StreetAdvisor Blog

StreetAdvisor improves media processing

I’m Michael, long time reader, first time poster. As part of the StreetAdvisor development team I’ve focused mainly on the media processing side of things including the photo and video processing.

You may have noticed that as part of the latest release the photos on StreetAdvisor are looking a lot better than before. I’d hate to disappoint you but that’s not just your new fancy LCD monitor but a total rework of the image processing that goes on behind the scenes. Three main features have been added or improved in this release.

High quality JPEG processing

This was the largest piece of work and required a total rewrite of how we handle the photos you upload. In the past the images were resized for display in StreetAdvisor using a quick and nasty method which removes pixels with total disregard for their neighbors. The new resize uses a method that software like Photoshop incorporates, namely ‘bicubic interpolation’.

This method looks at which pixels are surrounding the pixel(s) being removed and smoothes the image out to produce a result closer to the original image. Take a look at these samples where the ‘jaggies’ from the old photos are totally gone or at the very least minimized.

Australia before and after

All the resized images are now saved at 90% JPEG quality making the average file larger than in the past but they look a lot better due to a lack of compression artifacts.

UK before and after

USA before and after

USA before and after

Intelligent thumbnail processing

Similar to the method employed to resize images previously was the method to produce the little thumbnail images you see on StreetAdvisor. Previously the image was stretched to fit the standard thumbnail size (88x66 pixels if anyone is interested) which, if you had an image that was exceptionally wide or tall, would look rather odd.

Now, instead of stretching the image it is scaled down to fit the lesser of its dimensions (height/width) then the overhanging pixels are chopped (cropped) off. You can see in the following example how this portrait format photo was stretched out wide in the old thumbnail and how in the new one the top and bottom are cropped. This method gives you a better idea of what the larger format image looks like as the aspect ratio remains intact.

 

Australia before and after

IPTC IIM meta data persistence

When you take a photo with your digital camera information relating to which camera you’re using, what lens you have attached to it and other settings from your camera are stored in the photo. In JPEGs this data is known as the IPTC Information Interchange Model and in the past was dropped from the resized images. This data is now copied over from the original image to the resized image on StreetAdvisor for future use. Here is an example of a photo’s IPTC IIM data.

A little side note here, other image formats use EXIF data which is very similar to IPTC IIM but as with most standards, there are plenty to choose from.

If all that was as clear as mud, I apologize, just know that all the photos on StreetAdvisor now look much better. All existing photos on StreetAdvisor have been reprocessed using these new techniques and any new photos uploaded will of course run through them too.

I hope you enjoy the improvement in quality and I will be keeping an eye out for all your new photos hitting the site.

Michael Soutar
Media Tech Guy

Focus on Victoria, Australia

The next Australian state to receive an update review post is Victoria, where a lot has been happening lately. From north to south, east to west, here are some recent reviews from Melbourne, capital of Victoria. Not everyone is entirely satsfied with their neighborhood, but the high StreetScores means people can't be too unhappy!

At Neilian Retreat, Berwick, Victoria, Australia (StreetScore 76.10), resident mojo says:

"Having lived on this street for a while now, the neighbours have never shown any sign of wanting to talk to us or get to know us. When we first moved in there were a few waves and "hellos" in passing, but that is as far as things went.

Existing residents who seem to have been living here a while only talk to other people who they have known for a while. The friendliness previously talked about seems to only be for a certain few and definitely not newcomers!

The afternoon parking for school pick-up can be a pain too, especially if you need to go out or return during that 40 minutes. Parents could show more consideration when picking up children from the nearby schools by parking round the corner where there's more room and less likely to block people from leaving their house."

At The Esplanade, Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia (StreetScore 81.92), resident tilo says:

"We moved into The Esplanade 3 years ago and now can't imagine living anywhere else. This seems to be a common feeling on the street as all of surrounding neighbours have either been there for decades, or are all planning on growing old in their homes. This provides a close community and a strong sense of belonging.

Living opposite acres of parkland means that we wake to the calls of the magpies, kookaburras and currawongs. We only have to cross the road to access cricket nets, multiple kids playgrounds, soccer/football ovals, walking and bike paths, and most importantly for our labrador...the creek. The downside of living opposite parkland is the council mowing lawns at 7am, but this doesn't happen too often.

