KartaView
KartaView is a crowdsourced, street-level imagery platform.
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KartaView is a crowdsourced, street-level imagery platform.
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KartaView is an open-source, collaborative street-level imagery platform designed to enhance mapping efforts by providing detailed visual context. It leverages crowdsourced photos to help validate and improve map data, making it a valuable resource for contributors to mapping projects like OpenStreetMap. Users can upload their own street-level photographs or explore those submitted by others, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of specific locations.
KartaView offers coverage in some areas where Google lacks coverage. The uploaded images include some metadata, such as timestamps, device, and operating system.
Features:
Compass: compass north indicator.
Coverage: Global but can be limited in some areas.
Edit data: OSM and traffic signs are taggable.
Full screen mode
High definition image toggle.
Image metadata: street view imagery includes the following metadata: Coordinates, Date and time Recorded, Track Distance, Photos, Camera Type, FOV
Image thumbnail toggle
Language: limited to English.
Location search: search by location name or coordinates.
Zoom tool: zoom in and out on the map.
The example below shows the results of searching for Amsterdam, selecting a road and the imagery filmed on the road:
KartaView is available in the following formats:
Web
Mobile
API
Web: any modern we browser.
Mobile: iOS and Android.
API: an email for a user account and an API key.
KartaView has the following limitations:
Up-to-Date Information: As with any community-driven project, there can be a delay between when an image is captured and when it is available on KartaView. This means some images may not reflect the current state of the location.
Privacy Concerns: Although KartaView blurs faces and license plates in images automatically, there's a potential for sensitive information to be captured inadvertently.
Technical Requirements: To contribute, users need a smartphone with a GPS and a camera or a dedicated GPS-enabled camera. This may limit participation from those without the necessary technology.
API Rate limits: The API will have rate limits but these are not documented.
When using KartaView for research purposes, several ethical considerations must be taken into account:
Privacy and Anonymity: Even though KartaView makes efforts to blur faces and license plates, researchers should consider the implications of using images that might inadvertently reveal identifying details of individuals or private properties.
Consent: The people captured in the images have not given their explicit consent to be photographed or to have their images used for research. Researchers need to weigh the public interest of their work against the privacy expectations of individuals.
Accuracy and Representation: Areas with less coverage may be underrepresented in research findings, affecting the accuracy and fairness of any conclusions drawn.
Tutorials and Articles
Community and Support
Bellingcat Volunteer Team
Coverage: KartaView's coverage is uneven, being heavily dependent on community contributions. Some areas, particularly rural or less populated regions, may have few to no images. This issue is covered in and .
Geospatial OSINT Investigations Tips & Techniques (no date). Available at: (Accessed: 9 May 2024).
‘Nixintel Open Source Intelligence & Investigations Six Tools To Help With Geolocation’ (2022) Nixintel Open Source Intelligence & Investigations, 24 July. Available at: (Accessed: 9 May 2024).
OSINT At Home #11 – Six street view applications to explore the world (2021). Available at: (Accessed: 9 May 2024).
FAQ available
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