Suggestions to Make the Street View Studio More User-Friendly

[Amiran]

Hi,

The Google Street View for roads and trails helps billions of people to better understand the conditions of the roads and pedestrian paths.

Many Local Guides as volunteers contribute to completing the map of the world but since the Street View Studio was introduced, experiences have shown that it needs some improvements.

Since the official SV program is not available in Iran and we have no access to the official forum of SV, we thought that besides the in-app feedback, Connect is a good place to share our thoughts, especially because we share road SV images as volunteers.

So we discussed in the Iran Local Guides community, especially with the help of @Siavash_T , and summed up our suggestions. So, here there are needed features to improve the UX of the SV Studio:

1. Analyzing video files and extracting thumbnails of the SV before uploading.
2. Displaying error details and reason for rejection when the Street View path is not approved.
3. The ability to edit a limited number of points in case of a GPS error.
4. The ability to request a revision for each unpublished file.
5. Categorizing cities where the user has taken Street View.
6. The ability to define a manual route for a Street View file (something like navigation from A to B) only to assist with AI processing.
7. Improving AI to avoid displaying the Street View line outside the specific road.
8. Adding roads name over the user’s SV like official ones.
9. To accelerate the process of SV videos, Google can use processing resources from the users’ side, not the server side.

We know adding features needs time by engineers and improvements in hardware and software, but we thought describing them here and discussing them, will help in this matter. We believe Improving the SV studio and making it more user-friendly helps good users to contribute more and map the world better.

[Yotaroh]

@Amiran さん、こんにちは。

私も360 Photo/360 Videoについて話し合う場所が、LGCに有った方が良いと思っています。

私の考えと質問です。
「2. Displaying error details and reason for rejection when the Street View path is not approved.」
現状のSV Studioに表示されるエラーは分かりにくいですね。
でも、エラーが発生する理由が少しずつ分かってきたので、最近はあまり詳細な理由を知りたいとは思っていません

「3. The ability to edit a limited number of points in case of a GPS error.」
処理エラーが発生した場所が分かると修正しやすいですね。
SV Studioに編集機能が有ると便利ですが、それを多機能にするとSV App.の時と同様、バグが出て使いにくくなるかもしれません。

「5. Categorizing cities where the user has taken Street View.」
表示している地図エリアの検索機能が有ると便利です。
私も検索機能は欲しいです！

「7. Improving AI to avoid displaying the Street View line outside the specific road.」
GPSの精度の問題が解決すれば必要無いのでは？

「8. Adding roads name over the user’s SV like official ones.」
Google Maps上でユーザーが撮影した360 Videoの表示機能についてですね。
確かに表示された方が良いですが、Googleは著作権を考慮して表示していないのだと思います。

以下については理由が良く分かりませんでした。

1. Analyzing video files and extracting thumbnails of the SV before uploading.
2. The ability to request a revision for each unpublished file.
3. The ability to define a manual route for a Street View file (something like navigation from A to B) only to assist with AI processing.
4. To accelerate the process of SV videos, Google can use processing resources from the users’ side, not the server side.

[Amiran]

Thank you @Yotaroh for sharing your insights. It is so valuable to discuss the needed features and help to improve it more.

I understand as pro users, many of us could come along even with the current SV Studio, and even personally I like the learning process to do better with the current system.

But these are suggestions of the community (not just me) to make the SV Studio simpler and more beneficial for all. So, see some suggestions like 1 and 4 from the perspective of a new user to find errors more easily and handle the learning process better. Even if there are minor errors, Googlers can fix them and tell users to do better next time.

The 5th and 6th suggestions are also to help the AI not to exit from a simple route. Sometimes it makes additional parts blue that we didn’t really record. GPS accuracy is not enough as we experienced.

Some users complain about the processing time which can take several days and the 9th suggestion is to make it shorter.

Again, I say thanks because discussing more about it, will help to have a better interface.