The street obviously comes with all of the benefits of Clifton Hill: great acess to public transport, shopping, restaurants etc."

Map of Melbourne region

At Allendale Road, Croydon, Victoria, Australia (StreetScore 73.49), resident charbono says:

"The 'high' side of the street has great views to the Dandenong Ranges. There are also several little parks around that you probably wouldn't even realise are there (Look in the Melways) including one which is several acres in size. There is also a creche/childcare centre 2 blocks from Allendale Road, and Ruskin Park primary only a 10 minute walk away.

Croydon used to be on the fringe of suburbia. Suburbia has since sprawled outward, but Croydon is still near the edge, which means for a 20 minute drive you can be away from it all. Within 15 minutes from Croydon, you can access: Ringwood / Eastland, Bayswater, Heathmont, Boronia, Warrandyte (state forest), Wonga Park, Kilsyth, Mount Evelyn, Montrose, Lilydale, The Basin. The Yarra River can also be accessed from several points within 15 minutes of Allendale Road - great for summer :)"

At Denbigh Road, Armadale, Victoria, Australia (StreetScore 60.73), resident jellyware says:

"Parking is pretty good, although you can't park on one side of the street on wednesdays. not sure what is going on there. I live in one of the small apartment blocks. pretty friendly, real mix of people. young. old. even a dept of housing apartment in the block to mix things up a little.

public transport is fantastic. trams on both ends of the rd. train station 7 mins walk away. A great ride to the city down chapel and then along the river. 7 eleven about 2 blocks away, with a little iga and pub with tab. no restaurants within short walking distance though.

great cafe's and art galleries close, along high st. a supermarket on glenferrie st, a short drive or a long walk. I hav'nt seen many practical things like a hardware store close though. not too far from chadstone shopping centere. close to chapel st."

At Dedrick Grove, Braybrook, Victoria, Australia (StreetScore 86.16), resident zack says:

"The street is quiet generally and nice and dark at night. Neighbours are friendly and all residents have great sized yards both front and back that most residents keep well maintained. Its very close to all needed amenities, shops, transport, parks, hospitals, cinema ands recreational facilities. A beautiful street in the hidden real estate gem of Braybrook."

How do you feel about where you live? Log in to StreetAdvisor and tell us all about it, or upload a photo to show us!

Conflict on the golf course

On the surface, Fox Meadow Drive, Medina, Ohio, United States (StreetScore 73.06) looks like a normal kind of place. It's south of the center of Medina (CityScore 72.33) between Medina and Wadsworth (CityScore 83.73). The nearest big city is Cleveland (CityScore 59.94) to the north. The Fox Meadow neighborhood is built around a golf course and country club and there is an active home owners association (HOA).

Given the current stresses in the housing and mortgage market, however, things are not as rosy as they appear in the brochures. There is growing unease and unhappiness in Fox Meadow about the strict rules of the HOA, the economic viability of the golf course and country club, the use of golf carts on the sidewalks and the collapse in property values.

Photo by Shayan - Creative Commons license

Former resident FMCCParolee says in her review that:

"If you like to live your life without a homeowners association who monitors what flowers you plant in your yard, attempts to ban children's swingsets, sues neighbors who don't comply with their War and Peace sized book of restrictions and, for the final trick, bans for sale signs when people start to flee in droves, Fox Meadow is the place for you. My advice? TURN AND RUN!"

Resident step21 has written another review in response, stating that:

"We really like living on Fox Meadow Drive. Homes here are 1/2 the cost of similar Golf Course Community homes in other parts of the country. The neighborhood is clean and safe, and we have a great pool and golf course in the neighborhood.

I think it is very important to read the Covenants when you are looking at gated or golf course community. The things some see as overly restricted are welcomed by many others. It only took me 10 minutes to read and understand the Fox Meadow Covenants before we purchased our home. My professionally prepared landscape plans were approved quite quickly."

