Create a Virtual Reality Walking Tour

Using Google Maps and Thinglink, we can create interactive virtual walking tours that are easily shared online. Images can be annotated with text and media to expand on areas of note in the photos.

Step 1: In Google Maps, select a region and download photos using the  Street View 360 tool . The photos should be in the same area in order to create a “walking” tour.

• Photos must be downloaded with a 6656x3328 resolution in order to work in Thinglink.

Step 2: Create a Free Teacher Account in Thinglink  following these instructions .

Step 3: Upload all photos to Thinglink.

Step 4: In Thinglink, use the “Create Tour” function and add markers in order to navigate in the photos.

 Download Street View 360 tool 

• Works on both Windows and Mac.
• If the program will not install - it will be available on the computers in the DiSCO.

 Create a free Thinglink account 

• Use a St. Olaf account to start a project. 
• Group collaboration not available. Individual projects only.

Download  the tool to your computer .

This is an open source program that requires very little space and is compatible with both Windows and Mac. It will not work with mobile devices - if you need access to a computer,  contact the DiSCO and we will reach out! 

If using Mac, this program requires a minimum of High Sierra in order to install - it may work with Sierra, but the application will be unstable or not open for older MacOS versions.

Receiving an error or unable to open the program on Mac? The security settings could be blocking the app.  Check out this article for troubleshooting tips. 

Go to Google Maps and select a 360 scene in any region - once you find a 360 view that you like, copy the entire URL.

Open the Street View Download 360 application.

In Location to save - choose a location on Google Drive of your computer to save the photo.

• When downloading photos for a walking tour, assign them a name that will help with remembering an order (ex. como park pic 1, como park pic 2, etc). This can be especially helpful if the photos look similar.

Copy and Paste the URL from Google Maps into the Panorama ID or URL.

Set the Resolution to 6656x3328.

Click on Download Panorama.

Log into  Thinglink  and select Create.

Click on 360 image or virtual tour.

After uploading the photos, start editing the pictures in order to add markers and embed content.

It is recommended to make notes or record the information that is going to be added to Thinglink in a Google Doc. If the markers are accidentally deleted - there is no way to recover the information.

To edit the image and add annotation, click on the Edit icon on the top right of the window.

Click on Add tag.

A default marker will appear on the photo. Select the option for Create tour.

On the left panel, click on the option for Select scene. All of the photos that were uploaded to your account will be available to add to the tour. Choose the next photo to add to the tour.

The marker will update to show that photo was successfully connected.