tour virtual google maps

How to Add a Virtual Tour to Google Maps

Step-by-Step Guide: Adding a Virtual Tour to Google Maps

Are you looking for a way to showcase your business or project on Google Maps? Adding a virtual tour to Google Maps is a great way to provide potential customers with an immersive experience of your space. In this article, we'll provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to add a virtual tour to Google Maps. Step 1: Create Your Virtual Tour Before you can add a virtual tour to Google Maps, you'll need to create one. There are many tools available to create virtual tours, from professional-grade cameras to smartphone apps. Choose the tool that best fits your needs and budget. Step 2: Upload Your Virtual Tour to Google Street View Once you've created your virtual tour, you'll need to upload it to Google Street View. This will allow you to add your virtual tour to Google Maps. Step 3: Connect Your Virtual Tour to Your Google My Business Profile After your virtual tour is uploaded to Google Street View, you'll need to connect it to your Google My Business profile. This will allow potential customers to access your virtual tour directly from your Google My Business listing. Step 4: Promote Your Virtual Tour Once your virtual tour is added to Google Maps, it's time to promote it. Share your virtual tour on your website, social media pages, and email newsletters. This will increase the visibility of your virtual tour and attract potential customers. Conclusion Adding a virtual tour to Google Maps is a great way to showcase your business or project to potential customers. By following our step-by-step guide, you can easily add your virtual tour to Google Maps and promote it to attract more customers. Start creating your virtual tour today and take your business or project to the next level!

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Virtual reality tours

Step inside world-class museums.

In Spring 2018 Google launched their VR Tour Creator. This free tools lets anyone create their own virtual tour that can be viewed on a computer, tablet, or phone web browser, or using Google Cardboard. When creating a tour, one has the option on utilizing any of the street-view images on Google Maps, or uploading their own images using a 360° camera or iOS apps like "Google Street View" or "Google Cardboard". Creator also allows you to add points of interest as well as audio to your tour locations.

View my first use of Tour Creator using only Google Maps images.

Google Tour Creator has the ability to have a huge impact in teaching and learning. Teachers can create tours that allow students to get a stronger sense of "Setting" when reading a novel or learning about a historical event. Students can create tours showing what they have learned about a place. Google Tour Creator also has templates available so that users do not have to necessarily start from scratch.

Some of the educational uses of this tool may include:

• Virtual Setting Tour of a Novel- Imagine creating a tour following Chris McCandless in "Into the Wild"
• Paul Revere's Ride
• Travels of Marco Polo
• Tour of Paris, Rome, New York City, etc.
• Our Solar System (template)

Watch some of these videos that will show you not only how to create tours, but how they can be used in a classroom.

6 genius AI features in Google Maps you need to try

• Google Maps integrates AI to provide immersive view of routes, landmarks, traffic and weather.
• Use Google Lens in Maps for real-time information on buildings, ratings and hours.
• Discover specific places and photos by searching with AI through reviews, local guides, and images on Google Maps.

Artificial intelligence is the key driving factor of Google’s latest big features , from smartphones to Search. However, some of the brand’s biggest AI hacks can be found in an app already on many Android and Apple devices: Google Maps .

The latest AI features inside feel like what would happen if Google’s Search and Maps had an illegitimate love child. Google Maps now functions more like Search to find exactly the place you’re looking for. The AI also integrates Google’s extensive knowledge to take Maps beyond just driving directions. AI will now help drivers visualize their routes, showing what landmarks are at each turn and even what the traffic and weather will be like at that time of day. As a photographer, I’m ecstatic about the new ability to type in a feature, like "brick buildings" or "parks with bridges," to find a location based on photos, not just its name.

Google Maps’ new AI features are so impressive, I may just leave Apple Maps behind for good. Here are six new AI features inside Google Maps that you need to try for yourself.

I tested Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze to see which app is actually better

Visualize your route or preview places with immersive view, see the landmarks, traffic and even weather for your route.

If you tend to drive by landmarks, knowing to turn at the tall red building may be more helpful than knowing to turn down State Street. Directions with I Immersive View are designed to provide not just those landmark details but also insights into traffic and weather. Immersive View uses AI to create an interactive view from Street View images, allowing you to virtually travel through the route before you actually do.

Besides giving you a visual cue as to when your turn is coming up, Immersive View also uses Google’s traffic and weather data to simulate those conditions. Tapping on the clock icon allows you to see the route at a certain time of day. You’ll see more or fewer cars on the road based on how busy the street usually is, and the AI will also simulate the weather conditions.

Immersive View is available in select cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paris, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Tokyo, and Venice. If the option is available in your area, you’ll see a preview of Immersive View with a 3D icon in the lower-left corner after you type in your route details. Tap on that preview to see a full-screen Immersive Preview. Tap the clock and drag the time slider to see how the route changes at different times of the day.

Like the Immersive View for map routes, you can also use AI to preview certain places . This feature combines Google’s Street View with landmarks so you can check them out before you go. The process works similarly to using the feature for routes. Search for your landmark. If Immersive View is available, the first image in the search results will show a preview labeled Immersive View. Tap on that preview to view it in full screen. The feature is available only in some cities and not for every landmark.

