Hello!
So ive recently found myself becoming active updating OSM where i live, and i came across mapillary.
Im contemplating getting a 360 camera to map my town/surroundings as there is nothing here now.
I walk a lot, but Im worried that my dog would be too much “noise” in the pictures?
He would probably be present in just about all pictures tanken when walking. What is the communitys take on this?
Would that be acceptable or is it better to not waste the time/money? (i will need to buy camera + gear for mounting)
I don’t think a dog obscures too much - I quite often run with my dog whilst capturing imagery and they are still very useful. I use such imagery fopr updating paths etc in OSM a lot.
I can’t find any examples of running with my dog and my 360 (GoPro max on DIY backpack overhead mount) but here are some using a GoPro Hero10 on a chest mount whilst running with my dog: Mapillary
Edit: Found some examples of running with my dog an capturing 360 degree images, see Mapillary
Hi, I see this is an old post. I’m new to the forum.
Did you end up taking photo’s while going out with your dog?
I’m also capturing images with my phone while walking with my dog and kids. They are in the images, but don’t obstruct it. Walking you can often come in places where there is no google streetview present, so these are extra valuable I would say.
Hi, I just started out using my phone and holding it in my hand.
The great this about Mapillary now it that it has image recognition software. So you can pull out data like to location of benches or other things you want to add to OSM.
On the forum I saw someone putting the smartphone through the trap of the backpack (the straps on the front that sometimes have something for attachements). So’ll try that next.
Now I just got the GoPro MAX 2 camera through the grant programme (lucky me ). So I want to start using that camera. But it’s not so practical and a lot of work to upload. Therefore I’ll probably also just keep using my phone.
Thank you for your message @RSTQ. I wanted to highlight that Mapillary’s Uploader supports GoPro Max 2 files, so you can just drop them from the SD card if I’m not mistaken and upload. This will save pulling through your phone or other tools, if that helps.
Is there anything specific which reduces GoPro Max 2 practicality for you?
It took some time to figure out how everything worked.
Like waiting for the GPS to pick up the signal. Learned from the forum that I have to wait for the blue light.
Now I’m pulling the files directly from the SD file. It’s ok. But using the phone with the Mapillary app is much easier and more straightforward.
If the gro pro could somehow be connected straight to the Mapillary app that would safe work. Then it’s also easier to keep track where you’ve done recordings.
One thing to figure out is if Mapillary adjust the photos to look in the correct direction. Because often the pole changes a bit. And then the direction is off.
Thanks for the feedback, that’s a valuable information for us to understand, the main uploading pain points.
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GoPro uploading**
There are two options I can think of from the top of my head:
Phone reads the SD card: Connect the SD card to a phone and upload from the Mapillary app. In this case, Mapillary can in theory act as the uploader.
Pulling the files: Connect to the GoPro’s WiFi AP and pull the files to the phone. From there, upload the raw files either over the mobile network (no need to switch WiFi networks) or wait for an internet-connected WiFi and upload to Mapillary.
In both cases we download and then upload the files, which adds a bit of overhead to the process. Did you mean any of those approaches I’ve mentioned or something else?
Photo direction
One thing to figure out is whether Mapillary adjusts the photos to face the correct direction, because the pole often shifts a bit and the direction ends up off.
I assume you mean 360 captures here. As I recall, Mapillary aligns the angle with the direction of movement. I don’t remember all the details, but it sounds like the issue is: if the pole (and camera) rotates a bit, the capture no longer aligns with the movement direction and instead locks to this shifted angle. Is that what you’re seeing?
These are interesting options for when you don’t have access to a computer.
They do still take work after the photo capture to upload them. What I was thinking (and I don’t know if that’s technically possible) is a possibility of connecting the camera to the Mapillary app and start recording via the app. So you see on the map what you’ve captured. And apart from pushing the upload button on the app, you don’t need to do anything.
I took a bunch of photo’s this week, this time with GPS, as I still have to see how they will look like on the Mapillary platform. I hope you will process the images in a way that the camera is facing forward and is level with the horizon.
If you’re capturing walking or cycling the chance is pretty big that the camera will move a bit and the direction if off. To process all of that afterwards is to much work. So I hope you will/can do that when the files are processed.
My recent captures are now online. Most turn out pretty ok, some with a bit of a low perspective, where I block part of the view. but most are decent. If I click “play” the camera faces the right direction (forward).
There are some images however where the horizon is not level. And you can’t change the view. Example:
I’ve been out capturing content whilst on dog walks with the first gen GoPro Max on a bike helmet (the looks you get).
I was curious about capturing content on runs, so love to see your specific examples with the GoPro Hero10 on a chest mount and the GoPro Max with the dog.
I was curious how you built your backpack mount, that’s something I’d like to look at setting up rather than the helmet.
When running I use a DIY backpack pole mount I built using a nylon chopping board as the base, to which I screwed a cut down extendible trekking pole, with a 90 degree aluminium bracket screwed on the end. I then mounted a third party aluminium go pro quick mount to the bracket:
I use two belts. Attached to the lower belt is a torch holster. This works well for me when walking the dog and when cycling. I find a backpack too hot on warmer days.
I also have a power bank that supplies the camera with power via a USB cable, so I don’t have to change the battery whilst I’m out and about.
Hi, Roxy. You could try using a GPX tracking app on your phone to keep track of where you’ve already been on your current walk. The plus side is that you can then upload the GPX file to OSM, which is another useful data source if you’ve stayed on footpaths or roads during your walk.
Another suggestion, though this may be more complicated than you want it to be, is to use your phone and the GoPro Max simultaneously (if you put the GoPro on a backpack mount). On your phone, you’ll be able to see the Mapillary map, and you’ll be capturing high-resolution images that make street signs and other fine details more legible. Meanwhile, your GoPro will capture a full 360 degrees of context. Uploading both will maximise the data that can be extracted.
Hi, Yaro. Unfortunately the Mapillary app only allows importing files from the camera roll, on iOS at least. It would be good if it allowed selecting files from the iOS Files app. Also, I’ve not seen any information on what formats the iOS Mapillary app supports importing. Could you please clarify this?
Thank you for sharing your setup.
How do you make sure you know whether the camera is still running or not while it is behind your back? The camera firmware has silently crashed on me multiple times already and I have lost thousands of images and lots of covered ground because of this. The GoPro Quik app is usually not much of help here either, it just stays mute. So, I regularly visually check the LCD screen for activity. Although, I must admit that MAX2 firmware has greatly improved over MAX in terms of stability and usability.
I’ve got the camera on my right shoulder. This is still the first setup with the green belt. With the brown belt, I’ve made a belt loop around the Extension Pole for stability. The green belt was made of stretchy material, which meant the Extension Pole wasn’t stable enough.
I haven’t had any issues with the camera switching off whilst in use yet. I’ve got voice commands and beeps enabled. If the camera switches off by itself, I hope to hear a beep.
). So I want to start using that camera. But it’s not so practical and a lot of work to upload. Therefore I’ll probably also just keep using my phone.
So, I regularly visually check the LCD screen for activity. Although, I must admit that MAX2 firmware has greatly improved over MAX in terms of stability and usability.