Darren Straight's Blog

ICT Enthusiast and photographer.

By - Darren Straight

Microsoft Live Labs Photosynth partners with BBC

Today, the Microsoft Live Labs team is announcing a collaboration with the BBC to launch three dimensional photographic representations of historic sites throughout the UK.

The online 3-D viewing experience will be available in conjunction with the BBC’s new series How We Built Britain (http://www.bbc.co.uk/britain) which airs now and runs until mid-July.

The time-limited technical trial uses Microsoft’s Photosynth 3D imaging technology to allow viewers to explore Photosynth representations of Ely Cathedral, Burghley House, the Scottish Parliament buildings, Blackpool Tower Ballroom, Trafalgar Square and London Bridge 

On selected dates throughout the television series, the BBC will have units on location at each of these historic sites to collect images from tourists who wish to participate. The photosynths will then be updated during the series with a selection of the images submitted by visitors to the locations. Historical and viewer submitted images will be integrated into the photosynths to contrast how people interacted with the locations in both the past and present.

Viewers and tourists from around the globe will be able to explore the Photosynth representations at http://labs.live.com/photosynth/bbc/.  By clicking and dragging their mouse, visitors to the site can explore each building, zooming in to see the smallest decorative detail, or zooming out and panning 360° to place the building in a wider context.

Photosynth is an extremely immersive experience where one can find oneself spending hours walking in the footsteps of the photographer and exploring minute details of the 3-D environment, said Adam Sheppard, group product manager for Microsoft Live Labs. This opportunity with the BBC allowed us to test the limits of the Photosynth technology by integrating photographs from decades ago of the United Kingdom’s historic sites along with those of the general public today. We’re eager to see how people tell their stories with this new interactive medium.

To submit a photograph to How We Built Britain, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/britain/buses/ for a series schedule and further information.

1 thought on “Microsoft Live Labs Photosynth partners with BBC

Carl M June 6, 2007 at 7:42 pm

I love Photosynth and the uses for it are quite wide and varied – building 3D environments for games, panoramic views and I think it has the ability to revolutionise the way we view photos on community sites like Flickr.

Amazing stuff. Glad to see it put to good use – and in Britain!

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