Google Street View Time Lapse

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A while ago, I had an idea for a website that automatically creates time lapse videos of drives through cities using images from the Street View feature of Google Maps. This is a rough example of what it might look like.

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Comments

Woolly Mammoth says:

That's awesome. How did you stitch these together?
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

joelaz says:

I just manually clicked through the Google Maps Street View for 15 minutes while recording it as a screencast and then sped up the video... just as a proof of concept. A developer could automate the process using the Google Maps API.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

>>Jass<< says:

Cool Idea!! :)
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

rcowie92 says:

Duuuuuude. This rocks!

I have done something a little similar from my bike:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqn6KqZgESE
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

3e says:

Also: www.gaiagi.com/driving-simulator/
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Vote For Summer says:

What a great idea, well executed! My hat is off to you!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

sclopit says:

it would be cool to have something like this running on a wide screen and linked to a stationary bike: the faster you bike the faster the visualization scrolls.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Roman Pics says:

sclopit...I think you are on to something!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Boyan Yurukov says:

nice
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

defsixer says:

Nice idea. One way you could do it would be to preload the photos up front then play them back quickly in a row. Then you wouldn't need to make them into a movie file or anything. Could also prevent problems with image licensing.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Taylor Crandall says:

this is a great idea!

i've just recently discovered this amazing addition to google maps. its awesome
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

zdw says:

roman, sclopit -

Even better, add "turn" buttons, so when you reach an intersection you get to pick where you're going next.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Bleend's Blog says:

Nice idea!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

StickBus says:

Nice! And what's the music from?
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

joelaz says:

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Sadly, I don't have the technical chops to build an automated version of this with the Google Maps API, but I hope someone takes the idea and runs with it.

@StickBus the music is Bach - Prelude

Update: the music is Bach - Prelude to Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009 (thanks Judith!)
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

judith says:

Specifically, the prelude to the Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009 - my favorite! Nice work, Joe.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Marcroft says:

thats pretty cool.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

BMYPhotos says:

This is pretty dog gone neat!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

RobbertV says:

Haha, awesome!
Good idea to try myself as soon as my hometown and city next to it come available. I will be able to make a timelapse of the road to my job :P

Btw: Your on Gizmodo :)
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

balloon in a sock says:

www.atnan.com/2007/6/6/golden-gate-bridge-thr ough-the-eye...
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Matty v3.0 says:

Thats pretty awesome!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

GreenWhiteOrange says:

Excellent idea...
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

infixfilip says:

Could be an interesting complement to driving directions for visual learners. Or something. "Oh, hey, there's that red building. Time to turn!"
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

4Honor Photography says:

Whoa, that is sweet!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

fmvigneri says:

how about:
'coast to coast'?
I'll do it in my spare time.
(what's a API)
peace,
fmv // NM
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Nelson Minar says:

Well executed, I like it. For some historical inspiration, see the Aspen Movie Map (c. 1979).
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

VCOUI says:

Well done Joelaz! Bravo!

This would be an excellent feature to add to Google Maps. Using the "Get Directions" tool, once they've calculated your route, you would have the option to view it as an animated run-through.

If anyone could make this happen, Goggle can... Hello Goggle? Are you out there listening?

P.S. Sclopit- I like the stationary bike idea too!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Houndsworth says:

Since the first time I saw street view I was astonished it didn't offer this feature by default. The current implementation is damn near useless, I don't want to click for hours to see how to get from A to B just a few kilometers apart.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Faddoush says:

That would be so great!!

Excellent idea and work.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Tom and Viv says:

I had a go at this too. (Not nearly as good as yours, though...)
www.flickr.com/photos/tom_ackroyd/3076233253/
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

dasistdasende says:

Great idea.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

jamesaloha says:

this is awesome! i'm going to do it for my drive to work
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

wolfcat_aus says:

damn why didn't I think of that... I go to all the trouble to record video and compress it when doing road trips....
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

@esotericsean says:

Found you on NOTCOT.org - Awesome!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

poebae says:

I twittered your tech demo and got a response from @googlemapsapi:

poebae Check out Street View + Directions demo: 3adosh

Check it out!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

_ okat says:

smart. very smart.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

afternoon says:

Great work. An animated Street View site would be great. The people to speak to would be Google's business development team. They are very approachable, even if they can't help with your specific project (*sob*).
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

bolandrotor says:

great stuff dude!
--
Seen in the interestingness archives. (?)
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Hajime Chan says:

Nice Concept, cool!!!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Brian Shaler says:

Reminds me of this (also video going over golden gate bridge)
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

mgenka says:

this is awesome!!!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

wasserberg says:

Awesome idea!!!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

robrenrel says:

