Experience the city's renowned landmarks and exclusive locations with the click of a button

Dubai, 19 January 2015:  At midnight on January 19, 2015, Dubai 360 officially launched www.Dubai360.com with the first of its kind online interactive tour. The site allows viewers to explore every angle of the city from the comfort of their own home, providing a first-hand experience that has never been seen before in the virtual world. Developed over an eighteen-month period and utilising 1,298 pieces of panoramic video and photo content, Dubai 360 is the world's largest and highest quality interactive city tour.

Having already given internet users a glimpse of what was to come with the Dubai International Airport timelapse video and more recently, a live broadcast interactive video of the Burj Khalifa fireworks for the New Year, the launch of Dubai 360 has been much anticipated by photography enthusiasts, UAE residents and tourists alike. Through the use of state of the art technology, Dubai 360 will redefine how cities are viewed and explored worldwide.

Building on Dubai's legacy of creating best-in-class experiences, Dubai 360 is the first virtual city tour that exclusively uses fully interactive and immersive 360 degree panoramic photo, timelapse and video content. The ground breaking technology that is at the heart of the project enables access to exclusive views of the city. With content filmed at the pinnacle of the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, the site users can see a bird's eye view of the city with sweeping panoramas down Sheikh Zayed Road and Dubai's coast. From there at a click of a button, viewers can travel to the luxurious Royal Suite at the Burj Al Arab Hotel and experience the gold clad interiors, opulent rooms and stunning sea-view. A visit to Dubai Mall's famous aquarium will allow users to swim amongst the sea creatures, or take a ride on Dubai's new metro and view the city at speed.

"Dubai 360 is illustrative of what Dubai stands for. It started off as an idea and was brought to life through the passion of talented and committed individuals. The project showcases the very best of what Dubai has to offer and we will continue to use the platform to demonstrate the progress the city makes," said Ismaeil Al Hashmi, Project Manager for Dubai 360. 

Leveraging the latest visual technology, the Dubai 360 project was created by professionals equipped with best-in-class medium format, DSLR and video cameras. From helicopters to rooftops, the making of Dubai 360 provided the team with unprecedented access to city landmarks. The Dubai 360 team also developed a custom interface for the website which enables viewers to interact with Dubai's landmarks providing a number

of viewing options including rectilinear and 'Little Planet or fish eye' view. People can also share their favourite views with their friends through social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and email.

"With Dubai360.com, whether you live in Dubai or are planning a visit, you can discover something new in the city every day. From the cultural area of Bastakiya to luxury hotels and the Dubai International Airport, this project has something for everyone, making it an exciting way to explore Dubai," continued Ismaeil Al Hashmi.

The Making of Dubai 360 Facts:

  • 500,000 individual photographs were needed to create the still and timelapse panoramas

  • Over 8 TERApixels (8,000,000 megapixels) of imagery - not including the videos!

  • Custom manufactured helicopter and metro mounts

  • Custom manufactured telescopic poles for installation on building pinnacles

  • 830 meters highest rooftop filming location (Burj Khalifa)

Dubai360.com is a living tour and imagery will continue to be updated to capture the ever growing metropolis and the various experiences the city has to offer.

For further information please contact Edelman UAE
Rohan Cornelio
Telephone: +971 50 668 5735
E-Mail: media@dubai360.com

Spokesperson biographies:

Ismaeil Al Hashmi, Project Manager, Dubai 360

A native of Dubai, Ismaeil Al Hashmi is the Project Manager for Dubai 360. An IT professional by qualification, Ismaeil has worked for a number of leading organizations in the development and implementation of Management Information Systems (MIS) infrastructure. In addition to holding leadership roles in Dubai based organizations, his role at Dubai 360 brings together his professional expertise in building teams and project management, with his personal passion for filming and content creation. 

Ismaeil's personal interest in film has led him to produce video content on a number of action sports athletes. Ismaeil also enjoys participating in a number of sports including paddle tennis, scuba diving and soccer.  

Ismaeil Al Hashmi is a graduate of the American University of Sharjah.

Omar Obaid, Operations Manager, Dubai 360

A graduate from the Higher College of Technology, UAE national Omar Obaid is the Operations Manager Dubai 360.

Having studied financial services in college, Omar has used his analytical skills to help organizations manage their operations. Prior to his current role, he was designated as Facility Manager at the Government of Dubai's Engineering Office. His passion for videography and photography led to him becoming interested in the Dubai 360 project.

Outside of work, Omar stays active playing volleyball, tennis, squash and often goes fishing.

Gerald Donovan, Operations Manager, Dubai 360

Originally from the United Kingdom, IT professional Gerald Donovan moved to Dubai in 2008.

The dynamic and ever growing city of Dubai rekindled a childhood interest in photography, and he soon found himself sneaking onto rooftops to capture images of the incredible Dubai skyline. In 2010, he published what was then the world record for the largest digital image ever captured - "Dubai 45 gigapixels". Following this, he was commissioned to shoot the first ever full 360 degree panorama from the very pinnacle of the Burj Khalifa.

Joining the Dubai 360 team, he has worked to capture Dubai as it evolves and creatively develop an online platform for people to experience the city from across the world. 

© Press Release 2015