Post a Free Blog

Submit A Press Release

Thursday, March 28, 2024
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
Action
Animation
ATP Tour (ATP)
Auto Racing
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
Breaking News
Business
Business
Business Newsletter
Call of Duty (CALLOFDUTY)
Canadian Football League (CFL)
Car
Celebrity
Champions Tour (CHAMP)
Comedy
CONCACAF
Counter Strike Global Offensive (CSGO)
Crime
Defense of the Ancients (DOTA)
Documentary and Foreign
Drama
eSports
European Tour (EPGA)
Fashion
FIFA
FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC)
FIFA World Cup (FIFA)
Fighting
Football
Formula 1 (F1)
Fortnite
Golf
Health
Hockey
Horror
IndyCar Series (INDY)
International Friendly (FRIENDLY)
Kids & Family
League of Legends (LOL)
LPGA
Madden
Major League Baseball (MLB)
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
MLS
Movie and Music
Movie Trailers
Mystery
NASCAR Cup Series (NAS)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
National Football League (NFL)
National Hockey League (NHL)
National Women's Soccer (NWSL)
NBA Development League (NBAGL)
NBA2K
NCAA Baseball (NCAABBL)
NCAA Basketball (NCAAB)
NCAA Football (NCAAF)
NCAA Hockey (NCAAH)
Olympic Mens (OLYHKYM)
Other
Other Sports
Overwatch
PGA
Politics
Premier League (PREM)
Romance
Sci-Fi
Science
Soccer
Sports
Sports
Technology
Tennis
Truck Series (TRUCK)
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Uncategorized
US
Valorant
Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Women’s NCAA Basketball (WNCAAB)
World
World Cup Qualifier (WORLDCUP)
WTA Tour (WTA)
Xfinity (XFT)
XFL
-- Advertisement --spot_img
HomeBusinessHow Google Is Revealing Unmapped Areas of the World in Virtual Reality

How Google Is Revealing Unmapped Areas of the World in Virtual Reality

Technology companies left and right are developing new gadgets to advance virtual reality as an immersive entertainment and gaming platform. Others however, like VR producer Chris Milk, have hopes that the technology’s potential will extend far beyond sheer entertainment.

One way this is being achieved is by using VR to transport viewers into the lives of others to create empathy and understanding, which we’ve seen in films such as Clouds Over Sidra and with New York Times The Daily 360.

Now, tech giant Google has taken on this challenge in their recent VR project, Rio: Beyond the Map, an effort to map Rio de Janeiro’s legendary favelas, which they launched at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Aerial view of Rio’s Rocinha favela.

More than 1.5 million Rio residents live in the favelas–equivalent to one in every five people in the city. But for many locals and tourists alike, the favelas remain an unmapped and mysterious area.

In an attempt to breakdown this invisible wall that divides Rio, Google’s Beyond the Map video experience uses 360-degree footage and a virtual host who’s a favela resident to take viewers on a tour to explore the favelas and tell some of the stories of the individuals who live there.

A few years ago Google kicked off a project called  “Tá No Mapa” (“It’s On the Map” in English), where the company worked with a local nonprofit AfroReggae to train 150 favela residents in digital mapping techniques. These efforts over the last two years have helped Google map over 26 favelas and 3,000 local businesses. The project also helped some favela residents gain a mailing address for the first time.

A narrator in one of Google’s 360 videos of the favelas says, “Most people only know the favelas through the news–crime, poverty, and violence. But that’s only a small part of the story…the favelas are not simply a place, they are a people, and to understand them, you must go inside and see for yourself.”

Google has also launched a different project, Beyond the Map,  an immersive narrative that brings stories of people on Rio’s communities.  A narrator in one of Google’s 360 videos of the favelas says, “Most people only know the favelas through the news–crime, poverty, and violence. But that’s only a small part of the story…the favelas are not simply a place, they are a people, and to understand them, you must go inside and see for yourself.”

She later says, “When you aren’t on the map, you don’t exist. But we do exist.”

Beyond the Map is just one example of how technology like VR can amplify otherwise unheard voices and stories from around the world. As VR becomes more sophisticated and affordable, more impactful and creative projects will unfold.


Image Credit: Shutterstock

By

This article originally appeared on Singularity Hub, a publication of Singularity University.

Subscribe to get Latest News Updates

Latest News Articles

You may like more
more

Google code on Pinterest app suggests potential test of ad units, CWEB analysts say

Google and Pinterest might be testing a new partnership....

DraftKings Falls, NCAA Wants to Ban College Prop Bets. CWEB analysts issue Hold Rating on the stock.

Shares of DraftKings Inc.(DKNG) experienced a significant decline on...

Chick-Fil-A backtracks on NAE pledge, to use some antibiotics in chicken

Chick-Fil-A backtracked on its No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) policy...

Bloom Energy’s Price Target Cut at Susquehanna

Susquehanna analysts adjusted their price target for Bloom Energy...