[Behroz2]

با این پست موافقم و امیدوارم گوگل ترتیب اثر دهد.با تشکر از امیران

[PaulPavlinovich]

There is no issue with you discussing such content and offering feedback here in Connect @Amiran and you’re welcome to do it, but please be aware that the Street View team no longer use Connect so are unlikely to ever see your content.

The Street View program is still in hiatus as far as I know as they determine their future.

In my opinion Street View Studio only exists to give people a free avenue to contribute so they do not need to subscribe to pay tools. The pay tools offer a much richer experience.

Paul

[Amiran]

Thanks for your comment dear @PaulPavlinovich

Yes, I’m aware but also as you mentioned since SV Studio mostly focuses on free and volunteer activities, Connect is a good place to discuss it. Maybe our feedback helps the team to better create the future of SV and think more about volunteer work through it.

And, as of my knowledge, there are no third-party tools to offer direct tools to add SV blue lines for roads, even a paid one. Am I wrong?

[PaulPavlinovich]

There are paid tools that do it @Amiran but you need to be a partner (not just SV Trusted).

The Local Guides team are not connected with Street View. They may pass on your feedback behind the scenes.

Paul

[Amiran]

Good note @PaulPavlinovich

Yes, Partnership could unlock many features on the map. However, it mostly could happen between a company/organization with Google, not individuals.

About this post, it was my responsibility to reflect the voice of a part of the community and I will be grateful if the SV team hears it in any way. Still, I mentioned that I also sent feedback about these suggestions, and posting here, helps to discuss more about suggestions and make them even better.

[PaulPavlinovich]

Like I said in the first post, there is absolutely no issue with you progressing this discussion. It is a good thing to do @Amiran .

Anyone can become a partner, but yes there may be commercial barriers such as forming a company or trust to engage with Google Maps on this level.

Paul

[MarcoDavoli]

Ciao @Amiran ,

as you know this summer I started to map, for the first time ever, the hiking track of the Nation Park of the Archipelago of la Maddalena.

( my , not yet finished, SV)

Was my first time and I faced so many problems that was able to solve with the help of the community outside LGC. As @PaulPavlinovich wrote here in LGC the support in no longer available.

Could be a great idea to have a dedicated area for us, fun of SV Studio and 360° footage.

About your point:

– Picture: Nice picture but, personally tested, when I apply my Insta360 X3 on the helmet, was a disaster. You lost completely the direction of the video that should / have to stay in the same direction . You you turn your camera / helmet you lost it. Better a stick or a backpack.

2 Displaying error – For some video uploaded I got this error message: "Some imagery from your uploads has been removed due to policy violations." I was in the middle of nowhere. Just me, bushes, sand and rock. Which “policy violation”? I asked to te help center but, no answer.

3. The ability to edit – This was my main problems. I still have to path where I lost the GPS signal and manually adding all the GPS point is, for me, impossibile. A total of 4.5 Km to do manually.

4. The ability to define a manual route for a Street View file - In some case I had to create, before uploading my SV Video, a route of it because the video was refused. No reason explained.

About the point 7 I agree with @Yotaroh . With a good GPS system this problem could be solved.

Finally, about timing… my SV needed more than 4 months to be all uploaded and processed. For some of them I had to delete and restart the process. I could be from 3 days (my record) up to 2 months.

This was and is my experience with SV. Hope to learn more because this summer I have to finish to track the National Park and I have a new project in mind.

Thanks for your idea.

Ciao

Marco

[Amiran]

Thank you @MarcoDavoli for sharing your insights one by one.

I totally agree with the idea of having a specific board for volunteer SV shooting. Because we couldn’t separate this activity from the goal of the Local Guides program.

I hope these kinds of experiences from users who are doing SV to benefit all, help the SV team to improve the platform in the best way.