Like the route view, Immersive View for landmarks allows you to preview what the place will look like at different times of the day. For example, you can tap on the clock and preview the different times of day to see whether you’ll get better photos at sunrise or sunset, or see when the rain is predicted to hit.

5 reasons why I use Waze instead of Google Maps

Use google lens as a virtual tour guide, just point your camera to find anything from restaurants to atms.

Google Lens uses AI to detail what you are seeing through your smartphone camera in real time. Google has now integrated this feature into Maps, which means you can pan your camera around a new city and see what each building is, along with its rating and hours. You can also use it for tasks like finding an ATM. Essentially, mixing Maps and Lens allows Google to act as a virtual tour guide.

To find Google Lens, tap on the search bar inside Google Maps, then tap the camera icon. The Lens-Maps integration is only available in certain cities, so if you don’t see the camera icon, the feature isn’t yet available at your location.

I tested Google Maps against Waze to see which is really better

Find an ev charging station that isnt broken, or plan the best stops to power up.

Google Maps can help EV drivers find a charging station. With AI, electric drivers can access even more information. When you search for charging stations, Maps will now display when the station was last used, a good indicator of whether the charging station is functional or out-of-order. You’ll also see feedback from other drivers on how fast the charger is.

Maps will also help EV drivers find the best charging stations to stop at during longer trips, using your route and the rating of the charging station.

Google Maps is making it easier to find your next EV charge

Search maps just like google for specific places and photos, maps will now use photos to find exactly what you are looking for.

Google has long been the destination for searches like, "things to do in Seattle." But the AI now integrated into Google Maps allows me to use the location app to find places in much the same way. While you’ve long been able to type destinations into the search bar on Google Maps, the integrated AI looks not just at the name of a location but also searches through reviews, Local Guides, and, most importantly, photos.

The new Discover Through Photos update helps find specific oddities, such as a coffee shop with latte art, by searching through photos taken at that location. This means you can even find things that aren’t explicitly stated on the location’s website or reviews. As a photographer, I’m excited at the possibility of being able to search for things like "brick buildings" or "park with a bridge" to find possible locations that match the vibe I want in my photos.

How I quickly find and check my elevation on Google Maps

There’s no trick to using this new feature -- just type what you are looking for into the search bar. Tap on Discover Through Photos if you want to look through images that match your search. While this feature is more widespread, like other AI features, access varies by location. You’ll find better results searching for specifics in a large city.

How often does Google Maps update Street View?

See exactly where to walk with ar, overlay google's instructions on your camera's view.

Walking rather than driving? Google's augmented reality mode will overlay the instructions with your camera's view. This allows you to see exactly what path and direction to take.

To find Google Maps' Live View, type in the destination as you normally would, then be sure to choose walk, as the feature isn't available for driving. Then tap the Live View button next to the start button.

What is Google Maps AR navigation and Live View and how do you use it?

Coming soon: ask ai to plan your trip, an ai-powered chatbot experience is coming to google maps soon.

While AI is already powering more search tools for Maps, generative AI will soon expand that capability even further. Earlier this year, Google announced an upcoming update that uses generative AI to find specific places. The AI searches through not just the web but also the location’s reviews and photos. Like talking with an AI chatbot, you can also ask follow-up questions if you don’t get the results you are looking for. For example, if you ask for activities to do on a rainy day, you might want to follow up with kid-friendly options or a nearby place to eat lunch.

This integrated generative AI works with both typed questions and audio. Google has already rolled this feature out to select Local Guides, but not all users have full access to this feature yet.

Google Earth Tour Guide: 14 Virtual Tours You'll Want to Check Out

Here are some of the best Google Earth virtual tours available. Travel to the world's most exotic places from your couch!

For ages, Google Earth has remained the go-to service for browsing our globe. You can use this app to visit all corners of the planet from the comfort of your living room. In 2017, Google Earth was also completely overhauled to add more features. This overhaul included additional Google virtual tours to the world's most remote and amazing places.

Here are the best Google Maps tours that are available on Google Earth.

1. Life in the Ocean Deep

With Life in the Ocean Deep, you can discover mysterious sea creatures with the help of renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough. This Google tour takes you on a journey through the many quirky yet breathtaking creatures that inhabit our oceans, like glow-in-the-dark jellyfish and giant crabs.

Assisting this Google Earth tour are a series of videos and underwater maps.

2. UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Looking to dive into the past? Follow this Google Maps virtual tour as it briefs you on thirty historic landmarks that were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The tour includes but is not limited to, India's Taj Mahal, Cambodia's Towers of Angkor Wat, and Spain's Catedral de Sevilla.

If you're dreaming of traveling, don't forget to plan your itineraries with these smart travel planning apps .

3. This is Home

Sometimes home is where the heart is, even if that home is very far away. With This is Home, Google lets you visit traditional homes from around the world. You'll even get to know about the history behind each of these places and get a glimpse inside the unique structures with Google Street View.

For instance, Jordan's House of Hair is a string of tents constructed from the hair of camels and other animals. It's located in the middle of the desert, but some of the other houses on this tour are located in even more far-flung regions than that.

4. Stop and Smell the Flowers

Stop and Smell the Flowers is a Google virtual tour that takes you on a journey through some of the most breathtaking botanical gardens and arboretums around the world. This tour highlights a total of eleven places, ranging from countries like Russia, Sweden, and Canada, to the Netherlands.

