I’ve been looking into contributing street-level imagery through the KartaView app from my car. I have a spare phone to run the app, but I’ve been wondering what the best way to attach attach the phone to the car dashboard, such that the rear camera has a clear view out the front windshield, without blocking my view of the road.
My car is a sedan, meaning the front windshield is titled back at a relatively high angle, compared to something like an SUV.
I’ve looked into getting a phone holder/stand, but they I’m not sure it’s the best approach, which is why I wanted to ask for tips.
I use a beanbag mount with a standard cell phone clamp on it. It’s easy to stash in the center console and then place on the dashboard when I want to collect imagery. You can see an example of what it looks like on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/380646335584 I rotate the phone of course so it is mounted sideways and not vertically.
In hot areas you will want to run the car’s air conditioner through the window defroster vents to cool the phone. Imagery collection + charging off the cigarette lighter leads to overheating, especially in hot climates.
There was recently an integration added to transfer imagery from KartaView to Mapillary in your account settings, so probably just personal preference?
I don’t know of any difference in quality etc, but from comments, a lot of people prefer not to use Mapillary, simply because it’s owned by Meta! (Facebook)