Google announces Street View program with 20 new 360-degree cameras coming in 2017

Google has just announced a new Street View-ready certification program, which will be integrated with 20 new 360-degree cameras coming to market throughout 2017. All the cameras that will be released in the coming months will meet one of four new “Street View ready” standards, Google confirmed.

The new certification program will allow Android and iOS users to publish Street View directly from a mobile application via 360 cameras, without having to use a desktop workflow.

But the new program has three other tiers with functionality in other fields like VR, auto, and desktop. Some of the 360 cameras released this year will be tailored for vehicle use, while others will be able to collect geometry in addition to generating 360 photos.

Samsung, GoPro, and 16 other major brands are expected to launch their 360 cameras this year. To make things easier, Google has listed on the developer site the hardware and data specification that these cameras require for the Street View-ready certification.