Public webcams integrated into Google street view maps. As you browse the streets, some views will be live, and some will be 360-degree video loops.
Next-generation street view for a more immersive experience.
With a VR headset, it would feel like you are actually there.
Typically, public webcams are not positioned on the street level. They offer a larger view from a higher vantage point. Google street view, on the other hand, is always at street level. This makes such public webcams incompatible with google street view.
There are a few ways of making the proposed idea feasible:
People/cities begin to add cameras on the street level when the live street view becomes a thing. Google can come up with a way to incentivize people to add more cameras.
Street-level security cameras are already in place, but they are mostly private. Make some of them openly shared and seamlessly plug them into street view.
Cameras from Tesla cars are used to complement Google street view
Tesla cars come equipped with 8 cameras. I imagine they can stream the data back to Tesla whenever needed. Google could partner with Tesla, or Tesla could create it's own world coverage map.
Tesla cameras are not high quality compared to what people are used to seeing today. Could AI be used to enhance the video quality?
Video loops instead of static images
Tesla cars could be used to supply google street view with video loops for each position in street view. People would eventually be able to browse the streets in video rather than static images.
Some of the positions would have looping 360 degree videos, others would be live due to the area being covered by webcams.
Make the current, static street view compatible with video. In places where video is available, use that instead, otherwise display the static image.
Make it so that static images seamlessly connect to videos and vice versa.
This idea was inspired by J. Nikola's contribution.
Darko Savic Mar 15, 2022