Will Panolife compete with Google as a new service that allows you to view online a city’s urban landscape? If scientists at the Center for Information Technology at the University of Bremen in Germany have anything to say, the answer could be yes. Their development of the Panolife software focuses on precise modeling that even exceeds Google’s Street View in terms of image quality. Among other advances, the German software can measure a building’s exact dimensions, which could feasibly streamline the work of highway planners and architects, according to Frederic Pollmann, the project leader on Panolife.

The technologies utilized—a laser scanner, a special camera and a high precision global positioning system—allows for a three-dimensional rendering of surfaces. The software includes models of virtual images in three dimension so that one could analyze, for example, the impact of new construction on virgin land. Google’s images, now indexed thanks to the compression of databases, are finally easily readable from a computer, making them accessible to everyone. 

Google Street View was momentarily criticized when controversy over violations of privacy arose. The pictures certainly include street scenes where any passerby can appear, however, Panolife’s makers addressed this issue with a system of data protection: the license plates of vehicles and the faces of people will automatically blur. Many institutions and enterprises in Germany have already used Panolife for varied purposes. For example, it is already possible to visit the zoo of Leipzig and Bremen airport, and even enter the dome of Bremen. These tools will undoubtedly help cities valorize their local heritage and promote themselves worldwide.
Translated by Genny Cortinovis

Quelle: INNOV’ in the CITY (www.innovcity.com)