If you are still not convinced that Dubai is a must-visit destination, then the city’s latest online project will easily change your mind. This week, Dubai’s Crown Prince, introduced Dubai360 – a website that offers a free, immersive tour of the city.
Earlier this week, Skeikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s Crown Prince and Dubai Executive Council’s Chairman, announced the upcoming launch of Dubai360.com. On his social media accounts, Sheikh Hamdan referred to the virtual tour projects as “world’s leading” and “groundbreaking.”
What is it about?
Dubai360 aims to enable people from every part of the world to discover more through a virtual tour of Dubai. It will include immersive 360-degree views of some of the city’s most popular spots and attractions. In addition, it will support various interactive features, like dragging within the tour videos and selecting a view, as well as a full-screen mode. Also, users of the site can change the zoom and the direction of the cameras.
Sneak peek and official launch
The date of the projects launch was not specified. However, it will make its debuts by later in 2014. To heat up the excitement around the project, Dubai360 already offers a sneak peek of what is to come. A time-lapse video called “Little Planet” showing the capabilities of the website is now available online. It focuses on Dubai International Airport and was shot from its control tower. Although it is only 12-minutes long, it depicts a 24-hour period. During that span of time, more than 1,000 airplanes passed through one of the world’s busiest airports. However, the video is non-interactive, this means that viewers are not able to control what they see.
The technology behind the project
Dubai’s immersive virtual tour project, Dubai360, was created using the latest and most advanced technology. Each of the tours that will be released on the website later this year were shot with a series of perfectly synchronized cameras and high-tech professional lenses. The shooting process often covers more than 24 hours and includes tens of thousands of photographs and almost the same amount of separate panoramas.
What is to come?
Dubai360 promises innovative online discovery experience. Similar videos featuring sport activities and popular Dubai’s attractions will also be released soon. Among them will be World Islands, a suite at Burj al Arab, Emirates Towers, Burj al Arab Sky Bar, Dubai Mall, Dubai Creek, Dubai World Trade Center, Sheikh Zayed Road, Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai and others. Virtual travellers will have the opportunity to enjoy aerial, rooftop, internal and external views of these and more Dubai hotspots. Still, probably one of the most impressive of them will be the helicopter view of Downtown Dubai.
The platform will be officially launched later in 2014 and it will be part of Dubai’s global marketing campaign since it features the new logo of the city.