If you're into gardening, then this one is for you.

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca

Every year, many thousands of Muslims embark on a pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy city for practitioners of the Islamic faith. Google's virtual tour lets you learn about this practice, from landing at the Hajj Terminal Jeddah Airport to the final destination of Masjid al-Haram.

6. Global Flea Markets

Have you ever had an interest in bustling flea markets? Experience them yourself with this Google Maps virtual tour. This tour walks you through nine of the most iconic markets worldwide, such as France's Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, India's Anjuna Flea Market, and London's Portobello Market.

While we're still on the subject: If you want to plan a dream vacation, here are some easy ways that you can travel more cheaply .

7. Colorful Street Fests & Carnivals

Being a land of diverse cultures and societies, the world is laden with numerous festivals. The most vibrant of them are covered in a Google Maps tour.

This tour features eight of the biggest celebrations from around the globe. These celebrations include the large-scale food fight La Tomatina in Spain, Holi in India, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

8. Comic Geek Destinations

Unleash your inner geek with this virtual tour that takes you on a trip through a bunch of iconic comic book spots. Comic Geek Destinations curates a total of ten locations known for appearing in various fictional universes. One of these locations is the Parkwood Estate. It was a mansion used by X-Men's Professor Xavier for his school of "Gifted Youngsters."

If you feel like doing some light reading after this tour, here are the best ways to read comics online for free .

9. Iconic Film Locations in the Mediterranean

Are you more of a movie buff than a comic book aficionado? Try out this tour featuring iconic film locations in the Mediterranean.

In this tour, you can travel to each selected landmark where a movie scene has been shot. If you don't want to use Google Earth to find these spots, however, here's how to track down your favorite film locations using websites.

10. International Year of the Reef

Coral reefs have been in peril for many decades now due to the threat of global warming. To raise awareness on this issue, a Google Maps virtual tour was set up to help familiarize the public with the basics.

With the International Year of the Reef, you can see how these marvelous underwater colonies are formed over millions of years. Each chapter in the tour also discusses fundamental topics like coral reef diversity. Additionally, it includes video highlights and subaqueous street view images.

11. In Mandela's Footsteps

Sometimes you can take a virtual walk through history. In Mandela's Footsteps lets you follow the journey of the legendary political leader and former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela.

This tour highlights the places that played a critical role in Mandela's life. For example, there's a page devoted to the University of Fort Hare. It was one of the first institutions in the region that allowed non-white people to study for a post-secondary degree.

12. Reading the ABCs from Space

Perhaps one of the most intriguing virtual tours available on Google Earth is Reading the ABCs from Space. Developed by NASA, this tour consists of twenty-six chapters that reveal locations on the planet that form an alphabet from space.

Our personal favorite is the letter "J" off the coast of Australia, which is made up of a coral reef.

If space is your jam, here are great resources to learn all about Mars .

13. The Beautiful Game

If you're in a World Cup spirit, you might want to check out The Beautiful Game. This Google Earth tour takes you on a trip through some of the planet's most unforgettable soccer destinations. The destinations include the Allianz Arena in Munich, Barcelona's Camp Nou, and Old Trafford in England.

14. National Parks of the United States

Looking for natural wonders closer to home? Especially ones that will help you appreciate the great outdoors?

If so, then you need to check out the National Parks of the United States. It's a virtual tour that will take you on a journey through the most pristine areas of wilderness from coast to coast, ranging from Acadia National Park to Denali.

Use a Google Tour to Visit the World

While all of these virtual tours are absolutely amazing, we've barely scratched the surface in just how many there are. If you go deep-diving through the archives, you'll also find that the tours are divided into subcategories like nature, culture, education, and street view. The best thing about the tours is that they're entirely free. A reliable, high-bandwidth connection to view them is a must, however.

For those that want to dig deeper into this app, it might surprise you to learn that Google Earth is an offshoot of Google Maps. With that in mind, take some time to understand how Google Maps works .

Stuck at home and long to go outside? Here are a few more virtual outdoors tours you can do from home and live sightseeing webcams you can stream .

Create FREE virtual tours with Google TourCreator! (See a sample; and see which camera to get)

At Google I/O 2018, Google announced the launch of a new free tool for creating virtual tours, called TourCreator!  You can build a tour using your own 360 cameras, or the 360 photos on Street View.

The tours can include points of interest and image overlays, and will be easily shareable.  The key is that TourCreator is simple enough for anyone to use and doesn’t require coding.

Virtual tours will be hosted on Google Poly .   In the future, virtual tours can be exported to Google Expeditions, Google’s VR teaching tool.  I’m not sure if Google will eventually allow tours to be posted on Street View.

If you’d like to shoot your own 360 photos but don’t have a 360 camera, check out the most affordable good quality 360 camera, the Samsung Gear 360 , which takes 30mp photos but is now under $70.  The Gear 360 was designed to work with high-end Samsung phones (Samsung S6 and above) but you can actually use it to take 360 photos with any phone, whether Android or iOS!

The trick is to use the Google Streetview app (available on iOS or Android).  From the Streetview app, you can take a photo with the Gear 360.

And if you’d like to learn more about virtual tours, please join my Virtual Tour Network on Facebook !

