Google lets you create your own Street View locations and load them online with your phone

The familiar panoramas can now be created by anyone

A new tool that allows anyone to create and share their own street views on Google Maps has been unveiled.

In a blog post, Evan Rapoport, product manager of Google Maps and Photo Sphere outlined the service which he said could help to “convey the feeling of walking through your favourite park” or to “create a virtual tour of your business to attract customers.”

To create a new street view, users have to create a “photo sphere” using either an Android phone or a DSLR camera. Then, using the Views section of Google Maps, the panoramic photos can be connected together in order to create a 360 degree virtual tour.

Once uploaded, the street views will be viewable by anyone, in the same way as the existing street views made by Google itself.

Rapoport said that Google is “excited to see the different types of Street View experiences that everyone will contribute”. He continued to describe how the new tool may be used by non-profits to document and promote connected areas, or by photographers to capture scenes that wouldn’t usually be on Google Maps.

“We hope this new feature will enable people to share and witness the beauty and breadth of our planet through Google Maps,” Rapoport added. “We’re thrilled to see the places you love coming to life on Google.”

This latest unveiling comes alongside Google’s on-going attempts to document some of the world’s busiest indoor transit locations.

A screenshot showing an example street view made from scratch.