Posts Tagged ‘london’

We’re assuming that most of our readers are aware of something called Google streetview by now (if not, then where have you been?). Anyway, as you will (or won’t) know… it’s a handy feature of Google maps that allows you to view 360 degree panoramas of a particular street or location… all very cool stuff!

Google streetview started in the US a year or so ago… and up until now, only a few major cities across Europe have been photographed.

In order to create the interactive panoramas, Google have invested in a number of especially adapted (rather wacky looking) vehicles with something that looks like a cross between a PA system and a speed camera strapped to the roof. Eagle eyed spotters might have seen some of these cars in the UK … and the good news is that in time, all of the major cities (and maybe a few of the minor ones) will be snapped.

Whilst the UK version of streetview hasn’t officially been released, a new site has been launched that uses the technology (we think it might actually be Google behind the site… using it as a testbed prior to a full launch).

So if you fancy yourself as a budding taxi driver, or you’d simply like to take a virtual tour  of London, then why not visit the Seety site? Once there, simply click on the street you would like to view and interactive photo will pop up.

If you’d like to know more about streetview, you can check out the video tutorial below. We’re not big fans of lycra, we’re not fans or the colour orange… and we’re especially not fans of orange lycra, but if you can stomach the presenter’s tight fitting outfit, then it’s not a bad intro!

Via the Londonist

We’ve brought you some interesting marketing ideas in the past (one of our favourites being the escalator advertising)… but we’re not overly sold on this concept from deodorant brand ‘Right Guard’.

Clearly it’s just a PR stunt… designed to get people talking. In that respect, it has worked (we’re writing about it here after all).

Brand owners Procter & Gamble might want to work on their site rankings though… a UK Google search for ‘Right Guard’ brings up a security company offering burly bouncers door staff.

Although we’re based in Surrey, we often need to travel to London to meet clients etc. Whilst we prefer to take the train, there are some instances when we simply have to jump in a car. Off peak, the journey normally takes around an hour but (as anyone local will know) it only takes a minor incident (such as a broken down vehicle) to significantly delay the journey.

There are several major routes we can take into the city (A316, A3, M4 etc) so it’s handy to know if there is a problem in advance (so we can add journey time or choose an alternative route). Before we set off, we like to check out the route using live traffic webcams. This may sound like a time consuming process, but in fact, it takes nothing more than a couple of mouse clicks.

In addition, we can also check road conditions for colleagues or clients on the road. If they call to advise us that they’re “stuck in a jam”, we can look at other routes, and suggest those that are less congested.

The two main webcam sites for London are Transport For London (which is navigated using a user friendly map) and BBC London Jam Cams (where camera locations are listed alphabetically). Both sites use the same cameras, and display a still image taken usually within the last 5-15 minutes. In our experience, the TFL site is the easiest to use, and seems to be updated more frequently.

Whilst we’ve focussed on London in the above example, there are also many other other areas with live traffic cameras. KeepMoving.co.uk shows a map of England, split by region, and shows both city and motorway cameras. The BBC also has good coverage, and covers most major cities (including Scotland and Wales):-

BBC England webcams

BBC Scotland webcams

BBC Wales webcams

If there isn’t a camera listed for your route, then a quick Google search for “live traffic camera” (followed by the place name) should reveal what you’re looking for.

Also, as an added bonus, if you are familiar with Yahoo widgets or the Mac dashboard, you can download widgets and configure these to show cameras of your choice using a single keyboard button press. For example, the London cameras can be found at:-

London Traffic Cameras (Yahoo widget)

London Jam Cams (Mac dashboard widget)