Thanks to Youtube channel 360tips&tricks for bringing this to my attention!

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Ok. I was so excited about this I was up till 1am getting a tour I had done back in 2000 up onto this simple tours website. A few notes; 1) It is absolutely the easiest tour maker I have ever used. 2) You must do this on desktop or laptop, trying to create a tour on mobile directs you to try again on desktop or laptop. 3) I did mine on in the Chrome browser, however looks like you can do it on IE or Edge as long as you login with your Google ID. However….. 4) looks like finished tour panos do not work in IE or Edge, just loads the about and title, however the panos themselves are just black areas. Works like a champ on Chrome. Even works on iOS with the Safari browser, although the Google cardboard mode is not available in Safari. (I don’t know if Chrome on iOS would support the cardboard mode…) 5) Even though my panos are 2000×1000 pixels, exactly 2:1 aspect ratio, there is obvious pinching at the top and bottom nadir. Seems this is just me.. not sure. Maybe it’s the low resolution of my panos. 6) The order you load each pano is the order they are presented in the finished tour, however you can shift the order around during editing. 7) There does not seem to be any pano to pano linking, or top-down mini-map ability. The panos are run in a sequence, you design and the order can be revised any time and then the tour re-published, but skipping from living room directly to the back laundry room is not possible, you have to go through the hall, then the kitchen, then the back laundry room. 8) Hotspots support a single static image per hotspot and supporting text. No audio or video hotspot support so far. Speaking of text… 9) There are limits to number of words you can use in the descriptions; 500 words for the main panos 300 words for each of the hotspots Hyperlinks are supported in all text boxes. The tour description on the landing page appears to have no limit, least not as I have found yet. Jon

Forgot to add the link for the tour https://poly.google.com/view/aHcouu–3_6 Jon

We get this message everytime on our Gsuite/Google Work account, cannot access tours:

“We are sorry, but you do not have access to this service. Please log in to your Admin Console to enable this service. Learn more”

Cannot find where the service is enabled or disabled …. any tips?

Mic, thanks for sharing this post. My tour of the Grand Hyatt Kauai is currently on the front page! https://poly.google.com/view/5vrFdk2_Vmf

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5.1 m+ tourbuilder tours served, 33 k+ users, google publisher — a powerful editor for street view.

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Reliable Support

We have a dedicated support team ready to answer your questions, including a comprehensive resource center.

TourBuilder — The Ultimate Custom Builder

TourBuilder tours are completely customizable and give your clients a branded sales tool for their website. Add still photography, virtual tours, videos, 3D floor plans, 3D models, and campus maps to create a comprehensive sales tool.

Branded Dashboard

When your customers log into your TourBuilder dashboard, they will see your company colors and logo that aligns with your brand and messaging. We believe that TourBuilder is your enterprise tool, and your customers should recognize the company that is helping them succeed.

Auto Builder

Our auto-builder tool helps to create faster custom tours from Google tours. Let us help you save time, money, and resources.

Built-In Invoicing

Streamline your operations with a built-in invoicing system for custom tours. TourBuilder is integrated with Stripe Connect, which means all of your billing needs are handled safely and securely within the system.

Floor Plan Integration

Increase conversion rates for your clients by adding in floor plans directly into the TourBuilder viewer.

Photo & Video

TourBuilder is more than a virtual tour viewer. Let your clients add any video or photos in unique content tabs.

Virtual Meetings

Your clients can log in and host their own virtual tour meetings with their customers from any location or device.

More than 33,000 users , see what they're saying about TourBuilder

Thanks to TourBuilder, my workflow has never been faster and easier. As a professional, it’s paramount that my work is flawless and as cost effective as possible, and I believe that TourBuilder is currently the best editor to provide both. Sinue Serra Google Photographer

We at 360-up.com, virtual tour marketing based in Duesseldorf and Berlin, are extremely happy to work with the professional software solutions from Panoskin. Marcus Mitter 360-up

It is very easy to use and has the possibility to make virtual tours that integrate video, photos, texts, maps, links. Much more than a platform to publish a Virtual Tour. Emilio Murias Aumente Google Photographer

All plans come with a 10-day free trial of TourBuilder Plus. No credit card required.

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We've refreshed our look. Panoskin is now TourBuilder. We're cooking up some enhancements. Stay tuned for more exciting changes to come.

A virtual trek through Petra with Google Cardboard

Jan 18, 2017

[[read-time]] min read

Last year, we launched a virtual tour of Petra and more than 30 historical sites across Jordan in Google Street View. The interactive Maps experience took visitors on an intimate journey into Jordan’s lost city of stone—and now, we’ve made this historic trek even more immersive with a 360º experience for Google Cardboard .  

We’ve used 360º mapping, aerial imagery and millions of photos stitched together, to recreate six of Petra’s most beautiful and iconic panoramas for you to explore. Audio narration, interactive hotspots and sound effects guide you as you follow the footsteps of the ancient Nabataeans. This 2000-year-old civilization miraculously transformed the harshest of deserts into an oasis of life and culture.

Wander through the winding pathway of Al Siq to the Treasury, Petra’s most famous landmark. Look all around in 360º to explore every detail of this elaborate carved facade recognizable from movies like “Indiana Jones” and “Transformers.”