[Yotaroh]

@MarcoDavoli さん、こんにちは。

体験を共有していただきありがとうございます。
青線の記事も読みました。
素晴らしい！

私が目にするエラーメッセージはGPS関係だけです。
エラーメッセージに「Some imagery from your uploads has been removed due to policy violations.」が有るのは知っていましたが、実際に表示されるとは思っていませんでした。
AIは、たまに舗装されていない道、木々や道端の草にモザイク処理します。
そのVideoを解析したAIは凄い妄想をしたのかもしれません。

私は、SV StudioとInsta360社のカメラについて幾つか不満が有ります。
これらについてどう思われていますか？

Googleの処理についての不満

1. 正しく天頂補正されない場合が有る。
   撮影するコースに登り坂と下り坂が有る場合、天頂補正が狂う場合が有ります。
   長距離撮影すると狂いは小さくなる場合が多いですが、気になります。

2. 10m間隔で写真を抽出して青線を作成する。
   ハイキングトラック等で歩いて撮影した場合、10m間隔だと完成したSVで移動中に移動方向を見失う事が有ります。
   自動車や自転車でVideoを撮影した場合は、10m間隔で良いですが、公園など歩いて撮影した場合は、5m間隔の方が適していると思っています。

3. 接続が途切れる場所が有る
   1つの360 Video ファイルを処理したにもかかわらず、青線で結ばれていても実際には接続されないポイントが発生する事があます。
   後で手作業で接続する事は可能だと思いますが、Googleは時々再処理をするので、再処理に影響する可能性もあり、修正はしていません。

カメラについての不満
4. Insta360社のカメラは30分間隔でファイルが分割されます。
私は1時間弱のコースを撮影したいのでファイルが分割されるのは困ります。

[MarcoDavoli]

Hi @Yotaroh ,

about the error “Some imagery from your uploads has been removed due to policy violations.” I am /was just curios to know how the IA process the file and what/which image it say that is a violation. But, anyway, I’m not really afraid because my footage is LIVE and I’m happy about my work.

About complains:

1 - I’ve noticed that the zenith is not accurate but, in my case, as you mentioned, my course is really made of up-down hill. In a 3Km path I move many times from sea level to 150 meters above sea level. I’m not able to control the zenith.

2 - I shot always at 30fps and use, as GPS, my mobile phone and, at the same time, an external GPS (GPS Action Remote from Insta). It is more accurate than my mobile IMHO but loose very often the signal .

SV guidelines said that the GPS point have to be each 3meters. I tried manually to modify a GPX file with a higher distance but was rejected. My SV (here an example https://maps.app.goo.gl/pJur9q93vPWhTGCN7 ) are mainly made hiking but some were taken using my scooter.

3 - For some reason, I’m sure due to a bad GPS signal, in some case, after processing, I saw it that is “out of the route” so I’l fix manually by changing the relative GPX file created by Insta360. But never had a file with not connected line / path

4 - The 30 minutes limit is a… limit. You can skip / solve it just using a lower quality / resolution but the final result is not what you expect. Some of my course need more than 30 minutes. I need 70 minutes to complete the one I mentioned before (a wonderful military station hidden into rocks). So I decided to upload 3 single file of 35Gb each and SURPRISE after a while the system has connect them in one single SV Blue line. Honestly I was not aware and was a big surprise.

May main issue, that was not yet able to solve, is how to write from scratch a GPX file. I followed all the instruction that I read on the relative group on FB or found by googling but no luck. SV Studio need a specific GPX that, till now, was not able to find how to create from starch . Did you have any idea on how to do it?

I’m using Insta360 X3 and stick. After different tries I understood that the best method is to control the stick by hand and keep it always with the same orientation. Use a backpack while walking is not good for a SV Blueline.

