How to Contribute Street-Level Imagery to Mapillary

You can contribute by capturing street-level photos with any type of camera, then uploading them through the Mapillary mobile or desktop app or the command-line upload tool. The goal is to fill gaps in coverage by shooting areas yourself, and the platform combines your images with contributions from others into a collaborative global street view of more than 3 billion images. This guide covers the practical steps, what to expect at each stage, and common sticking points.

Before You Start: What You Need

Mapillary accepts imagery from "any type of camera," so you are not locked into dedicated hardware. In practice, that means a smartphone, an action camera, or a standard digital camera can all work. The platform publishes camera recommendations if you want guidance on choosing equipment, but the core requirement is simply that you can capture geotagged, sequential images while moving along a street or road.

You will also need:

• A Mapillary account — required to upload and associate imagery with your contributions.
• The Mapillary app (mobile or desktop) or the command-line upload tool, depending on your workflow.
• A way to geotag your images — location data is what turns a set of photos into street-level imagery tied to a place on the map.

Step 1: Capture Imagery

Shoot while moving along the route you want to cover. Because the platform is built around filling coverage gaps, a useful habit is to check the existing map first and target streets or areas that appear thin or missing. Capture in sequence rather than as isolated shots — sequential imagery is what supports the street-view experience and automated feature extraction.

If you are using a phone, the mobile app handles capture and geotagging together. With a standalone camera, you will typically record a GPS track alongside your photos so the images can be positioned correctly later.

Step 2: Choose Your Upload Path

Mapillary offers several routes, and the right one depends on volume and technical comfort:

All three feed the same platform, so you can start with the app and move to the command-line tool as your volume grows.

Step 3: Upload and Verify

Upload your images through your chosen tool and confirm they appear associated with the correct location. After upload, the platform's computer vision extracts map features from the imagery — this is the "machine-accelerated" processing the site describes, and it is why well-sequenced, correctly positioned images matter. You can then view your contributions on the map to check coverage.

Expected result: your images become part of the shared street-level view and can be used to update map details that aerial imagery cannot show.

Common Sticking Points

• Missing or inaccurate location data. If images are not geotagged or the GPS track is poor, positioning will be off. Check location metadata before uploading.
• Uploading isolated photos instead of sequences. Street-view coverage depends on continuous capture along a route.
• Skipping the coverage check. Shooting areas that are already well covered adds less value than filling genuine gaps.
• Assuming a single tool fits all volumes. The command-line tool exists precisely because app-based uploads become unwieldy at scale.

What Your Contribution Feeds Into

Mapillary describes its data as open, supporting decisions in city and road planning, mobility and navigation, and autonomous driving. Contributions also support map editing — street-level imagery helps update details that aerial views miss — and integrate with tools such as OpenStreetMap, HERE Map Creator, and ArcGIS. If you want to go further, the platform offers developer resources including Mapillary JS, image datasets, and OpenSfM.

Start by exploring the map to find a coverage gap near you, then download the app and capture that route.