Make your way past Petra’s carved theatre and hidden tombs until you reach Al Deir, or the Monastery. No trip to Petra is complete without staring up in awe at its grandeur. The doorway alone is eight meters tall!

Of course, nothing can compare to visiting Petra in real life. But now anyone with an internet connection can trek this remarkable UNESCO Heritage Site like never before—and we hope this 360º experience inspires a new generation of tourists to come to visit the rose-red city for themselves. Start your tour now on your mobile phone at  g.co/PetraVR .

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How Google Virtual Tours Works for Business: What to Expect

• by Virtual Tour Experts

Introduction to Google Virtual Tours

In an era where digital presence is a mandate and a crucial one, Google Virtual Tour saves the day– a cutting-edge tool that revolutionizes the way companies present themselves online. These tours leverage 360-degree photography to offer immersive, interactive experiences, allowing users to explore a business’ interior virtually. Google Virtual Tours provides a powerful means for businesses to make a lasting impression on potential customers. Let’s delve into how these tours are reshaping the digital landscape and driving business success.

How Does This Enhance Your Business

Google Virtual Tours are indispensable for businesses seeking to elevate their online presence. They enable customers to preview the business before visiting physically and set clear expectations, leading to increased satisfaction. Moreover, statistics show that customers aged 18 to 34 are 130% more likely to book a place if there is a virtual tour, and 50% of adult internet users rely on virtual tours in their research and decision-making process. Additionally, virtual tours increase a business listing’s interest by two-fold, with customers spending 5 to 10 times more on websites offering them. Whether guiding visitors with outdoor imagery or welcoming them inside, virtual tours drive foot traffic and enhance visibility, credibility, and appeal in the digital realm.

Photography Techniques and Equipment

When gearing up for Google Virtual Tours, selecting top-tier photography equipment is paramount. An omnidirectional camera, capturing the full 360-degree panorama, guarantees no detail escapes notice. Yet, not all cameras meet the mark. Opt for those boasting specific specifications: a minimum of 23MP for crisp stills, lenses adept at minimising ghosting and flare, an aperture range ensuring exquisite depth of field even in dimly lit environments, and the ability to record 4K video. With these advanced features, your virtual tour will not only faithfully represent your business but also captivate viewers with its unparalleled quality and attention to detail.

Business Types that benefit from a Google Virtual Tour

Various businesses can benefit from implementing a Google Virtual Tour into their online presence. For instance, restaurants can showcase their ambience and seating arrangements, hotels and resorts can provide virtual glimpses of their accommodations and amenities, retail stores can offer immersive experiences for browsing products, and real estate agencies can showcase properties to prospective buyers. Additionally, event venues and tourist attractions can leverage virtual tours to enhance online visibility and attract more visitors. These are just a few to name. Ultimately, any business looking to showcase its physical space and create a memorable online experience for customers can benefit from integrating a Google Virtual Tour into its marketing strategy.

Promotion and Marketing Strategies

Once a Google Virtual Tour is live, effective promotion and marketing are essential to maximise its impact. Businesses can embed the tour on their website, share it on social media, and incorporate it into email marketing campaigns. Businesses should collaborate with relevant influencers who can further promote this immersive experience.

‘Trusted’ Photographers For Small Business Virtual Tours

Google Street View pushes the boundaries of the search engine market as it now offers “Trusted” photographers for small business virtual tours. With the same technology used in Google Maps, potential customers searching for services online can now explore your profile and enjoy an interactive 360° virtual tour of your retail store or business.

These trusted photographers have earned a badge from Google, allowing them to create virtual tours for your business. While many photographers claim to be trusted, not all are bonded or insured, and not all use the best equipment for quality virtual tours.

Wondering if your business qualifies for Google Street View virtual tours? Consider these questions:

• Do customers visit your physical location?
• Are you proud of your business space?
• Does your place of business have character?
• Do you have a Google My Business page?

If you answered yes to most of these, you’re a great candidate for a Google Maps Virtual Tour!

Real-World Examples and Statistics

Virtual tours contribute to a 16% increase in organic search growth and a 12% rise in engagement within Google Map listings.

One notable achievement was with NextFab, a multi-facility engineering workshop in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Through virtual tours of three of their locations, NextFab saw a remarkable 45% increase in website traffic. This success highlights the effectiveness of virtual tours in driving online engagement and growth, even during challenging times.

In 2021, the global virtual tourism industry was worth around five billion U.S. dollars. Experts predict that this number will skyrocket in the coming years, reaching over 24 billion U.S. dollars by 2027, as per Statista.

Google strongly favours 360-degree scenes over still photography, displaying virtual tour thumbnails on Google Map listings twice as often.

As per Google, listings with virtual tours get 35% more clicks compared to those without. So, if you want more people to check out your listing or website, adding a virtual tour is something you’d not want to miss.

Google Virtual Tours offers businesses a powerful tool to showcase their interior spaces, engage with customers, and drive growth. By understanding how these tours work, harnessing effective photography techniques, and implementing strategic promotion and marketing efforts, businesses can leverage the full potential of Google Virtual Tours to achieve success in today’s competitive marketplace.

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Welcome Friends! We film 3D Virtual Tours of Tourism Companies :  Wineries, wedding venues, hotels, restaurants, and fun and recreational places - locally in Sonoma County,  California, Nevada, Hawaii and nationwide.