Another community member (and presumed resident) rango has delivered a fantastic detailed comment on step21's review, sarcastically explaining that:

"Our golf club, like so many others across the country is failing and is currently up for sale once again (the third time in 6 years), so we are in freefall and are going to try any means possible to get more members to share in holding this bag of crap that we created…

The failing golf club is part of the reason that the housing market in Fox Meadow is in total collapse. There are currently over 50 homes for sale in our community. It also does not help they the same greedy builders that built our homes are building less expensive new homes right around us.

We want our community children to enjoy Fox Meadow therefore we are open-minded about allowing them to ride golf carts down the middle of our streets without any problem... So, when a major cart accident happens, and it will as it's only a matter of time, the HOA better get prepared to be sued for negligence…

You poor folk that like to get your hands dirty planting your cheap Kmart foliage should buckle up and hire an expert or perhaps Michelangelo to draw up your plans. Otherwise move the hell out of our resort!"

Photo by A.Currell - Creative Commons license

Note: these are extracts from the reviews and comments - you need to visit the review pages linked above to read the full story.

This is a community with some serious problems to resolve. It doesn't seem like the HOA is facilitating the discussions that need to take place, so these residents have decided that StreetAdvisor is the best place to have their own debate.

Do you need to vent about something that is frustrating you in your street or neighborhood? StreetAdvisor offers many avenues to share your opinions. You can write a street or city review, comment on reviews written by others and discuss issues by posting topics in forums. Log in to StreetAdvisor today to get started.

StreetAdvisor improves localized language support

Hello again! Over the past 12 months we’ve been silently keeping an eye on the various browser language configurations our users have set up. What is a browser language configuration? It’s a setting a user defines in their browser preferences that reflects what their culture and language is.

This setting is used by websites to localize the content into a format users are comfortable with. This includes optimizing the display of diacritical marks (commonly known as accents) related to specific characters in different languages.

A while ago I started programming the UI to be ‘culture-aware’ – to adjust itself to the user’s language settings. It seemed to work in many scenarios but not all. Some location names (mainly from European countries) that feature diacritical marks were not displaying accurately. Finally, it’s now working properly. Below is a screen capture of a search for Barcelona, Spain that shows many diacritical marks.

The improvements we have added this week also have some other useful functions. StreetAdvisor now works well with localized punctuation conventions. For example, Spain and other European countries commonly use a comma instead of a period for decimal places: 1.23 is written as 1,23.

The mapping services StreetAdvisor relies on require the correct application of periods and commas in Lat / Long coordinates. Otherwise, geodata becomes meaningless strings of numbers.

These improvements are also used to display localized units of measurement in the site. If you have your browser set correctly, the default unit of measurement for StreetAdvisor.com in the US is miles, and the default unit of measurement for StreetAdvisor.com.au in Australia is kilometres.

Your browser does most of the work in establishing your langauge preferences, but to accurately see documents and websites configured for your location, and be able to enter data in your preferred format, you may also need to adjust your keyboard layout preferences in your operating system.

The StreetAdvisor team is continuing to improve our localized features and functions to make your street experience a happy one. We think in particular the many Spanish speakers in the US will find these improvements immediately helpful!

Justin Adler
Lead Developer

StreetAdvisor to launch new features at Inman Real Estate Connect San Francisco 2008

StreetAdvisor's founders and CEOs Adam Spencer and Jason Spencer are preparing to present many of StreetAdvisor's great new features at the Inman Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco starting 23 July 2008.

In my previous post I explained how the search results we return for streets now include a very helpful feature - surrounding steets. With surrounding streets your searches gain the additional context of seeing how community members have rated the streets nearby to where you are searching.

Another of our new features that I can reveal to you now is best streets. Say you have searched for San Antonio, Texas. Once you have navigated to the city, the Overview tab gives you a list of the best streets in (and around) the city.

If we have lots of reviews of streets in the city (as we do here) then you will receive a list  in descending order by StreetScore. If we don't have many reviews from that city, we'll add in review of streets from nearby locations to help you to get a feel for the region.

Tell us what you think of StreetAdvisor's new features by leaving a comment here, by writing a StreetReview or posting to the StreetAdvisor forums.

Improved search with surrounding streets in StreetAdvisor

Over the next few weeks StreetAdvisor will be releasing many significant new features. One of the features already available is the ability to see surrounding streets when you complete a search.

