Google gathers 3D data with Street View

Google confirmed today it's gathering 3D data along with the photographs it takes for its online Street View service, a potential boon for those of us who fantasize about flying like Superman through urban landscapes, at least virtually.

"The imaging technology includes lasers that collect 3D geometry data," the company said Thursday in a statement. However, for now at least, the 3D information is just experimental, Google said.

Microsoft's Virtual Earth gives a 3D view of thee world.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Savvy observers, looking at Flickr pictures of Google Street View cars gathering images in Milan, had identified the 3D laser scanners in April. At the time, Google didn't comment at the time, but now has confirmed the scanners as well as the expansion of Google Street View to Europe.

Laser scanners can be used to produce detailed 3D models of buildings or other features, and overlaying photographic imagery can give those models a more lifelike appearance.

Microsoft has been working to add more sophisticated 3D models to its Virtual Earth site, also using automated technology. Microsoft's software lets people cruise above Las Vegas and a few other cities with detailed 3D maps.

The move probably makes sense, given that it's more economical to gather the most information possible while driving around various cities. And of course Google has a lot of room to store 3D data and servers to process it into something useful that combines the 3D scan data with the photographed view.

It's not clear if there are privacy implications from the move. It's certainly possible that giving people the ability to fly through an extremely realistic reconstruction of the world could set off those who got the willies from Street View's debut or, for that matter, the satellite imagery that now seems relatively mundane.

But I'd think twice before trying to sneak that new addition onto the side of your house without getting a building permit.

[krosavcheg]

I hope they release a 'Google Earth' virtual reality game like secondlife :)

[Mapper99]

That's exactly what they are up to (with advertising of course)!<br /><br />M<br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://streetviewgallery.corank.com" target="_newWindow">http://streetviewgallery.corank.com</a>

[earthware]

Interesting you choose to show a virtual earth screenshot when 90% of the article is about Google Earth, was Google Earth just not interesting enough?<br /><br />Brian Norman<br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.earthware.co.uk" target="_newWindow">http://www.earthware.co.uk</a>

[MarkJBrown]

Hi Stephen. My name is Mark Brown. I am a Senior Product Manager for Virtual Earth at Microsoft.<br /><br />I enjoyed your article and it will be interesting to watch Google progress through its experiment to create 3D models using lasers. I had just a few comments on Virtual Earth for you and your readers.<br /><br />Currently Virtual Earth has over 250 complete cities that you can fly through today created using a fully automated photogrammatic process that allows users to explore locations from all vantage points, not just cruising above them.<br /><br />Las Vegas, which you show in your article, along with Phoenix, Denver and Dallas are the first of four new 2.0 version cities that is using an even more advanced photgrammetric process. That, combined with the advanced digitial aerial camera that Microsoft manufactures, UltraCam, provides even more precise and realistic models of buildings and even models the vegetation such as trees. Users can see this when flying down at street level in any cities using our 3D 2.0 version.<br /><br />And since this process is completely automated we will be bringing many many more cities online using this new process in the near future.<br /><br />All of this is available completely online today at <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://virtualearth.com" target="_newWindow">http://virtualearth.com</a> or <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://maps.live.com" target="_newWindow">http://maps.live.com</a>. The only necessary download being a 5MB managed plug-in (not Active-X). Support for IE and FF on Windows only.<br /><br />People can also get tons more information about our 3D efforts around Virtual Earth at <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://dev.live.com/virtualearth" target="_newWindow">http://dev.live.com/virtualearth</a> or check out my blog at <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://blogs.msdn.com/markbrown" target="_newWindow">http://blogs.msdn.com/markbrown</a><br /><br />Thanks again Stephen.<br />-Mark

[aristotle_dude]

Mark, when is your company going to embrace open standards and stop using that activex garbage? Your company has demonstrated that they can port silverlight to other OSes and you are trying to push virtual earth as a competitor to Google Earth, so why not use silverlight for that product allowing use of virtual earth on OS X and linux?

[jmdunys]

Mark,<br /><br />As long as 'Windows only' is a feature of your products, you will be seen as the evil empire by many.<br /><br />For goodness sake, is there anyone sane at Microsoft to talk about REAL separation between Windows and the rest of the Microsoft products (especially on-line) or are you just being used to keep an everlasting hook into something that is becoming less and less relevant?