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Sell 3D Virtual Tours to Tourism Companies: Hotels, wineries, restaurants, wedding venues, and fun and recreational places - local in Sonoma Country, Southern California, and Hawaii.

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Google Maps wants to be your next tour guide with new geospatial AR content

Published on May 15, 2024

• Google has announced geospatial AR content for Google Maps.
• The interactive content aims to help users explore and learn about famous landmarks.
• The feature is rolling out as a pilot program, landing in Singapore and Paris later this year.

Google has recently rolled out several updates to Maps, including 3D buildings and green travel options promoting more planet-friendly transport modes. At Google I/O 2024 , the company announced the addition of geospatial AR content to Google Maps, making the app a more interactive travel companion.

When content is available, and a user is close to a landmark, an AR Experience tile will appear in that landmark’s photo roll. Users can tap this content and hold their phone up to that landmark to view a Lens guide that divulges interesting information about the area, including fun facts and deeper history.

Notably, users can also access the content remotely using Street View. Users can share a deep link URL or QR code with other travel companions or loved ones back home.

The feature will see a limited rollout initially as part of a six-month pilot program in Singapore and Paris. There’s no word when the feature will roll out to other cities and landmarks worldwide.

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Your Google Maps Experience Is About to Get More Immersive

Exclusive: Google's new creative AR tools promise real-world games, concerts and shopping with Maps-like features add. But Maps itself is transforming, too.

• Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps

Google's using Maps as the foundation for a world of AR experimemts.

While much of the AR world looks to Apple and its rumored upcoming VR/AR headset , Google is making some moves of its own. The company is planning a mixed reality partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm , and has already experimented with assistive glasses and holographic telepresence booths . Now, the latest software tools for phones announced Wednesday at Google's I/O developer conference point to a continuation of a world-layered set of map-assisted augmented reality experiences that could end up arriving well before a new pair of Google-made glasses ever do. 

Google's new moves come with a bunch of partnerships already underway. Geospatial Creator tools will be supported in Unity and Adobe's Aero . A location-based Space Invaders game from Taito will map onto streets and buildings. Gap and Mattel are making an augmented-reality Barbie clothing pop-up that layers onto city streets. Quintar, a company that's already built AR into the PGA Tour app, tested live AR navigation through golf courses at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Some experimental location-based AR street art using the new tools has already been made in Mexico City, London and LA.

Adobe's Aero AR creative app is adding Google Maps-enabled location-based AR tools, too.

These moves continue what Google's planning over the last several years: Google has already started putting AR into its Maps app, and has also announced new immersive Maps features that jump into 3D views of wherever you're at. But now these 3D AR Maps capabilities are bleeding over into other apps, too. A new set of creative tools, announced at the Google I/O developer conference, aims to allow more real-world experiences mapped onto specific locations or buildings. 

More from Google I/O

• Google I/O's Big Reveals: Pixel Fold, 7A, Android 14, AI and More
• Google Pixel Fold Hands-On: Samsung Has New Competition
• Google Reveals Its AI-Powered Search Engine to Keep Up With Competition
• Android 14: The Biggest Features Announced at Google I/O 2023

Other companies have already been doing real-world, location-specific AR games and apps: Think Pokemon Go, but for concerts or sports or games or art. Google experimented with a location-based AR concert last year featuring Gorillaz. Snapchat's had live concert experiences , and is building more location-based games and filters. Niantic's virtual AR pet Peridot and its map-based social Campfire app are also blending maps and AR and the real world. Google's play to make more real-world experiences also ties into some of the hopes for AR sparking retail and marketing efforts, much like Snapchat's recent moves. But Google's new moves look to inspire more creators making these apps, and maybe interlink more experiences into a common framework… perhaps for future AR headsets, too.

Space Invaders is getting a location-based AR game using Google's location-based features this year.

Maps is getting 3D-ified

Google's also making its Maps experience more immersive, using 3D-generated renders of major locales to give people a bird's-eye view of their route. Some of this work started last year with Immersive View  --  now live in five cities  -- but the latest updates focus on adding 3D details to your day-to-day travel. 

It uses computer vision and AI to "fuse billions of Street View and aerial images together," to give an almost VR-like "multidimensional experience" of your route, with information on bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections and parking. You can also adjust the time slider to see how a route will look during different parts of the day, along with air quality information and weather changes. Using AI and historical driving trends data, you'll also see how many cars may be on the road at any given time, kind of like a Sim City view of the real world. 

Google is opening this tech up to developers. An Aerial View API, which gives birds-eye video or points of interests, can be added to apps. For example, an app could add the ability to see a specific building from an overhead drone-like perspective. Developers could also add photorealistic 3D tiles via the Map Tiles API to add high-res 3D imagery from Google Earth in their apps. 

Quintar's AR overlays on golf courses will also tap into Google's map-based data.

Google is promising that 3D parts of its Maps and Google Earth platform can be used to build location-based AR in other apps, and that apps could end up having more map awareness to expand how AR shows up. Maybe, at some point, all of these augmented-reality experiences could interlink in one map-based interface. Niantic is already experimenting with this in its own Campfire map app, and Snapchat's doing something similar with map-based discovery. 

