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More Info on Google's 3D Maps
Will Stewart writes "You have doubtless read that Silicon Valley Watcher reported on Google plans to use trucks equipped with lasers and digital photographic equipment to create a realistic 3D, online version of San Francisco and eventually other major US cities, but you may not have seen the picture of where the trucks are kept and Berkeley's unrelated research project and published technical research (PDF file)."
Are there any public screenshots available yet of what it's going to look like? I understand the basic principles of what they're going to do, but it's still a little hard to envision what the end result is going to look like.
see a Text Widget
To avoid loads of db queries and ads, the actual (rather uninteresting) picture is:
o ogleGarage.jpg
http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/G
http://graphics.stanford.edu/projects/cityblock/
Well, their picture looks like a giant Anderson Shelter
Are their competitors likely to try and bomb the truck?
Where's the Kaboom?
There's supposed to be an Earth-shattering Kaboom.
I call BS. That looks like any one of a thousand quonset huts on Camp Pendleton and other Marine Corps bases. How do I know that it isn't a picture of one of them?
Also - wow, who cares.
Derek Greene
Some related info:
...
More on Google 3D maps
3D Buildings
Lets start with the big things first. On selected US cities, you can view a grey scale 3D rendering of the city skyline. Pictures are worth more then words so I'll let the screenshots do the talking.
This was in Keyhole but it's still amazing. Screenshots really can't capture how amazing it is to freely move around a 3D world.
Amazon's "Blockview"
The most powerful technology A9.com invented for Yellow Pages is "Block View," which brings the Yellow Pages to life by showing a street view of millions of businesses and their surroundings. Using trucks equipped with digital cameras, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, and proprietary software and hardware, A9.com drove tens of thousands of miles capturing images and matching them with businesses and the way they look from the street.
All I see is a picture of a large garage. How do we know this is where the truck(s) is (are) kept? And even if the truck were being kept there, what's the big deal? What next: the picture of the garage where a Google programmer parks his car? A menu from a restaurant where Page/Brin ate last month?
Won't they capture 3d shots of people walking past or standing around?
Does the software only account for 3d structures over a certain size?
liqbase
How is google going to use and who it is going to sell these maps to. While this is all very cool, I just don't feel comfortable having my house photographed and out in 3D. Too much big brotherish.
I'm not so sure I'd want my house in 3-D available thru google maps...
;)
Anyone else have thoughts on this?
If you see the google truck coming make sure you moon them as they go by. It would make a nice "easter egg" for google maps
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one the bus load of girls just went down.
hmmm... we have a rather uninteresting picture of where Google's mapping trucks are parked and then some "unrelated" Berkley research information. Seems this is more about Berkley and 3D mapping in general than it is about Google's 3D mapping efforts.
Having a smoking section in a public restaurant is like having a peeing section in a public swimming pool.
Anyone found one of them yet? In Amazon's versions, you can see motorcyclic keep pace along Gough street, of "go getter pizza", in San Fran (the first hit for pizza). http://www.amazon.com/gp/yp/B0004B4KH4/103-1660600 -5419803
I wonder what has has been seen.
I don't want to sell you death sticks.
As previous posters have pointed out, the picture's a bit sketchy for one, and this isn't the first time someone has tried this either.
Moving right along, however, this seems to me to be a bad idea on Google's part. A 3D map of an area has its merits, this I can grasp. What I cannot grasp is the cost of maintaining its accuracy. Modern construction is so quick to build, rebuild, and destroy properties that a 3D map taken two years ago in LA, or any other metropolitan area for that matter, would look vastly different from today. You figure, therefore, that the trucks will regularly have to do their rounds, and that's a lot of trucks at a lot of cost to Google.
Pardon my skepticism, but I don't envision even Google having those kinds of resources. They will need help from major financial players, and I don't see anyone tossing money down this money pit.
Thoughts? Omissions? I could be missing something.
The Crimson Dragon
I think this is a neat idea, especially if Google opens up all of the data to outside developers (which it has in the past)
Imagine new MMOGs where the cities are real! Or virtual tours of New York, say, before you actually decide to go visit. There are a lot of great possibilities.
I guess you could even plug data like this into a Sim-City-type game, where the virtual city is modeled just like the real one. Sort of gives the term "city planning" a whole new meaning.