Suppose I search for Turk St, San Francisco (click to see the search results for yourself). Below is a screen image of the search result when I did it. It shows the street I have searched for at the top of the list bordered in red, with nearby streets listed below in descending order of distance.

The search shows you photos associated with those streets and of course gives you all the rating information we've gathered.

The search provides easy links to enable you to write your own review or post a topic in the Turk St forum. The forums have also been significantly revised, but that's a topic in itself. We'll explain more soon here on the StreetAdvisor blog.

So happy searching. We think our improved search results are fantastic and make it a lot easier to find what you're looking for. Tell us what you think by leaving a comment here, by writing a StreetReview or posting to the StreetAdvisor forums.

Rollerblading in a suit

This is the kind of street review I file under "You don't see that every day..." At S Colorado Boulevard, Denver, Colorado, United States (StreetScore 88.20), jimdun9241 tells us that:

"I used to live a block from colorado blvd. I used to roller blade to work in my suit. There are wonderful schools in the area. A wonderful shopping mall is just a couple of blocks away. It is called southglenn mall. It is being completely remodeled. A few blocks away, colorado is interrupted for a few blocks. A community of mansions is there. Colorado picks up again on the other side of the mansions."

I thought with Google image search and Flickr I should be able to easily find a photo of some guy blading to work in a suit, but no. Nothing. No bladers in suits. The best I could do is this photo titled Random Amish Guy Rollerblading by Darcy Johnson in Chilton, Wisconsin.

Creative Commons license.

What sights have you seen on streets new you lately that have made you look twice and say 'what the...?" Log in to StreetAdvisor and tell us all about it, or upload a photo to show us!

Focus on New South Wales, Australia

Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, offers many different opportunities in terms of where to live. Within Sydney, StreetAdvisor community members report on the conditions from the sprawling western suburbs to the eastern beach suburbs. In towns and regions beyond Sydney, such as Dubbo, new street reviews are being posted that reveal helpful local knowledge.

At Hastings Street, Lidcombe North, New South Wales, Australia (StreetScore 87.50), resident IceCreamMan says:

"All homes on this street are North facing and receive wonderful Sun light throughout the year. The neighbours are friendly and know each other, without being nosy. This lends itself to good neighborhood safety. It has also been a secure street with some residents who have lived there for more than 30 years, never reporting any crime or break ins on this street.

It rates an 'A+' for convenience with a short 10 minute walk to the train station, from where there are regular fast trains to Sydney CBD and Parramatta. The Lidcombe primary school is close by and Homebush High School is rated highly for families with teens."

At Hill Street, Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia (StreetScore 42.18), resident franksting says:

"Lived here a few years back, and what with the two late night (or should I say early morning) bars one at each end of the street, it was an interesting vibe. May be different now, especially with all the building in the area recently."

Nearby at Adelaide Street, Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia (StreetScore 66.79), resident TPC2008 says:

"Close to Crown Street, Central Station. Quiet area, safe, lots of new things happening here. Terraced houses mostly with some new apartment blocks."

Map of Sydney region

At Bayview Avenue, Earlwood, New South Wales, Australia (StreetScore 61.64), resident franksting says:

"Far enough away from the hustle and bustle, but close enough to get to three or four great town centres. OK, its drag in the mornings and evenings, but aside from the hoons who occasionally pass by at evening and night, it is pretty quiet. The North side has great views over Sydney City and the South Side over the Bardwell Valley and Botany Bay. 10 minutes or less walk to Tempe Station, Buses on Homer Street on the other side. 10 minute drive to the airport, but no jumbo jets flying over head. Surrounded on all sides by parks, creeks and rivers and yet only 10ks from the city centre."

Out in regional NSW at Bunglegumbie Road, North Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia (StreetScore 70.91), resident r22 says:

"I live at Cornerstone Community, the *very* excellent community at the northern end of its 10+ kilometres. We are basically in the country! If there's one theme here it would be "to understand, to live, to teach". We are an unusual but very reasonable community!"

Back in the Sydney at Illawarra Road, Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia (StreetScore 64.28), resident netlynx says:

"A $20 cab-ride from the city, Illawarra Road, Marrickville stretches from riverside parklands in the South, over a hill with great city views into the commercial and transport centre where it crosses Marrickville Road, then continues lazily into leafy inner-west suburbs to the North.

