About PicNear
PicNear is a lightweight web companion that surfaces shoot-ready spots around you by blending geolocation signals with trusted photography data.
Our Mission
PicNear was born out of countless scouting trips where we needed reliable answers faster than endless forum scrolling. We combine real photos, map intelligence, and fast UX so photographers can jump from idea to action in minutes.
The product focuses on nearby discovery: detect your location, start with a 10 km radius, and expand to 30 km or 50 km whenever results are limited. No uploads, no accounts, just a browsing-first experience that respects privacy.
Key Features
Location-first suggestions
Search within 10 km of your current position (or any preset city / picked map point) and let PicNear auto-expand the radius when the list gets sparse.
Credible visuals
Cards show licensed thumbnails from Flickr, Wikimedia Commons, Mapillary, or POI providers with inline attribution so you can trust the scene.
Smart curation
We merge POI ratings, review counts, and photo density to derive scene & style tags plus a shoot-worthiness score, then sort everything by distance.
How It Works
Set your reference point
Use "Use current location", choose a preset city, or drop a pin on the map. Accuracy hints help you judge how precise the search will be.
Aggregate trusted POI data
We query Google Places, Gaode (Amap), Baidu Maps, and other POI APIs for coordinates, ratings, and categories inside your radius.
Tag and rank automatically
A rules engine labels scene type + style, estimates best times, and blends ratings with photo counts to compute our shoot score.
Preview details and plan
Open the detail view for addresses, map links, multi-source photo walls, recommended timing, and the original source links.
Data Sources
PicNear merges structured POI data with open-licensed imagery so every card is grounded in verifiable, real-world context.
We only persist structured metadata plus third-party reference IDs or URLs - never large images or personal location histories. Your last position stays in your browser for faster reloads and is never uploaded.
Who We Are
PicNear is maintained by a small team of photographers, designers, and mapping engineers. We test flows on both iOS and Android, keep attribution requirements up to date, and tune ranking rules with feedback from traveling creators and local communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you store my precise location?
No. Your last used coordinates live in local browser storage (pn:lastCoords) so the interface can reload faster. They are never uploaded or shared with third parties.
Where do the photos come from?
Images are fetched from Wikimedia Commons, Flickr CC-BY/CC-BY-SA collections, Mapillary, or map providers. Each card includes attribution and a link to the original source.
What determines the order of results?
We sort by distance from your reference point. When two places are close, we compare ratings, review counts, and photo density to compute a shoot score. If fewer than ~20 results appear we widen the radius to 30 km, then 50 km.
How can I suggest a new spot or city?
Email [email protected] with coordinates, map links, or dataset suggestions (or use the contact links below). We verify licensing and accuracy before publishing anything new.
Get in Touch
Have feedback about coverage, know a dataset we should ingest, or want to help us test a new city? Let us know; collaborating with photographers and local experts keeps PicNear accurate.