'Google Street View' is a remarkable tool, allowing us to do everything from spying on Apple executives to travelling the depths of the oceans.
From today, you can listen to the streets as well as see them.
A new project by Amplifon has brought ambient noise and sounds of different locations to Google Street View for the first time.
The idea is simple. The project simply gives developers the ability to create fully, 3-dimensional sounds, and then processes the noises to make them seem more realistic based on where you're 'standing' in virtual space. So if there's a church in front of you, you'll hear the bells ringing. Turn 'around' on Street View to face a cafe, and you'll hear the cafe with the bells behind your head. It's eerie, but it's great fun.
Amplifon says:
"Sounds of Street View is a digital explorative sound experiment by Amplifon which gives users a 3-dimensional sound experience in a Street View environment. Utilising the Web Audio API platform, sounds are designated as though they were ordinary Google Maps markers, but instead of an image and information being assigned to the marker, a sound is instead."
Check out for it works above and at their website.