Surrounded by parks, and with a great inner-west vibe, Illawarra Road is great for singles and young families. Everything you need is a five-minute walk away, so there's no need to spend a fortune on fuel to get your weekly groceries - there are two supermarkets within blocks of each other!

Conveniently, Illawarra Rd is a boon for public transport, as it is a main route for busses and Marrickville Railway station is right in the centre.

Overall, Illawarra Road has an 'up-and-comer' feel to it - and has the benefit of being affordable, but close to the cultural hub of Newtown and the excitement of Sydney City."

Back in the country at Collinson Street, Tenambit, New South Wales, Australia (StreetScore 74.88), resident lotsofkids says:

"Collinson Street is a great street in Tenambit. It has some large blocks, some new duplexes, nice rendered houses and a couple of the better older homes in the suburb. The street has great views of farmland and water views of the lagoons at the other end of Tenambit, along with views to the soccer ovals and fields. Travelling the length of Collinson Street will take you to Maitland in one direction and the lovely suburb of Morpeth in the other."

At Bishops Avenue, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia (StreetScore 79.55), resident DL123 says:

"Very quiet yet close to cafes, shops and public transport. Lovely homes that are very tightly held."

Log into StreetAdvisor.com and see what people are saying about your neighborhood and tell everyone what makes your street or city special.

Communities in decline

Changing economic and social circumstances mean that communites thrive and then decline over time. Visiting somewhere you knew and loved and finding it less than as you remembered it is a sad experience that a number of StreetAdvisor community members have commented on.

At NE 135th Street, Miami, Florida, United States (StreetScore 17.64), resident rockstar49 says:

"This was once a middle class Miami neighborhood and the home of North Miami High School. The neighborhood has changed since the 1960's. I went to high school there and now when I visit, it is virtually unrecognizable. The houses are run down and the school has bars and fences. It is sad for me to see how deteriorated this area, which I once loved, has become. They are re-building the school and hopefully the neighborhood will also begin to make improvements."

At  Troy, New York, United States (CityScore 47.69), resident MadScience says that:

"I lived in Troy, NY for five years while attending college. This city has a lot of history and some truly beautiful architecture - old buildings with stained glass and carvings, impressive churches, and some nice examples of public sculpture including a large statue of Uncle Sam. Unfortunately, Troy has fallen out of luck during the Great Depression, and its economy has not recovered. The town is filled with unemployed people, and crime (especially drug-related activity) is frequent. Caution should be used when walking around at night, especially in the southern section of the city. Many of the once-beautiful buildings are now abandoned and falling apart, and many downtown businesses are closed.

Despite these shortcomings, Troy does provide a very affordable place to live, especially for college students. The parts of town surrounding Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Russell Sage college are better lit and safer. Some stores downtown are thriving despite the overall gloomy atmosphere, including a few antique and jewelry shops. Restaurant, bar, and nightclub choices are quite limited at this time, and many students venture out to nearby Albany for these attractions. Overall, while I can recommend Troy as a cheap place to rent an apartment temporarily for students, families and professionals would be advised to stay away."

Photo of Troy, NY by The One True b!X - Creative Commons license

At Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States (CityScore 71.05), resident sparkleandfade tells us that:

"Oak Ridge is, by all accounts, a good place to raise kids. It's scenic, with beautiful mountains surrounding the city, it has great schools, homes aren't expensive and thanks to the laboratory there are plenty of jobs. Despite this, however, the town is aging, and you won't find the young families that existed in its heyday, when the population exceeded 75,000. Now at 30,000 or less, it's no longer the vibrant community it once was. Which isn't to say it is without attractions.

It's close to Knoxville (Knoxvegas) which offers still more jobs, night life, restaurants, culture and the like, but is decidedly cheaper than moving there. And there are plenty of events to keep people of all ages interested in city life- from the Mayfest to various local orchestras to travelling bands and author signings. If you're looking for a nice little place to settle down, but don't want to give up access to the bigger cities, this might be the place for you."

Is your community thriving or declining? How good are the employment opportunities and housing options? Tell us what you think about your neighborhood on StreetAdvisor.com.

