap?

When Google set about creating Street View, it commissioned a database of photos taken by specially equipped cars.

Some people took exception to having their homes, cars or bodies displayed without their consent - notwithstanding the fact that the photos were taken in public places and that faces and car registration plates were automatically obscured.

Well, most of the photos were from public viewpoints. There were some cases where Google's contractors got over-enthusiastic and entered private land.

One limitation of Street View is that it provides a point in time snapshot (groan).

That's fine for most suburban streets, but what if the location is a genuine point of interest? Wouldn't it be good if the 'official' Google photography was augmented with photos that catch buildings and other views at their best and most interesting?

What Google has now done is supplement Street View with popular photos from Panoramio, the website that supports the geotagging and display of photographs in Google Earth and Google Maps.

Where can you see Panoramio photos in Street View? Please read on.