Keen snappers can now contribute to Google's Street View without the need for a car or strapping on its Trekker photography backpack.
The company has launched a do-it-yourself Street View tool, allowing anyone to string together photos taken using a DSLR or an Android phone.
The feature builds on Google's panoramic "photo spheres" tool, which lets users stitch together multiple photos into a 360-degree view.
Users will need to capture multiple photo spheres along their route, then upload them to Google's Views photo-viewing community. Google's new tool connects those photo spheres on a map, creating a Street View-like virtual tour.
The service isn't available to everyone with an Android phone - according to Google's help pages, the Photo Spheres tool is only available on Nexus devices running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Alternatively, DSLR owners can manually create panoramic shots using third-party software.
Google has asked users to connect photos that "can be navigated in real life" - although it isn't clear how the company will police content.
Google said the new feature could enable environmental charities to document conservation areas.
"It also opens up a new tool for photographers to showcase diversity in a specific location - by time of day, weather conditions or cultural events - in a way that Street View currently doesn’t cover," the company added.
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