Hyperlapse filmmaking is a technique combining time-lapse photography and sweeping camera movements focused on a specific point of interest. Creating a video using hyperlapse is a meticulous and time-consuming process, involving stitching together thousands of photos taken from carefully mapped locations using Google Street View imagery.

We aimed at making the process simpler by using Google Street View as an aid, but quickly discovered that it could be used as the source material. It worked so well, we decided to design a very usable UI, so that anyone could create and share their own hyperlapse videos in just minutes.

We also created a hyperlapse video to introduce the concept and demonstrate its possibilities.

The purpose was to prove or disprove our lab experiment of being able to help easily create time lapse videos through software. Then we had a breakthrough idea of using Google Street View images to help create this video.

The Hyperlapse.js engine was always intended to be open sourced. Its primary goal was to first, help us create a great hyperlapse video, then to help others build on the software and be able to create their own hyperlapse videos. Using Open Source would assist them in achieving this.

The initial website (built on top of that engine) was all about function, and helping us build our video. The site was then redesigned and simplified to help explain and demonstrate to users the utility of the Hyperlapse.js. In total, there were 4 Builds of the hyperlapse website. Each iteration simpliyfying the message, and further reducing complexity to the UI.

Using Street View images to tell a story wasn't new, and using Google's existing and very robust web services wasn't new either, nor was webGL to map Street View images. However, street view images and Google web services combined with a simplified User Interface generating interactive Hyperlapse movies are a completely innovative concept and hadn't been done before.

The technology in the Hyperlapse is put together primarily in Javascript. It uses WebGL and leans on Three.js, a modified version of GSVPano.js, and Google Maps API v3. It's running on an AWS infrastructure, with Node.js handling some lightweight caching of routes to enhance performance. We control and run the Open Source project of Hyperlapse.js internally.

Next, we are looking at requests from the open source community and incorporating new features and functions. Google Street View Hyperlapse has not received any investment or capital.

Our Labs group is tasked to explore possibilities and experiment with new technology. With Google Street View Hyperlapse, we were simply sharing the ability for anyone to create and share hyperlapse videos of their own.

On April 9th, we made it available to the world with a Tweet. Since launch until the time of submission on April the 19th, 1,549,157 hyperlapse videos have been created. It has received 1.3 million plays on Vimeo, 6,7431 tweets, 4,000 +1's, and just over 18,000 likes on our Facebook page.

The Google Street View Hyperlapse story was picked up by the New York Times, Fast Company, Vice Creators Project, PC Magazine, MSNBC, and so many other reputable publications, we were actually astounded by the response.