Thursday, April 16, 2009

Google Maps Adds a Webcams Layer

Google Maps has added a new layer to view webcam thumbnails directly on the map.



If you select the new webcam layer then thumbnails of the webcam are shown on the map. Clicking on a thumbnail opens an information window with a screenshot of the latest image from that webcam. The webcam images come from Webcams.travel.

In July of last year (see the Google Earth Blog) Webcam.travel were given their own layer in Google Earth and Webcam.travel's own website has been using Google Maps for a long time.

________________

8 comments:

xavierv said...

It's a voyeur's paradise !

Krurt said...

Also try this way to see live webcams from around the world...
Live Webcam

Soren Johannessen said...

it's only at the maps.google.com domain you see this options - if you go to maps.google.dk or maps.google.se etc. you will not see this webcams options.

Anonymous said...

webcams.travel is full of double listings and misplacements.
Google should take care of their credibility.

Keir Clarke said...

@Soren - it works for Google Maps UK.

When I go to maps.google.dk or http://maps.google.se/ I don't see the YouTube layer either.

I guess there must be some licensing issues with YouTube videos & Webcam.travel.

Soren Johannessen said...

@Keir

It's more complicated than this - If I change my language settings to en-us in my browser and go to maps.google.dk the webcams.travels now shows up. If I change the language settings to danish - it's goes away.

If I go to maps.google.com with danish language there is no webcam.travel - but change to en-us it's returns -

It's seem like layers depend on what language you are using in your browser as default.

This is a little bit stupid - since you don't know what kind of language people are using in their browser for example if you will sent a link to someone with a particually layer turn on.

Kentaro said...

I suggest a very good live webcam directory: big brother webcam:
Big Brother Webcam

Hussein Nasser said...

Excellent..

Is there an API for webcams.Travel?