The best Californian suburbs and towns

Californians seem very happy with their cities and towns judging by the new CityReviews being submitted to StreetAdvisor by community members. Most placers score highly, but even when a town gets a modest score they are very nice about it! Here are some of our members favorite places in California.

At Oxnard, California, United States (CityScore 78.09), resident attachedmeans tells us that:

"This city is a great suburb of Los Angeles, only about 50 miles north. This means that commuting is easy along the California 101 freeway, with often little traffic. The geography is pretty flat with a lot of residential area and a large stretch of open farmland. The beach is right in your backyard (especially if you live on a beach house) and there are tons of parks and open areas. There is also a large selection of shopping, especially at the new Esplanade shopping center, a large open strip mall.

Living isn't horribly expensive now, and the neighborhoods are all very peaceful and friendly. With the beach nearby and a beautiful view of the mountains and other scenery nearby, this city is a prime example of a beautiful coastal farming city. It blends this natural beauty with strong industrial capabilities to create a large job market for industrial and farming jobs."

At Terra Linda, Marin, California, United States (CityScore 83.32), resident KipEllis says that:

"Terra Linda (meaning 'beautiful land') is just about 11 miles North of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge. Its a little suburb of San Rafael, which is part of Marin County. San Rafael really is made up of Lucas Valley, Terra Linda and Santa Venetia (along with the Downtown San Rafael portion). In reality these little suburbs are really BIG neighborhoods comprising the city of San Rafael.

Employment opportunities in Terra Linda are a bit limited as the salaries really are NOT on par with the same type of job in bigger cities. But the jobs themselves do have more a smaller town flair to them - a little more relaxed atmosphere and a bit more lenient and flexible.

All in all, if you can afford to live in Terra Linda, then do so. Its a lovely little town and its a great place to raise your children. Its so close to San Francisco as to feel almost a part of it, but without the headaches associated with living IN a Big City."

Photo by szeke - Creative Commons license

At Rosemead, California, United States (CityScore 54.04), resident cheezydork tells us that:

"Rosemead is a city where I have grown up since I was about five years old. It is roughly 10-15 minutes away from Downtown Los Angeles (if you take the 10 Freeway), although it could be a lot longer during rush hour traffic.

Rosemead is a small city compared to nearby San Gabriel, Alhambra, Montebello, and El Monte, which results in "not much to do in Rosemead." Other than Rosemead Square which houses Target, Jamba Juice, Cold Stone Creamery, Starbucks, Subway, and other tiny stores, there's not much to do in Rosemead, per se. Reasonable house prices compared to neighboring cities, but still close enough to the fun."

At Fairfax, California, United States (CityScore 88.20), resident KJG132 explains that:

"Fairfax is where the hippies went to retire after making millions in the dot com boom. Fairfax is this sleepy little town just north of San Francisco. The amazing little town is bustling with rich pot smoking hippies, who only drink their organic coffee and eat raw foods. This adorable town of about 15,000 comes with a recently renovated movie theater, which now plays new movies, but still at a semi-discounted rate. There are tons of coffee shops, cafes and even a brewery.

While the brewery isn't very good, there are plenty of amazing little places to grab a beer and a bite. Right outside of downtown is M&G Burger, which is a reason alone to go to Fairfax. Also outside downtown are the most adorable residential areas, with very expensive, but amazingly modest homes. Perfectly comfortable without being pretentious... and great little town."

At Clayton, California, United States (CityScore 81.16), resident jules says that:

"Clayton is an absolutely beautiful town located at the base of Mt. Diablo. Some of the best hiking and biking trails, outstanding schools, and one of the safest cities in America is reason enough to consider Clayton as a good place to establish family roots. But it is the people of Clayton and their involvement in their community that make it so special.

From the extra programs offered in the schools to the Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade and Carnival, to the Art and Wine Festival, Oktoberfest, and free concerts in the park during summer months there is always some thing going on in this very social town. The one drawback are the home prices... high even by California standards. For those who are in the position of purchasing in this buyers market, it would be very hard to beat Clayton's lifestyle."

Log into StreetAdvisor.com and see what people are saying about your neighborhood and tell everyone what makes your suburb or city special.