Google Certifies Insta360 Pro as First ‘Street View Auto Ready’ Camera
Insta360 Pro is currently the only camera recognized by Google as capable of vehicle-mounted use
LONG BEACH, Calif., Oct. 2 – Following close collaboration with Google to certify a seamless capture and sharing experience, the Insta360 Pro has been distinguished as part of the ‘Street View ready’ program. Google will also use 50 Insta360 Pros to extend the range of collection capabilities under its Street View camera loan program.
The Insta360 Pro will feature on Google’s upcoming ‘Street View ready’ page.
Devices recognized in the ‘Street View ready’ program are perfectly suited for contributing 360-degree content to Google Street View, allowing users to put their own stamp on the global patchwork of immersive street-level views that’s accessible via Google Maps, Google Earth, and the Street View app.
“When Google Street View kicked off in 2007, high-quality 360 photography was only available to those with the resources and know-how to build their own cameras,” said Charles Armstrong, Google Street View product manager. “Now, thanks to the advances of companies like Insta360, anyone can create immersive 360-degree experiences and contribute them to Street View’s extensive map of the world.”
The Insta360 Pro is the only camera currently certified by Google as “Street View auto ready”, a category reserved for “advanced cameras that offer high-speed, high-accuracy Street View capture and publishing.”
If you’ve ever seen a Google Street View car on the road, then you know what “Street View auto ready” is all about. Thanks to its onboard stabilization and advanced optical-flow stitching algorithm, the Insta360 Pro can capture high-quality content while mounted on a moving vehicle.
The Insta360 Pro is shown mounted on a RIDIC camera-to-vehicle mount.
Insta360 Pro users will be able to control the Pro with the Street View app, and upload their photos and videos directly to Street View using the free Insta360 Stitcher software. The Pro will also add a new 5 FPS 8K shooting mode – optimized for efficient Street View content collection – and support an optionally-bundled USB accessory to automatically append GPS data to 360 content.
Google has also included the Insta360 Pro in its Street View loan program, which provides cameras to photographers, travelers and a variety of organizations that want to make 360 contributions to Street View from around the world.
Further details on the “Street View ready” program will be shared by Google in the coming weeks.