Geocode the address of the building you want to "look at". Use the geometry library
computeHeading(from:LatLng, to:LatLng) function to calculate the heading between the StreetView location and the building.
(assumes that the geocoder returns a "rooftop" geocode)
example (Statue of Liberty)
another option, use the directions service:
related question: Request main road StreetView panoramas instead of back alleys from API
code snippet that uses the directions service to get a location on the road to use for street view "camera" location (works better now that you can get "interior" streetview locations returned):
var map;
var berkeley = new google.maps.LatLng(37.869085, -122.254775);
var sv = new google.maps.StreetViewService();
var geocoder = new google.maps.Geocoder();
var directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
var panorama;
var myLatLng;
var address = "525 Beacon St. Boston, MA";
function initialize() {
panorama = new google.maps.StreetViewPanorama(document.getElementById("pano"));
directionsService.route({
origin: address,
destination: address,
travelMode: google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING
}, function(response, status) {
if (status == google.maps.DirectionsStatus.OK) {
// myLatLng = response.routes[0].legs[0].start_location;
sv.getPanoramaByLocation(response.routes[0].legs[0].start_location, 50, processSVData);
var marker = new google.maps.Marker({
position: response.routes[0].legs[0].start_location,
map: map,
title: "Directions"
});
map.setCenter(myLatLng);
} else document.getElementById('info').innerHTML += "status:"+status+"<br>";
});
geocoder.geocode({
'address': address
}, geocoderCallback);
// Set up the map
var myOptions = {
zoom: 15
};
map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map_canvas'),
myOptions);
}
google.maps.event.addDomListener(window, 'load', initialize);
function processSVData(data, status) {
if (status == google.maps.StreetViewStatus.OK) {
panorama.setPano(data.location.pano);
var camera = new google.maps.Marker({
position: data.location.latLng,
map: map,
draggable: true,
title: "camera"
});
var heading = google.maps.geometry.spherical.computeHeading(data.location.latLng, myLatLng);
document.getElementById('info').innerHTML += "heading:"+heading+"<br>"
+ "location: "+myLatLng.toUrlValue(6)+"<br>"
+ "camera:"+data.location.latLng.toUrlValue(6)+"<br>";
// alert(data.location.latLng+":"+myLatLng+":"+heading);
panorama.setPov({
heading: heading,
pitch: 0,
zoom: 1
});
panorama.setVisible(true);
} else {
alert("Street View data not found for this location.");
}
}
function geocoderCallback(results, status) {
if (status == google.maps.GeocoderStatus.OK) {
myLatLng = results[0].geometry.location;
map.setCenter(myLatLng);
if (results[0].geometry.viewport) map.fitBounds(results[0].geometry.viewport);
else if (results[0].geometry.bounds) map.fitBounds(results[0].geometry.bounds);
else map.setZoom(15);
var marker = new google.maps.Marker({
position: myLatLng,
map: map,
title: address
});
} else {
alert("Geocode was not successful for the following reason: " + status);
}
};
html,
body {
height: 100%;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
#map_canvas {
height: 100%;
}
<script src="http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?libraries=geometry"></script>
<div id="pano" style="width: 425px; height: 400px;float:left"></div>
<div id="info"></div>
<div id="map_canvas" style="width: 425px; height: 400px;float:left"></div>
<div id="map_center"></div>
<div id="streetview_pov"></div>