Google Street View, known to many, is a feature of Google Maps that allows for the visualization of places and environments in 360 degrees.

There is a platform that has a similar solution aimed at the construction industry, enabling virtual visits to the construction site: Construct IN.

In this blog, we will discuss what brings these two tools closer together and what sets them apart.

How Google Street View Works

Launched in 2007, the Street View functionality was created with the goal of providing a new way to explore the world, much more realistically and with three-dimensional images.

By capturing 360° images, the tool provides a panoramic view of different places, allowing people to have a complete and fully virtual experience when searching for a specific location.

This feature, therefore, consists of the virtual representation of millions of panoramic images. Image collection is done using 360° cameras, and automatically, the combination of the photos taken with the exact location is performed with the help of GPS (Global Positioning System).

In addition to allowing people to take a virtual tour of the requested area, the system provides information about the location being presented. When navigating the streets of a city, for example, the names of some commercial and residential points are identified, and one can also view images taken on different dates, as shown in the image:

How Visi by Construct IN Works

The Visi by Construct IN platform is transforming the construction industry by enabling remote monitoring and documentation of work through 360° images.

Besides providing a new way to manage construction projects, the tool offers several features that make constructions more transparent and productive. The main feature is the ability to walk through the site for inspections and to monitor the progress of work activities, thereby improving the flow of information and reducing costs associated with travel and rework.

To make the recordings, 360° cameras connected to the Construct IN Capture application are used, which is responsible for capturing the predefined work points on the floor plan. The files are sent directly from the app to the Visi by Construct IN system, where they are stored in an organized and chronological manner.

The technology used by Construct IN ensures that all professionals involved in a project, when authorized, can visit the works anytime and anywhere using a mobile phone, tablet, or computer.

The tool also allows for making annotations directly on the 360° images, comparing the progress of the work between different dates, integrating with the BIM model, creating a shareable virtual tour, and much more.

Street View for Construction

Despite the limitations and distinct objectives, the Construct IN platform works like a Street View for construction, presenting various advantages to users and similarities with Google's tool.

As for the main differences, we can cite the target audience and the issue of privacy between the two. While Google appeals to a much broader audience and makes its platform common for everyone, Construct IN focuses on professionals in the construction industry and other sectors, such as retail, that have expansion projects, always maintaining the privacy of work information only for authorized members.

The main similarities are:

• Virtual tour

• Use of 360° cameras

• Sharing information through images

• Better visualization and more details of the viewed environment

• Comparison of images between different dates

In general, both tools provide a new way to see and monitor the changes happening in a given environment.

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