Well done!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

_lmc says:

that's really cool
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

willemdekam says:

ha! i'm gonna steal this idea!
great one man ;)
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

malaparte says:

Nicely done. Stumbled across this in reading Jalopnik.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

puserchen says:

vrey cool
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

ziadchatila says:

How do you get the wide screen pictures from street view? I only see a small box on the right hand side!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Jon Lucchesi says:

This is great! I foresee this as the future of driving directions on Google Maps.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

joelaz says:

ziadchatila, look at the top portion of the divider between the map on the right hand side and the column to the left of it. you should see a small arrow pointing to the left. click that and the map expands to wide screen.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

ThreeDee912 says:

You have been Dugg!

digg.com/autos/Google_Street_View_Time_Lapse_ Driving_On_G...
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

cincyimages says:

Impressive
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

boooogerbrain says:

yer creative! that's pretty cool
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Oliver Waters says:

Cool
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

Nick55 says:

Very cool.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

nz.reuben says:

I had a go at making a slightly longer one around the same area.

vimeo.com/4021700
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

ericparker says:

I know I saw real streaming street view video - not this patched together stuff - about a year ago online - I drove down several streets in several cities with full control - 360 look around, slow down, back up, etc
but now I can't find it anywhere - odd - did I dream it
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )

that igster says:

Hello. I've only just seen your vid, but you might be interested to see what I've done with time lapse google streetview footage here in London.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnT40F69wfw

Hope you like.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )

mdshaub says:

Have you seen this site? Automating this with a screen capture program was my 1st instinct. Glad to see a proof of concept to know how cool it would be. Thanks!
gmaps-samples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/street view/streetv...
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

that igster says:

That's a very cool site.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

swilsonmc says:

What a great thread! I was looking for this very discussion about this time last year. Here's a basic explanation and instructions I put together last year on how Google compiles their panoramas. I never did get to finish it up.

Nathan de Vries (balloon in sock) has done it! Your implementation is just was I had in mind (though I was thinking of using CURL), but I would be very interested in seeing how you did it using Ruby.

Nathan, any chance you'll throw out your code to us chirping finches?
Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )

Chris Devers says:

Fun idea, nice to see others have thought of it too :-)

Here's one of approaching Boston from the north:

Boston highway drive, Google Street View version by Chris Devers

Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink )

Novomir says:

Awesome video!
Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink )

Chris Devers says:

Here's one of driving around New York City :-)

NYC drive, via Google Street view by Chris Devers

Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink )

Chris Devers says:

Also, I've set up a Flickr group if anyone wants to post more of these, though with a 90 second limit, I can see where more of them would be likely to end up on Vimeo or YouTube.
Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink )

pop-icon says:

We'd love to see this our group.. Google Street View Photography
www.flickr.com/groups/366998@N20/pool/
Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink )

goya.lin says:

I want to see a 3D driving simulator (2D already exists). Actually it will be a better driving experience because the driving path will be constrained on the road, not like the 2D one you will drive all over the places including on top of the buildings.
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

ski₪ester says:

awesome. I know this commute well, prefer looking at it on Google Maps where it somehow appears more real. lol
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

peelsasleep says:

did this back in january looped on a clover near where i grew up in kentucky:
loshadka.org/billy/archive.php?Number=59
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

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Google Street View Time Lapse

Comments

Woolly Mammoth says:

joelaz says:

>>Jass<< says:

rcowie92 says:

3e says:

Vote For Summer says:

sclopit says:

Roman Pics says:

Boyan Yurukov says:

defsixer says:

Taylor Crandall says:

zdw says:

Bleend's Blog says:

StickBus says:

joelaz says:

judith says:

Marcroft says:

BMYPhotos says:

RobbertV says:

balloon in a sock says:

Matty v3.0 says:

GreenWhiteOrange says:

infixfilip says:

4Honor Photography says:

fmvigneri says:

Nelson Minar says:

VCOUI says:

Houndsworth says:

Faddoush says:

Tom and Viv says:

dasistdasende says:

jamesaloha says:

wolfcat_aus says:

@esotericsean says:

poebae says:

_ okat says:

afternoon says:

bolandrotor says:

Hajime Chan says:

Brian Shaler says:

mgenka says:

wasserberg says:

robrenrel says:

_lmc says:

willemdekam says:

malaparte says:

puserchen says:

ziadchatila says:

Jon Lucchesi says:

joelaz says:

ThreeDee912 says:

cincyimages says:

boooogerbrain says:

Oliver Waters says:

Nick55 says:

nz.reuben says:

ericparker says:

that igster says:

mdshaub says:

that igster says:

swilsonmc says:

Chris Devers says:

Novomir says:

Chris Devers says:

Chris Devers says:

pop-icon says:

goya.lin says:

ski₪ester says:

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