Can someone please acquire photos of the following items:
- gas station used to fuel the trucks
- hose used to clean the trucks
- steel drums containing the trucks used oil
These would be most (snort) valuable for my collection. (snort)
If you see the google truck coming make sure you moon them as they go by. It would make a nice "easter egg" for google maps ;)
/.ed!
Heh, or how about a sign on the lawn that says "If you can read this, you're following too closely!" haha
Of course... if they catch my wife sunbathing on the deck in the nude, Google might get
Evans & Sutherland has had a bunch of cities available for 'walk thrus' for years: (not a great link but one can infer what 'legacy dataset' implies)
http://www.es.com/products/software/ect/index.asp
There must be something clever/neat/subversive, er special, about the google truck. I bet it has a terrorist sensor.
Maybe that should be rephrased "Why should we care?" Is there any utility in having a 3D map versus a 2D one? Yeah it's cool and all, but there is no practical purpose to the overwhelming majority of the population (just like the satellite maps)...
Not really. I think it would be pretty cool to see YOUR house in 3d.
Sigs are for Terrorists.
From what a friend told me, he was asked to do a job that basically involved driving a truck around the city imaging all the buildings. I too wonder what this would look like.
Disclaimer: These images were taken in the past and may not be accurate.
Hmmm witty sig or funny sig? Maybe elitest techy sig!
Or is Google going to be "the 00s" in meme form 20 years from now?
Google seems to be doing more stuff then anyone else and repeatedly pushing the boundaries of what they can and will do. Seems like Google may well be our "wonder of the decade", lets just hope they stay the same and don't get corrupted too baddly.
I like muppets.
You'd have to make sure that the letters are raised...
Of course, Google WOULD get Slashdotted if they caught ANYBODY in the nude...
I just can't wait for them to do a scan on Halloween, and find a goatse pumpkin...
Yeah it's cool and all, but there is no practical purpose to the overwhelming majority of the population
Have you ever gotten directions from someone who said "Turn left at the stoplight after the second Jack in the Box"? Google maps will (probably) soon be able to show 3-d maps of your destination and those places where you make your turns. At least in Silicon Valley. It's a grand scale project, and, IMHO is one that only google has the resources to manage.
Your sig(k) has been stolen. There is a puff of smoke!
How about getting some topographic maps instead? I love using google maps to plan training bike rides, since I am in a new area and am learning the place. It really sucks to plan a route for a relaxed-pace ride only to find out it has several monster climbs back to back, however.
Another great feature would be the ability to upload a GPS track to overlay on google maps, so I can see where I've been. Even more killer would be the same ability in reverse for when I use google maps to get directions. Download the route on my GPS, and I can then use it to drive to my location.
It's a shame they are spending so much money and effort on something that has not as much benefit as the basic features I outlined above.
Here's another unrelated research project :)
Post your topic here and we can discuss that instead. Subvert from within etc.
and also for our Lynx-using folks . . .
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Aerial photos are actually pretty useful, you get a much better idea of the route using the map/photo overlay on www.multimap.com (check out e.g. London), particularly if you're walking or cycling. Seeing what colour things are and actual landmarks is better than just a street map.
That said, I'm not sure about 3D maps - they'd have to offer a good road's-eye view and be capable of tracking through a planned journey (in fast forward, slowing down for the junctions), as well as letting you move upwards to get an aerial view. Sounds pretty stressful on a graphics card too.
And as for "no practical purpose to the overwhelming majority of the population" - well does half the population even have net access? No? Let's shut it down then!
If this doesn't turn out to be profitable, it'll die.
Slashdot - Mutual Assured Discussion
This would be awesome to integrate for Midtown Madness maps, especially when your own city gets added.
Regardless, being able to "drive through" from car perspective would seem like a great way to learn your way around a town.
I think its a safe bet that they'll opt for mounting lazer beams on sharks.
God spoke to me.
...we've got a new subject to stalk. W00t! Trucks with frickin' laser beams!!
reference: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/ a/2003/08/31/MN305247.DTL
The best use of these maps would be load them into a racing game and allow you to race around the city of your choice.
