Panoramic Earth v3.0 - Nearly There

New Panoramic Earth Homepage

As mentioned previously, Panoramic Earth is undergoing a major overhaul. We are nearly ready to launch the new version of the site - This will include several major improvements like:

• Complete redesign of the layout and feel, with much improved functionality
  
• Changes to the image uploading procedures.
  
• Use of high resolution images.
• Full screen viewing options.
  
• Cylindrical (panoramas that go round and round) and Spherical (pan up and down as well) images.
• Updating to the latest Google maps API
• Embedding of individual images as well as regional tours
• Better image searching, clearer tables of images.
  

These changes will improve the quality of work our contributors are able to display, and create a much improved experience for our visitors. Many of the basic principles will remain the same with the panoramas still linked to Google maps, and we will still intend to create a description of each one answering the 'What is it, where is it, how do I get there and what is nearby?' questions. For our contributors this means that in a short while we will be disabling new uploads to the old version during the changeover, which is expected to take a couple of days. For our visitors, it should be a fairly seamless experience, though don't be tempted to think you have come to the wrong place when it happens!

Panoramic Earth about to Change

The New Site Screenshot

For several months now we have been working on a major site upgrade for Panoramic Earth, completely redesigning the look, feel and functionality of the site. The good news is that the principles remain the same, still showing great 360 panoramas from around the world from panoramic photographers. Still linking the images to Google maps with local and travel information.

The better news is that the site will be easier to navigate, better to look at and have much more functionality. These two screen shots show some of the differences to be expected:

The Old Site Screenshot

• Much cleaner feel and navigation.
• Immediate presentation of some local information without scrolling down.
• Thumbnails linking to nearby images.
• Incorporation of the Krpano flash panorama viewer giving smoother action.
• Larger, high resolution images suitable for full screen viewing.
• Ability to display both spherical and cylindrical 360 panoramas.
  
• Ability to embed single images as well as whole regional tours.
• Local directory for each destination covered giving local travel links.

Most of the work is now completed and we expect to be able to announce a 'go live' date soon. The use of high resolution images, and incorporation of spherical panoramas, will mean some changes to the uploading and editing procedures for photographers, but this will remain a relatively simple affair.

We are very excited about these changes, offering a much better viewing experience for our visitors and expand the services we can offer the travel industry and community. 2010 will be a year of change, expansion and improvement for us.

Growth in 2009

2009 has been an exciting time for Panoramic Earth. the number of 360 images has grown steadily over the past 12 months, as has the number of contributors to the site. Here are some of the achievements of the past year:

• Collection grown to over 4600 panoramas from about 50 countries around the world.
• Over 60 photographers worldwide now contribute to the site.
• Coverage in the UK and Australia continues to grow fast.
• Breaking ground to cover more countries, with images from India and China and USA being added.
• Consistently ranked among the top 100,000 sites in both the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore according to Alexa.
• Introduction of the tag cloud, allowing photographers to better promote their images.
• Nearly 200 regional tours embedded in other websites using Panoramic Earth images.

But, we will not rest there. A lot of things on the net have changed since Panoramic Earth was first launched, bringing in advances like new Flash panoramas viewers, changes to Google maps and ability to embed content in other websites. In the next year we hope to see:

• Collection grow to about 10,000 panoramas.
• Launch a brand new site design with more features, bells and whistles
  
• Introduce new panorama viewer, allowing both spherical and high resolution images to be displayed.
• Allow embedding of individual images into other sites
• Simplify uploading process and access to other languages
• Addition of forums, various article pages and photographers directory.
  

So, 2010 promises to be busy, full of challenges and potential. We look forward to seeing what exciting places people photograph, and wish all our members a very Happy New Year for 2010.

Panoramic Earth on TwitterCounter

TwitterCounter is yet another tool slurping data from Twitter and presenting it in visual format. In it you can see trends of how frequently different users are tweeting, who follows them and other statistics. The screenshot below shows the trending graph for Panoramic Earth on the day we signed up for the service. Interestingly, our Twitter profile showed that we had over twice as many followers and lamost 3 times as many tweets as were showing on our TwitterCounter profile. Not quite sure why that should be.

Google Image Swirl - Great way to do Image Search

A couple of days ago Google launched a new way of viewing images, the Image Swirl. Still in Beta phase, it attempts to collect groups of related images together, presenting them in clusters. The user selects a cluster of interest, which then expands into it's one circle, still connected to previous 'higher' circles on the tree. In this way you dive down into ever more specific types of images. Concept shown below for the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the opening screen showing the main image clusters:

Screenshot of Eiffel Tower top part of Swirl

And then, several steps in showing the expanded, yet still linked, sub sets of images of the Eiffel Tower. Eventually you get to single images which then link to the sites they are placed in. This reminds me a bit of diving into fractal images, but is, naturally, of much more immediate use.

Eiffel Tower - several steps into the Swirl.

It is a much more relaxing and playful way of looking for images than a straight image search. The rationale and background blurb, taken from the Google Blog, states:

• 'Back in 2001, to give people a new, quicker way to find images, we launched Image Search. When you do a search for [eiffel tower] you'll find an array of images of the tower in the daytime, in black and white, at sunset and more. With Similar Images, which recently graduated from Google Labs, you can click "Find similar images" to narrow your search to, say, pictures of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. Today, we've launched an experimental feature in Labs called Google Image Swirl, which builds on new computer vision research to cluster similar images into representative groups in a fun, exploratory interface.'

UFO Sighted Beside Road

'Klaus Mayer, a photographer in Australia, recently photographed a UFO beside a road'. The image has attracted a lot of attention since being published, linked to a Google map showing exactly where it was seen.

A fantastic article opener, suitable for an X-files episode. The truth, however, is that this is a sculpture which, being made of scrap metal, is unlikely to fly anywhere fast, and the image a 360 panorama showing the Australian countryside. Just one of several lining the A1 near to Lower Light.

But it made a good headline!

Beaches of Phuket 360 Panoramas

Nearly 40 panoramas of the beaches and attractions in Phuket have recently been added to Panoramic Earth. Most of Phuket's beaches line the western side of the island, with the most famous being Patong Beach and Kata Beach, lined with hotels and beach resorts. However, as the virtual tour of Phuket shows, there are numerous other beaches worth exploring. Some of them arguably more beautiful than the popular ones, and certainly less developed.

Patong Beach 360 panorama; © Peter Watts, all rights reserved.

Phuket has more to offer than just beaches. Worth visiting inland are Elephant Villages offering elephant trekking rides in the jungle, waterfalls and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre in Khao Phro Thaeo Wildlife Park. 360 panorama virtual tours of these are also found on the site.

Kata Noi Beach 360 panorama; © Peter Watts, all rights reserved.

The most luxurious hotels in Phuket have to be those within the Laguna Phuket Resort, where visitors relax by the pools of Allamanda Laguna Phuket Hotel, Banyan Tree Phuket Hotel, Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket Hotel, Laguna Beach Resort Hotel, Laguna Holiday Resort and Sheraton Grande Laguna Hotel.

Bang Tao Beach 360 panorama; © Peter Watts, all rights reserved.

All built near the beautiful Bang Tao Beach. See the Phuket Map for more virtual tours and 360 panoramas of the beaches, sights and attractions of Phuket.