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Map of the Week: Volkswagen Street View Quest
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Map of the Week:
Volkswagen Street View Quest
Why we like it:
We really like this creative approach to interacting with Street View imagery. This
Google Maps API
implementation shows us that are still many different ways to take advantage of the imagery offered in the API.
When I was kid, my friends and I would play a game called “
Punch Beetle
” (also known as punch bug, punch dub, piggy punch, slug bug, or beetle bug depending on where you’re from). In brief: the object of the game is to be the first one to spot a Volkwagen Beetle and call out "Punch buggy!" or "Slug bug!" while punching your opponent in the arm.
In many ways, this game is a real world viral meme that became popular without the Internet. Using
Google Street View
imagery via the
Google Maps API
, Volkswagen found a way to translate this old tradition into an online game that you can play anywhere in the world without actually having to be in the car or punching anyone. Head over to the Street Quest site for a cool YouTube trailer and to start playing (note: you'll need a facebook login to participate in the challenge).
In
VW Street View Quest
, players search Google Street View imagery to find and tag any VW vehicles (not just bugs) that have been picked up by our cameras. The person who tags the most vehicles wins the challenge. There are also bonus challenges where users are asked to find the location of a particular car using only a few degrees of the Street View panorama as a clue.
Currently, prizes are only available to residents of South Africa, but the rest of the world can still explore the site and follow along. The top four users who find the most VW vehicles in Google Street View get to compete against each in real life to find the most VWs in Cape Town, South Africa. Overall, this concept is a fun way to embrace the sub-cultures and memes that have sprung up around the VW brand and share them with the rest of the world.
Posted by
Carlos Cuesta
, Google Maps API Product Marketing Manager
Map of the Week: Nature Valley Trail View
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Map of the Week:
Nature Valley Trail View
Why we like it:
This map has a lot of great qualities. In particular: It’s a great example of
custom Street View panoramas
in the Google Maps API and it’s a great example of using the Google Maps API as the centerpiece of a interactive marketing campaign with a positive goal.
Launched in March 2012,
Nature Valley Trail View
uses
custom Street View panoramas
to take viewers through select national parks in the United States. What really impressed us is the number of custom Street View panoramas. Taking DIY to a whole new level, the developers of this site even created their own cameras to build upon the imagery that’s already available in the Google Maps API.
According to Nature Valley, the site is about supporting the causes that are important to its customers. This site is part of larger partnership between Nature Valley and the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit group that supports national parks in the U.S.
In using the Google Maps API, Nature Valley Trail View has proven that it’s possible to create marketing collateral that provides real value to a customer. Below is a short video from Nature Valley explaining the origins of the projects.
Above all, this Google Maps API implementation reminds us that many images can be shared as a Google Street View like experience. So if you would like to have your own Street View panoramas (to share with the world or just a small group of people) it’s possible to pick up a camera and create your own great imagery.
Posted by
Carlos Cuesta
, Google Maps API Product Marketing Manager
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