According to Quintar's co-founder, Sankar Jayaram, who spoke to CNET, the new features could let anyone develop a way to navigate with AR in their own app: a theme park, a concert, a festival, sporting events or an outdoor art museum.

A maps layer for future AR headsets, perhaps?

Google's AR tools work across Android and iOS, which also gives it the unique possibility of being cross-platform. As more future AR headsets start to arrive -- from Apple, Google, Qualcomm and maybe others -- this type of map layer could end up being the building block of some sort of new interface. Right now, it's another incremental Google AR move to add to years of gradual progress on phones, but as more pop-up AR experiences start to appear, maybe it's also the start of AR feeling more like an invisible layer, much like Google's 3D animals that have been in Google search, than an app by itself.

One part of AR that always remains up in the air: Will people actually use it? AR apps on phones can often end up being ignored, although face filters and pop-up experiences can sometimes end up going viral, too. It's possible Apple will be making a similar set of moves using its RealityKit AR tools and its own location-based, Maps-reliant capabilities at WWDC , as it readies an expected headset for 2023 release. And for all we know, much like the iPhone, Apple's headset might eventually work with Google's AR tools, too.

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How-To Geek

Psa: you can temporarily share your google maps road trip, here's how.

Let friends or family see your location progress and ETA during a trip.

Using Google Maps to share your real-time location with others is a great feature, but it's understandable if you don't want to let someone see your every move 24/7. Did you know you could temporarily share your phone's location during a vacation road trip or other travel?

Apple's location sharing and Find My are well-known at this point, and Google offers something similar on Google Maps that works with Android , iPhone , or iPad . However, during setup, most people choose to share their location indefinitely or select the option to share "until you turn this off," which isn't ideal.

Thankfully, Google Maps has a nifty feature where you can temporarily share navigation progress and location data with friends or family. Once the drive ends, location sharing ends. Here's how to use it:

Fire up Google Maps for an upcoming road trip or while heading to someone's house. Choose a destination, then hit "Start" navigation. While navigation is running, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap "Share Trip Progress" to get started.

You'll see a row of icons showing some of your most frequent contacts. Choose or search for the name you'd like to share your location with, tap the person's icon, and hit the blue "Share" button. The screen will briefly say, "Sharing your location until you arrive." Once you reach the destination, navigation and location sharing will both end.

Depending on the contact selected, that person will receive a text or email with a link to Google Maps, which will then start giving them complete location data of your road trip. Additionally, if you'd like to stop sharing or select the wrong person, swipe up from the Maps navigation screen and hit "Stop Sharing."

Note: While sharing, the person will see your route, destination, arrival time, and how you're traveling. They'll also see your device's current location, battery power, and if it's charging.

It's that easy! As long as you're actively using Google Maps navigation, you can quickly share your location with someone. Use this helpful feature for summer road trips, friends and family to see when you'll arrive during the holidays, and more.

Other Ways to Share Your Location on Google Maps

Not only is this feature great for privacy, but it's one of several useful Google Maps features to know about . Others include the option to share your location in a text message , zoom out with a single finger , or Android owners can share their location with iPhone users . Google Maps works great in tunnels now, and you can even use Maps to save and find a parked car .

'WAR ZONE': Tallahassee battered by possible tornado; one dead amid widespread damage

A ferocious storm system that spawned multiple reported tornadoes brought heavy and widespread damage to Tallahassee on Friday morning, toppling trees onto homes, rendering roads impassible and knocking out power to more than 80,000 area electric customers.

At least one person, a 47-year-old woman who hasn't been identified, was killed in the storm after a tree fell on her home, according to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.

“We regret to inform that deputies are working a storm related fatality in the area of Aenon Church Road,” the Sheriff’s Office said.

Almost 80,000 out of power at height of storm; restoration will take 'some time'

The storms, which intensified as they approached Tallahassee, brought Tallahassee to a virtual standstill, with damage reminiscent of the aftermath of a hurricane. It prompted schools, universities and businesses without power to shutter for the day.

A number of eyewitnesses, including first responders, reported seeing tornadoes downtown and elsewhere. The damage extended from the west along Blountstown Highway to the east in the Chaires community. Among hard-hit areas were downtown, Indianhead Acres, Myers Park and Railroad Square.

With half of the capital city power grid offline , mutual-aid crews were arriving from Louisiana, Alabama, Jacksonville and Central Florida. Another 20,000-plus Talquin Electric customers were in the dark, too. And unlike previous storms, the number of outages continued to mount in the hours after the squall's sudden blow.

“Early assessments of the electric grid show severe damage to transmission lines, impacting 11 substations,” the city said in a text message to customers. “Mutual aid has been requested, and crews from ten utilities are on their way.”

Alison Faris, a city spokeswoman, said crews would be working overnight and into the weekend get the grid back online.

"The restoration is going to take some time because of the severity of what we're seeing," she told the Democrat "There are lots of reports of downed trees and and downed poles. If you can stay off the roads, than please do, because that enables crews to do their work on power restoration and road clearing.”

'Tornadic capable': Official word still out but damage was widespread

Christian Oliver, meteorologist with the National Weather service in Tallahassee, said a line of severe storms intensified as it neared the city, spawning a reported tornado in the downtown area.

