Dubai - in 360 degrees IS LIVE!, “world’s largest interactive city tour”

DUBAI // Anyone with an internet connection can take a virtual tour of Dubai as Dubai360.com went live today.

The website boasts of allowing viewers to explore every angle of the city from the comfort of their homes.

Developed over 18 months and using 1,298 pieces of panoramic video and photo content, it claims to be the “world’s largest interactive city tour”.

“Dubai 360 is illustrative of what Dubai stands for. It started off as an idea and was brought to life through the passion of talented and committed individuals. The project showcases the very best of what Dubai has to offer and we will continue to use the platform to demonstrate the progress the city makes,” said Ismaeil Al Hashmi, project manager for Dubai360.

“With Dubai360.com, whether you live in Dubai or are planning a visit, you can discover something new in the city every day. From the cultural area of Bastakiya to luxury hotels and the Dubai International Airport, this project has something for everyone, making it an exciting way to explore Dubai,” Mr Al Hashmi said.

The Dubai360 project was created by professionals equipped with best-in-class medium format, DSLR and video cameras.

A total of 500,000 individual photographs were needed to create the still and time-lapse panoramas and over 8 terapixels (8,000,000 megapixels) of imagery were required not including the videos.

From helicopters to rooftops, the making of Dubai360 provided the team with unprecedented access to city landmarks.

The Dubai360 team said it developed a custom interface for the website that enables viewers to interact with Dubai’s landmarks providing a number of viewing options including “rectilinear”, “Little Planet” or “fish eye” views.

Users can share their favourite views with their friends through such social media channels as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and over email.

http://www.thenational.ae/uae/technology/dubai---in-360-degrees