I believe the actual quote from the google spokesperson was "We're going to build trucks equipped with frickin' lasers on top of their heads."
What happens when the have a glich in their lasers and knock down an airplane by blinding both the pilot and co-pilot? Can you say Homeland Security? Nice try!
Never trust a man wearing a coat and tie!
When you look at a city on a regular map, then actually go there, you see two distinctly different things. This technology provides a second perspective; there's nothing wrong with that. I wish I had a 3D rendering of Indianapolis, Indiana before I went there. *bangs head*
1: I want to go out tonight. I've heard of this really cool new art show but I don't know where it is. I look up the intersection and realize that the addressing in that neighborhood is all screwy. I check the location using the 3d map and get a quick visual. I'm on my way.
2: I am looking at a 3d view of the city, in it I can see links that connect me to thousands of activities. Not just general mapping but social mapping that allows the user to search for data, that connects her/him to whatever is relevant in a fashion that is understandable. ie "yes there is a party for software advocacy tonite however it is on the end of an unused warf beneath a layer of cow dung".
This would be a tremendous aid to people searching for things in the real world. Some of you may remember what that is like if you look at the images long enough....
once more into the breach
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Has no one looked closely at the picture. The opening of the garage is an OBVIOUS photoshop addon. I've seen pr0n that was better hacked together.
I was pretty surprised at the detail of those maps. I'm sure this is only the start of what google plans to do with them.
[%] Cingular Ringtones
No, this is the quonset hut in area 51 where they're keeping the spacecraft that landed in Roswell back in 1947.
This is just practice.
Seriously, this sort of data collection could lead to:
A) Awesome video games
B) Large questions about privacy when Google scans you in your house
C) Really awesome video games
But because I know exactly which huts those are - that's the Solar Car Project on Stanford campus. Unless maybe Google is too cheap to buy their own frickin' Quonset huts.
When I first heard about A9s block view it wasn't very hard to navigate near to where I work and see two of my collegues crossing the road on their way to lunch! Anyone else found anyone they know? Or themselves?
Ok, now to figure out how to sneak a phallus, breasts or other taboo, funny stuff in when they scan the buildings. Bla ha ha ha ha Wait until they scan Microsoft... too many jokes.
If you just HAVE to see these shacks for your self. They are located on 180 Stock Farm Road. And what kind of a guy would I be if I didn't give you a map to it.
Those old Quonset huts are on Stock Farm Road near Campus Drive. The Stanford Solar Car project and the Grand Challenge team use them.
Sounds like someone doesn't love Big Brother enough. Don't worry, I'm here to help you get better at the two minutes of hate. You'll soon love Big Brother.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
It's pretty obvious that google is making a virtual shopping mall that people can "fly through" and click on the building that they want to enter. Google will sell that click to the business owner to place their web page. Potential for huge income if it becomes a popular way for people to browse and shop a city. Plus, the store/building owner has a vested interest in keeping the google photos and data up to date, so they will contact google if they change their facade with construction, etc.
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try going upstairs, ask your mom where the front door is and step outside. now, if you look over your shoulder you can get a preview of what your 3D house will look like when its available on googlemaps.
872835240
That is actually a picture of the Quonset hut shared by the Stanford Solar Car Project and the Stanford DARPA Grand Challenge team. As a member of the project, I was quite surprised to see our site on Slashdot. Apparently the Grand Challenge vehicle (the VW touareg seen in the right hand side of the photo) sidelines as the Google mapping truck, since it has lasers and a very accurate GPS unit. Stanford Solar Car Project's logo is prominently displayed on the first bay door, which is probably why they photoshopped it out as not to confuse people. Hope that clears things up.
If you look at the full size version of the image of the hanger where the "truck is kept", you can easily see that the photo was manipulated.. the open doorway looks like it is actually another image someone pasted on top of the hanger... but why?? strange
I use EBCDIC, you insensitive clod!
rage, rage against the dying of the light
Those rendered images remind me of twisted metal. Ah, yes... So many sleepless nights spent playing that game. There's something magical about vehicles with ridiculous weapons attached to them; smashing the hell out of your friends.
grep -iw skynet
Overview
Really, someone should fire the guys at A9. Perhaps the guy who trademarked "You're fired" will do that, once he sees his blocked building.
You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.