Google Maps streetview shows awesome panoramio photos in China - can we do this?

Question

If you have a look at Google Maps and search for some place in China like Tiananmen Square for example, then drag out the little streetview man, he does not go on the roads like normal... instead there is a scattering of little blue dots where he can stand and get a view.

This is similar to a panoramio layer but much slicker, and it lets you click between photos taken within the same field of view.

This is all great, except when I turn on the streetview control with Google maps API v3 on the website I'm developing (which is about tourist destinations in China), it lets you drag the man around but then he turns grey like there is no data. There are no blue dots and he can't see anything.

I'm wondering if there is a way to turn on that same streetview panoramio mode that they have in maps.google.com? Possibly they won't let us have access to that yet....

I could add a normal panoramio layer but I am really wanting to have that really nice blue dot thing happening.

Answer 1

Pretty sure no. v3 of the API implements streetview with HTML5/canvas etc - ie native in the browser.

That 'lookaround' viewer, is implemented in flash.

I suppose you could try v2 of the API, that still uses a flash client.

... otherwise just add a request to the Google Maps API issue tracker - it tracks suggestions.