Google Gets Street-Wise Using Immersive Media's New 360-Degree Camera for Google Maps

WHAT DOES OWNING AN 11 LENS CAMERA BRING TO A MEDIA COMPANY?
Immersive Media is a technology company that has been around since 1994 when they began experimenting with digital 360-degree still images and video web graphics to draw the attention of governmental agencies to their impressive portfolio of 3-D imagery so they could sign these agencies up to use their high-tech video services to the field of security surveillence. Immersive Media also have many clients in the real estate and security markets but are now trying to branch out into the much more vast world of the internet starting with Google.

To get a demonstration of what their new 11-lens camera, the Dodeca 2360 can do to immerse yourself into their virtual world, you should click onto Google maps and then use the "street view" angle on blue-tinted maps that are specifically designed so you can see a street-level video image of the buildings and surrounding areas you are trying to get directions to. Currently, only big cities like Chicago and Los Angeles have the "street view" web graphic images in their maps of some of the main streets, but Immersive Media is attempting to photograph almost every large and medium city street in America over the next few years.

This new camera that can shoot in 360-degree directions does not come cheap. It's $100,000 price tag prohibits most media companies from really investing heavily in the immersive video market. Government agencies so far have been the only purchasers of this web graphics technology, but Immersive Media is counting on these cameras to bring 3-D realism to many more internet sites than just Google in the near future.