Panoramio has just updated their network link KMLs that are used in Google Earth to make them faster and more useful. Not only is the link faster, but “The algorithm that is responsible for distribution and taking care of thumbnail overlaps has been improved as well and that is the reason you will now have a feeling of density that did not exist before, together with a better discoverability of the photos in the layer.”
As you can see in the photo below, the new versions of the KML files show a lot more photos than before:
As they mention in their blog entry about this update, here is how you can download the various KML files:
1. Popular photos in Google Earth: https://www.panoramio.com/map/
(click on the link in the lower-left corner of the Site)
2. Popular photos in Google Earth (Including photos not selected for the Panoramio layer in Google Earth): https://www.panoramio.com/map/
(you need to select the box before downloading the file from the lower-left corner of the Site)
3. Recent Panoramio uploaded photos: https://www.panoramio.com/map/
(select the recent tab and then click on the link in the lower-left corner of the Site)
4. Photos from a specific tag: https://www.panoramio.com/tags
5. Your Photos: Go to your page https://www.panoramio.com/user/user_ID and click on the link that says “in Google Earth”
We’ve talked about Panoramio quite a lot over the past few years, and they get better with each update.
Have you uploaded many photos to them? Will you be adding more now that this feature has become even more useful?
About Mickey Mellen
Mickey has been using Google Earth since it was released in 2005, and has created a variety of geo-related sites including Google Earth Hacks. He runs a web design firm in Marietta, GA, where he lives with his wife and two kids.
When I opened GE today, the Pnoramio layer had been switched off – presumably one of those things Google do in the background, and perhaps related to the changes described in the post. But as usual there was no explanation.
The Panaramio layer has been getting crowded recently in popular places, and GE can look cleaner without all the icons, but I wondered if any of these KMLs edited out some photos in popular places but not elsewhere?