Get a Demo

API directory · Google Maps Platform

Aerial View API: photorealistic 3D aerial video for property and site visualization

The Aerial View API delivers pre-generated or on-demand photorealistic 3D aerial video for a specified location, rendered as simulated drone footage. For real estate marketing platforms and property portals, it adds a cinematic aerial view of a property to a listing without the cost or logistics of commissioning actual drone footage. Lepton integrates it as part of GMP delivery for proptech and construction clients.

Get a demo →

What the API does

Simulated drone aerial video, on demand, via API

The Aerial View API retrieves a pre-generated or generates an on-demand photorealistic 3D aerial video for a specified location. The video simulates drone footage, orbiting or approaching the location from a cinematic angle. The API returns video metadata including data freshness and video duration, accessed via REST or gRPC. A migration guide from the Preview version is available for teams that adopted the API during Preview.

The primary use cases identified by Google are real estate marketing and property visualization.

Google Maps Platform · Aerial View API
POST videos:renderVideo, then GET videos:lookupVideo
host aerialview.googleapis.com · REST and gRPC · rendering is asynchronous, so this is two calls and a poll, never one
200 OK
state ACTIVE

Request the two-call flow

POST https://aerialview.googleapis.com/v1/videos:renderVideo
Content-Type: application/json
X-Goog-Api-Key: <your key>

{
  "address": "<the reference documents this as a US postal address>"
}

GET https://aerialview.googleapis.com/v1/videos:lookupVideo
  ?videoId=<the id returned by renderVideo>
X-Goog-Api-Key: <your key>
Two honest notes on this one. Google documents the address input on both calls as a US postal address, so coverage is the first thing to establish before this API goes into a plan, and the videoId path is the one a page actually plays from. And the keys of the uris map are video formats that the reference does not name on these pages, so the figure leaves the key as a placeholder rather than guessing a constant.

Response lookupVideo, application/json

{
  "state": "ACTIVE",
  "metadata": {
    "videoId": "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
    "captureDate": { "year": 2024, "month": 11, "day": 6 },
    "duration": "34s",
    "state": "ACTIVE"
  },
  "uris": {
    "<video format>": {
      "landscapeUri": "https://...signed, short lived...",
      "portraitUri": "https://...signed, short lived..."
    }
  }
}
statemetadata is set only while state is ACTIVE; a PROCESSING response carries state aloneflowrenderVideo returns an id, not a video; you poll lookupVideo on that idurissigned and short lived, so they are fetched at play time and never stored
Fig. · The render-then-lookup flow, trimmed for the page. Both endpoints, the request fields, the state values and every response field shown are the documented Aerial View API surface; the keys of the uris map are left as a placeholder because the reference does not name them. The video ID, capture date and duration are illustrative and describe no real property, listing or customer.

Use cases

Where aerial video improves property and site products

  1. 01

    Proptech · Aerial video on property listings without drone shoots

    Real estate portals integrate the Aerial View API to add a photorealistic aerial view to every listing at the address level, so buyers get a cinematic overhead context for every property without the cost and scheduling overhead of property-by-property drone shoots.

  2. 02

    Marketing · Project launch video for new residential developments

    Real estate developers and marketing teams use the Aerial View API to generate aerial video content for a project site in its current state, usable in digital campaigns and microsites before construction is complete.

  3. 03

    Construction · Site visualization for client presentations

    EPC contractors and project managers use aerial video to give clients a photorealistic view of a site location during the proposal and planning stage, without requiring a site visit or commissioning physical aerial photography.

  4. 04

    Hospitality · Property aerial context for hotel and venue booking

    Hotels, resorts and event venues add Aerial View API video to booking pages to show guests the property setting and surroundings from above, giving context that flat photography and street-level imagery does not provide.

Where Lepton comes in

Integration architecture and combination with Maps JavaScript for visualization

The Aerial View API is typically integrated alongside the Maps JavaScript API on a listing or project page: a static map or custom map surface gives the location context, and the Aerial View video adds the cinematic aerial layer. We integrate both and handle the video metadata, loading and playback within your product.

  1. 01

    Integration · Aerial View API wired into listing and project pages

    We integrate the Aerial View API into your property listing or project page: the REST or gRPC call, video metadata handling, loading state and playback, combined with the map surface for location context.

  2. 02

    Stack · Aerial View combined with Maps JavaScript

    We design the combined surface: Maps JavaScript API for the interactive map context, Aerial View for the video layer, so both work together as a single property visualization experience rather than two separate widgets.

  3. 03

    GCP · GCP project setup and API enablement

    Service accounts, API key configuration, billing setup and the GCP project plumbing so the Aerial View API is callable, quota-managed and integrated with your existing stack from day one.

Get started

Tell us the property visualization use case. We will design the integration.

Bring the real estate or site visualization problem. We map it to the Aerial View API capabilities and walk through the integration.

Get a demo →