Hope we can keep exchanging experience to create more and better SV that can help other to “virtually visit” the world and, who knows, maybe will decide to visit tem

Ciao

Marco

@Amiran

[Yotaroh]

@MarcoDavoli さん、こんにちは。

リンクされた場所の処理が成功したのは驚きです。
この様な場所はGoogleの処理が失敗しても不思議ではありません。

私が感じている事と心がけている事を書きます。
参考になると良いのですが…。

私は、Insta360 Studio 2023のFlowState Stabilization "On"で360 Videoを作成しています。
"On"にした方がGoogleの処理の成功率が高く、天頂補正もより良く処理されるような気がします。

私はGPSアクションリモートを購入し、位置精度を確認しました。
私が使っているスマートフォン(Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G)より位置精度が悪かったのと接続が切れるとその後の位置情報がisnvファイルに記録されないので、今は箱に入れて部屋に飾っています。

歩いて撮影する場合は、1fps(フレーム間の移動距離が2m前後)の方がGoogleの処理時間が短いと思います。
私はGoogleの処理時間が長い方が処理に失敗する確率が高いと思っています。
今度エラーになったらフレームレートを1fpsに変更して試してください。

私はGPS Loggerアプリの設定を変更し、1秒間隔で位置情報を記録しています。
撮影前から記録を開始して、撮影終了後に記録を停止します。
作成されたGPXファイルをSV Studioでアップロードする時に使っています。

Insta360 Studio 2023でGPXファイルを作成出来ますが、データに何らかのフィルター処理が行われるため、正確な位置情報が得られません。
Googleの処理が失敗する可能性が増えるので、この機能は使わないでください。

また、Insta360 Studio 2023(v4.9.0)はVideoのスタート時間を実際より4～5秒早く設定します。
SV Studioでアップロードする前に、VideoファイルのCreate Dateを正しい日時に変更しています。
実際のスタート日時はファイル名に書かれている日時の1～2秒後です。

私はフレームレートの変更にffmpegを、日時の変更にexiftoolを使っています。
コマンドラインツールなので使うのは難しいかもしれません。

[Yotaroh]

@Amiran さん、こんにちは。

Suggestionsの多くは処理エラーに関係するものですが、私の撮影した360 Videoは最近殆ど処理が成功しています。
私はサイクリングロードや公園の歩道を歩くか自転車で360 Videoを撮影しています。
距離は1km未満が多いですが、10km以上の場合も有ります。

@Amiran さんの場合は、どの程度処理エラーしているのでしょうか？

[Amiran]

@Yotaroh

I think @Siavash_T and @HamedZarepoor can explain better than me because they recorded more roads and faced this challenge a lot.

[Yotaroh]

@Amiran さん、こんにちは。

最近3か月の処理結果をメール通知で確認しました。

2023/12 Processed 24 (LabPano Panox V2)
2023/11 Processed 25 (Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 Edition)
2023/10 Processed 3, Failed 1 (Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 Edition)

殆どの360 Videoファイルは処理されていました。

[Yotaroh]

@MarcoDavoli さん、こんにちは。

通常、SV Studio用のGPXファイルはGPS Loggerの出力(或いはisnvファイルから取り出したもの)を使います。
データが違っている場合は、それらを修正します。
何故GPXファイルを最初から作成したいのですか？

[MarcoDavoli]

Hi @Yotaroh ,

unfortunately during my mapping of the Caprera island they two main, and most beautiful course, I lost the GPS signal few minutes after I started recording.

The relative InstaStudio GPX record only 50metes of my walk and, manually, is almost impossible to add all the missing points.

I tried to recreate it with https://gpx.studio/ and also with https://www.routeconverter.com/ but the file are not compatible with StreetView. Upload is not accepted.

Even if I create a KML file with google earth and convert it to GPX the result file is not accepted.

I hope to find a solution.

I took a second footage but, as the first time, as I start to walk in the middle of rocks I loose the signal.

This si the reason why I’m looking for a method to create a GPX from scratch.

Any idea?

Take care

Marco

[Amiran]

Dear @potaro67 I much appreciate it if you share your insights, too