Panorama allows you to view the surroundings of selected places through spherical images taken by ground imaging. These images complement aerial images and provide a detailed view of the location. Cameras on cars capture the surroundings at regular intervals, and these shots are composed into a panoramic image. Panorama is available only in the territory of the Czech Republic, both on the web and in the mobile application.
How to work with Panorama
Displaying Panorama
- By clicking on the Panorama button in the upper left part of the map, places with available panoramic images will be shown in red. This button is displayed only over the territory of the Czech Republic
- After clicking on a place on the map, the screen will be split into two parts, with the left window showing an overview of available places covered by Panorama (red lines/points), and the right part of the screen showing a window with a preview of the Panorama itself
- The eye symbol in the left window is always oriented in the direction/azimuth corresponding to the direction of view in Panorama. The default azimuth corresponds to the axis of the road in the direction the Panorama imaging was conducted
- By clicking on the two-arrow button in the upper right corner, you can display the Panorama on the full screen
- You can also display Panorama through the detail of a place by clicking on the Panorama button, which appears in the side panel under the main photo if Panorama is available in that place
Controlling Panorama
You can navigate between images using:
- Up and down arrow keys on the keyboard
- Clicking on directional buttons that appear at the bottom of the panoramic image
- Clicking on the map in the left window or double-clicking on the place Panorama “hints”
When zooming in on the map, the red line is replaced by red dots, where each dot indicates the place where an image was taken. You can also navigate between images by clicking on individual dots. Photos are taken every approximately 5 meters. The direction of the view in Panorama can be changed with the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard or by clicking and dragging the mouse.
When selecting Panorama by clicking on the map, the view is always automatically centered to the axis of the road, regardless of which direction the road leads concerning the cardinal directions.
If you want to change the azimuth/direction of view and then fix this azimuth (e.g., to have the view directed at the facade of buildings in a street front), navigate in Panorama with the forward/backward arrows. This will keep the azimuth fixed even when transitioning between individual images.
Zooming in and out can be done by rotating the mouse wheel or pressing the plus and minus buttons on the keyboard. By clicking the field Nejnovější (Latest) in the upper left part of Panorama, you can switch between images from different time periods (the so-called Timeline).
In some interesting locations (e.g., selected castles, chateaux, town halls, etc.), places with red dots are marked, indicating static spherical images taken with a camera mounted on a tripod. You can navigate among them using double arrows. We currently do not allow user-uploaded spherical images.
Information about the date of image capture is always provided in the lower left corner of Panorama.
Problems in Panorama, such as a recognizable face, vehicle license plate, or other issues, can be reported by clicking on the three-dot symbol in the upper right corner of the right window of Panorama.
Sharing Panorama
You can share a Panorama image by clicking on the Tools button in the lower right part of the left window and then clicking on the Share field. When sharing Panorama using a link in iFrame, the following options are available:
- Keep the default option Nejnovější (Latest) (always the latest Panorama will be displayed)
- Select a specific year (a specific image from the preferred year will be fixed)
Displaying Panorama
In the mobile application, you can display Panorama through the detail of a place by clicking on the Panorama button, which appears under the main photo if Panorama is available in that place. The Panorama button is also directly available from the unopened window of the place detail.
Controlling Panorama
You can move between images:
- By tapping on directional buttons that appear at the bottom of the panoramic image
- By double-tapping on a place that Panorama “hints”. The direction of view in Panorama can be changed by holding down the finger and then dragging in any direction
Zooming in and out can be done by pinching or spreading two fingers on the display together or apart. By clicking the field Nejnovější (Latest) in the upper left part of Panorama, you can switch between images from different time periods (the so-called Timeline).
Problems in Panorama, such as a recognizable face, vehicle license plate, or other issues, can be reported by tapping the three-dot symbol in the upper right corner of the right window of Panorama and then selecting the Report a problem field.
Sharing Panorama
In the mobile application, you can share Panorama by tapping on the three-dot symbol in the upper right part of the display and selecting the Share field.
The number of available older images varies for individual locations depending on the number of past drives, the highest number of historical images is found in regional cities. If an image is not available for the selected year, the closest available image will be displayed.
Imaging 2021–2023
The last update of Panorama for Mapy.com took place in 2021-2023, when the entire Czech Republic was gradually imaged (each year ⅓ of the republic from west to east). 21 selected cities were also repeatedly imaged. Imaging was provided by the Dutch company Cyclomedia Technology B.V. Another nationwide update is not currently planned.
Panorama and Privacy Protection
Images taken during mobile imaging are automatically processed, meaning license plates and faces of people captured in the images are automatically blurred. Cameras on vehicles are positioned so that they do not “overlook” private property.
What can be reported:
- Protection of personal data: If the algorithm does not recognize a face or license plate
- Inappropriate content: Nudity, violence, offensive symbols
- Private property: If you do not wish your property to be published (car, garden, garage). Proof of ownership will be required for verification
- Other errors: Incorrect street name, wrong descriptive number, incorrect image location
How to report errors for the web and application is described in the section Panorama control.
Privacy is protected by law
Persons and their property may appear in Panorama images, but privacy is fully respected. Copyrights protected by legal regulations, especially Act No. 121/2000 Coll. on Copyright Law, Rights Related to Copyright, and Amendments to Certain Laws, are not violated. Data is not passed on to third parties, and provisions of Act No. 101/2000 Coll. on the Protection of Personal Data and Amendments to Certain Laws are respected.
Panorama Display Issues
For correct display of Panorama in the Mapy.com service, WebGL support in your browser and device is crucial. What to check if Panorama does not display correctly:
- WebGL support: Make sure your browser supports WebGL. Internet Explorer 11 and later should support it, but functionality on mobile devices is not guaranteed. Modern browsers should support WebGL
- WebGL enabled: Check if you have WebGL enabled in your browser settings. For example, Safari has this technology disabled by default. In Chrome, check the hardware acceleration setting (chrome://flags)
- Graphics card driver updates: Make sure you have the latest graphics card drivers installed for it to communicate properly with the browser
- Android version: On mobile devices, Panorama and 3D view are available only for Android 5 and above
If problems persist, try the Seznam browser, in which Panorama should work without issues.
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