Buffalo on Google Street Maps
I never expected to find a function that would allow the user to pan down Buffalo's streets and view them at 360°. Of course, I should have known. It was exciting to find the BR offices, but seeing my car in the parking lot was crazy!
Now, Google can show you where to go as well as tell you. Type in businesses and the full array of options comes up just like before, but see it on Street View and you're even more likely to hit the mark when you head to your destination.
I can see this as a real estate tool also. Looking for a house? Take a look at the entire neighborhood before you call the realtor. Street View can take the guesswork out of going anywhere in the city for the first time. No more will people have to say, "I'm the third one in from the corner. The green one. The one with the flamingo on the lawn." Now it will be, "I'll send you the Google link to my house."
Call me simple, but I find this exciting. Check this link for a tutorial, though it's so easy you probably won't need it.
Thanks, Nick!
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buffaloboy14
Finally in Buffalo! Now the worls can see how many vacant buildings need to be knocked down in our city!
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buffaloboy14
Finally in Buffalo! Now the worls can see how many vacant buildings need to be knocked down in our city!
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Gioia
How can this show people that buildings are vacant and need to be knocked down? Calm down and just enjoy that Buffalo is a part of the awesomeness that is Google Maps!
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nickatnite
This is probably the best invention ever. Very cool to see that Buffalo was picked to be apart of this!
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Joshua
This is a great feature for Buffalo to be a part of.
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ToughintheStreets
great! Now stalkers can see which bushes to hide in to get the best view.
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nb3004
Let's see what kind of picture of Buffalo Life we can find with this new tool. Here's a parking cop on at Allen and Elmwood, pretty surprising... link
you can link to your street view page by clicking on the link to this page link in the upper right when you have it open.
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parkstreetwoman
This is very cool, but just a little creepy. I could prcatically see in my own windows! I wish is updated so that I couls get pix of all the people who park illegally on my street!!!!!
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marcia2
"Big Brother is doing his job, and doing it well.......
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Quinn
While my house was photo-ed on a beautiful sunny afternoon (I can tell it was around 12 because you can pan up and see the position of the sun!!), quite a bit of the town was taken on a cloudy day - what a shame! I know its nit-picking but you hate to see anything propagating stereotypes about Buffalo....
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nb3004
@Quinn: at least its not snowing.
link nice shot of city hall with possibly some tourists...?
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mbhxam
How do they do this? Does someone actually walk around the entire city and take photos of every single neighborhood? Very cool!
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LittleSis
I agree with parkstreetwoman- cool but a little creepy. I can tell by the size and placement of the plants in my garden that the photo of my house is less than a week old!
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nb3004
http://www.mcs.csuhayward.edu/~tebo/GoogleStreetViewVan/
they drive this van down every street that is mapped. pretty cool.
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impressingagent
wow this is amazing!
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comptart_lws
OMG!!! I saw some guy taking pictures from across the street the other day at what seems to be the exact perspective from which my home is pictured. I bet that was Google-Guy!!! How cool is that!?
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r129
Maybe as people come across all the houses like this as they virtually "drive" around Buffalo, they will become outraged and demand that something is done. Probably not.
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girlinthebuff
Lil Sis - Did you have a garden last year? Because the pictures are at least a year old. (Based on the lack of construction at my neighbor's house) It would take considerably longer that a week to compile all of the data.
Comptart - It's a van, not a man with a camera. See nb3004's post.
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LittleSis
My husband just pointed out a tree/plant inconsistency- last year's garden it is!
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sb16
Do people understand every major City has bad neighborhoods? Buffalo is not unique in that regard.
We do probably have more cool things to ghetto ratio than alot, as hard as it is for many.
Name a City and I'll show you some dilapidated houses.
This is way cool on so many levels.
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sbrof
I do find it interesting to note which neighborhood even the van wouldn't drive through to video...
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r129
Are you talking about the area bounded by Broadway, William, Jefferson and Smith? I was curious about that one. It would seem that many of the other areas they went through are "just as bad" or "worse" than this one. Did they forget to go there? Did someone chase them off with a baseball bat?
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sb16
sbrof, do tell...There is very little not on there and who knows why? I doubt it's that they were to afraid to go in the area since the very worst areas are on there. Things like road work, etc probably influenced it more than you think.
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jattea
Every city available on Google Street View has some missing streets/neighborhoods (the missing areas aren't always poor/dilapidated). I don't know why, but Buffalo isn't unique in missing some streets. It's possible that those streets will become available at a later date.
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cojo
I can tell the pictures on my street (Woeppel) are from last year, because we moved in late last year and our signs and items aren't on the house yet.
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biketaxi
Is it just me, or is everyone else also looking through the photos of their neighborhoods to find pictures of themselves? I haven't yet found anyone I know.
There just aren't a lot of people on the street in the photos I've seen so far--and the photo of my house was taken very very early in the AM, judging by the placement of the shadows. Maybe they drive their camera car around really early to avoid taking pictures of crowds?
Camera junkies, here's a link to the web site of the company that makes the type of camera that is mounted on the car that is driving around taking pictures: http://www.immersivemedia.com/
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moconnell2
As much as I don't like to be that guy, I feel the need to point out that Google's idea of "Buffalo" doesn't end at the city line. I wonder who makes the decisions to include parts of Clarence, Hamburg, West Seneca, etc.
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heathersmiles
This is a very interesting Google feature. I wonder if we could build off with Zillow and other sites. Could we add specific photos of landmarks and buildings to make Buffalo the most thoroughly photographed city on the internet?
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sb16
moconnell2: Whats your point?
They probably plan on eventually doing all the US but starting in the major cities so a little extra doesn't hurt. Do you expect them to just stop at the Cityline?
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nb3004
@ heathersmiles: Google bought a company called Panoramio that does just what you are suggesting, it let's users Geo-tag photos and they then appear in the google map view of a city. You can view buffalo's on google maps or at this link link
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MJWorthington
"As much as I don't like to be that guy, I feel the need to point out that Google's idea of "Buffalo" doesn't end at the city line. I wonder who makes the decisions to include parts of Clarence, Hamburg, West Seneca, etc. "
Because like most US older cities that are artificially halted at their borders (see Vegas and others whose borders grow with development), Buffalo is a larger metropolitan area than just what is within the city's own borders. Everything sprouting off of Buffalo, is basically "Buffalo" in the large scheme of things as much as some like to deny it.
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nb3004
Even google wants Buffalo and Erie county to regionalize...
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MikeJW
These images are from last summer. I looked at my house in Allentown and my fiance's car she got rid of in December is parked out front.
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megsmeany
About time Buffalo got Street Maps!
McMinnville, TN did a great project with GoogleMaps & Sketch up, created a 3D map for advertising, preservation, etc. It was headed by their National Trust Main Street Program (something Buffalo should get once we have a NY State coordinating committee). Town volunteers completed the project.
Links: http://www.mainstreetmcminnville.org/invest/technical_assistance/downtown_3d.php http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2007/11/your-town-in-3d.html
This is something Buffalo could do for smaller districts or neighborhood groups. I believe we already have the 3D buildings from a UB professor, and the project/program is simple enough for anyone. Very great way to advertise smaller sections of Buffalo.
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