Ever wanted to contribute to Google Map’s Street View?
Now you can, if you’re willing to fork over the $3,500 it costs to get the right equipment.
Google launched a new program called “Street View ready” back in May, allowing those with the hardware to contribute to its imaging database. And now, according to TechCrunch, the first camera deemed “Street View auto ready” is the Insta360 Pro camera.
Street View ready has four certification distinctions—mobile, auto, VR, and workflow. The Insta360 Pro camera received the “auto ready” rating, meaning that it meets the specifications necessary for capturing street view-quality images from the top of your car.
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The 8K 360 camera captures images at up to five frames per second, with built-in real-time image stabilization. The camera can reportedly be controlled from within the Street View app, and photos and videos can be uploaded from the Insta360 software directly to Street View. After a few weeks processing time, the images could show up on Street View, Google Maps, or Google Earth, and would be attributed to you, notes The Verge.
The addition of the Insta360 to Google’s Street View ready program may be cool for camera geeks, but it’s perhaps more helpful to the tech giant. Allowing individuals to contribute to the Street View image database means that Google can get footage of areas and locations that have been prohibitively remote to date.
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Looks like Google won’t have to rely on those camera-carrying sheep in the Faroe Islands anymore.