“As that line was approaching the city, we had three distinct circulations, each with their own tornado debris signature,” Oliver said. “It looked like they were all kind of coming together into one tornadic capable storm.”

Jeff Mortham was getting ready to go to work when the lights started flickering at his home in Winwood Hills and the winds began to howl outside. He watched through a window as what appeared to be a tornado ripped down trees behind his house.

“I definitely saw the wind and debris swirling there in the backyard,” Mortham said. “Whether or not somebody wants to call it a tornado, that’s what it looked like to me.”

The storm knocked down a 60-foot pecan tree in the front yard, blocking his driveway, though it fell away from the house. Another tree appeared to have knocked off part of his gutter, but his house and others nearby seemed to have escaped major damage.

“Everybody seems to be OK,” Mortham said. “There’s just going to be some damage to clean up. But everybody will get together, and we’ll make it happen.”

But others were not so lucky.

'Thank God my baby wasn't in there': Hard hit and near misses

Kathy Bryant woke up early Friday morning for her work shift at Burger King. Her goal was to leave before the severe weather storm hit. 

"I can't believe this," Bryant said while wiping her tears. "What they gonna do about this."

She returned to her home on Wailes Street near Railroad Square to a gaping hole. Her kitchen and living room space are now filled with debris and the trunk of a large pine tree that once sat outside her home. 

"Thank God my baby wasn't in here," she said of her granddaughter who occasionally stays with her overnight. 

Several of her neighbors gathered to help her collect her belongings including family photos and her insulin, which was trapped in what used to be her kitchen. 

She lived in the house for four years. Now she's unsure of what she will do. 

Damage was also extensive in the arborial Indianhead Acres, where fallen trees appeared to be blocking roads every 50 yards. One neighbor reported that a treetop near his house was snapped off, shorn of its branches and driven into the ground “like a pencil.”

The storm blasted buildings at Railroad Square, hitting the community of artists hard. It also sheared the nearby renovated Amtrak Station, peeling sheet metal and insulation off buildings and blowing it into College Town and nearby student housing. It wreaked havoc on Florida State University’s campus, damaging Dick Howser Stadium and knocking down the Flying High Circus tent.

The tent material was twisted around gnarled metal beams on the soaked ground. The circular bleaches were shattered in multiple spots with wires vining through everything.

It also damaged the cell communications network at points around town leading to failed calls and unsendable texts at a time loved ones were seeking updates.

The storm left parts of the rural Chaires community in tatters, with one resident off Old St. Augustine Road describing the neighborhood as “a war zone.” Shanna Matteo said first responders were going house by house to check on residents.

“Our houses are intact but the trees fell on a lot of houses and are blocking a lot of roads,” she said. “They are saying that this is extensive in Tallahassee and countywide. I am blessed that our houses are intact and there doesn't seem to be anyone hurt so far. This could have been so much worse.”

Schools scramble: 'The timing couldn't have been worse'

After a white-knuckle start to the school day in which the district tried to keep schools open, Leon County Superintendent Rocky Hanna took to X to speak directly to parents late Friday morning.

Hanna said the district felt "reassured" by forecasters last night that the capital city would be spared the brunt of the storm.

"The timing couldn't have been worse," Hanna said. "Unfortunately, right before 7 a.m., the alarms went off and we held our busses moved our kids into safety in the hallways."

The school district had hoped to open campuses on a case-by-case basis and even opened elementary schools, but the extent of the damage forced them to change course.

"There were just too many logistical obstacles to overcome," Hanna said.

He told parents crews would be working over the weekend to ensure schools could be open Monday.

Florida State, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College closed their campuses in the wake of the storms. FAMU instructed employees to work from home.

FSU Alert, the campus emergency notification system, said the campus would shut down indefinitely. The university said essential employees may be required to report but that others should contact their supervisors.

"Following the completion of the first wave of storm assessments, it has been determined that the severe impact on campus necessitates the closure of the Tallahassee campus for business operations until further notice,” the university said. 

'Full activation': Long road ahead for recovery

As many city resident picked up the pieces from a brief but ferocious storm, Gov. Ron DeSantis took to X to thank responders and pledge the state's support in the recovery ahead.

"Following the severe weather that impacted North Florida this morning, I have directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to work with local officials and do everything possible to return life to normalcy for our residents as quickly as possible," he wrote. "Thank you to the first responders and utility workers who are working on power and roadway restoration. Stay safe and heed instructions from  @FLSERT  and local authorities."

Kevin Peters, director of Leon County Emergency Management, said there was wind-based damage throughout the county and multiple reports of possible tornadoes. He said teams would will be going out in the near future to conduct damage assessments.

“The county has escalated to a full activation of the Emergency Operations Center to coordinate community-wide response and recovery,” Peters said.

Oliver, with the Weather Service, said meteorologists would got into the field once the weather passed to confirm whether the damage was caused by tornadoes. He said a firefighter in the Gaines Street area was among eyewitnesses who reported spotting a tornado.

“We’ll have to go out once it’s safe to do so to see what really happened and what moved through the city,” he said. “But we’ve had people call in saying that they actually saw at least one tornado.”

Journalists Kyla Sanford, Alaijah Brown, Ana Goñi-Lessan, Alicia Devine, Douglas Soule, and William Hatfield contributed to this report. Jeff Burlew can be reached at [email protected]

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