As the upload speed is very slow (around 75-80 Kb/s) in the area I live (West Midlands in UK), I want to use the Setting in Android app to use Low-res images.
Anyone know what the consequence for Mapillary and downstream map makers for having to use low-res images?
I know why the option is made available in the app, but that’s not my question. I want to know specifically, if the low-res images are ‘good enough’ for sub-sequent users and companies (like HERE) who might be making use of the images to help create digital maps.
I’m going to a Middle-Eastern country for 10 days, where they have littele or no coverage, and capture images while I’m there travelling. My guesstimate is that if I use the max resolution of 13Mp from my phone camera, I will end up with 50-60 Gb image data. I don’t want to then spend the entire next month uploading those images if I use the max resolution of my phone camera.
Low res pictures are great for a lot of things, such as seeing what roughly is in the area, how the road is and simmilar stuff. Often names on shops and road signs are not readable, which would be very usefull in e.g. a middle eastern country, where rural areas are often not well mapped. When that is said, with the tiny phone lens, often through a windows that is not completely clean and in a bumpy or moving car, the image quality is often not much better than the low res anyway and outside the big cities, there is often not road signes.
I personally much prefer having high resolution photos because with them it’s usually possible to read the direction signs, street names and lots of other information that are missing from low resolution photos. Now when I’m thinking low-resolution photos I’m thinking of the Sogefi photos on French motorways which seem to be FullHD, maybe low resolution photos in Mapillary are different.
Also the quality of photos when there are bumps depends on the smartphone. With the GS7 I really see no issue (it has image stabilisation) whereas with my previous smartphones up to 10% of the photos were really blurry. So bumpy roads may or may not be an issue.
Regarding the cleanliness of the windshield, as long as it’s an asphalt road keeping it clean should be manageable (I keep a small bottle of water and a microfiber cloth in my car at all times).
I’d go for hi-res. Save them on SD cards, transfer to your computer or something. In the end, transfer them all to the computer and set up for an upload while you sleep or are out - they will eventually be there.
Especially for going to remote places, better imagery is awesome, as who knows when will be the next time somebody will be able to capture any images there.