Google Maps Adds User Picture Overlays to Street View
Google Street View on their maps service is arguably one of the best functions added to the once competitive online mapping market. (Remember when MapQuest was the only game in town?)
With Street View, users can actually see where they are headed, which comes in handy when you're unfamiliar with your destination.
Now the experienced will be enhanced with user generated photos and, as a result, that user's experience at that location.
From the Google LatLong blog:
Sometimes you want to explore a place for yourself, and sometimes you want to get a sense of how other people experience it. With our newest update to User Photos available within Street View, you can seamlessly do both. Now when you’re browsing a location in Street View, you can see user-contributed photographs directly overlaid within the panorama.The new feature places thumbnails of relevant photos on top of Street View when a user clicks the “Photos” option at the top right of the panorama. When the user moves the mouse cursor over one of the thumbnails, a photo appears, which matches the content of the panoramic view.
The overlays allow users to quickly preview several photos without changing their viewpoint or losing track of where they were. Another cool feature is, if the user clicks on the photo, they will enter an interactive photo browser to explore additional pictures taken by the community.
Here's an example:
What do you think of the new additions to Street View?
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