Google Business Photos program puts GlobalVision on the frontline

Google had made a first step in the 360° immersive technologies with its Streetview, but it now seeks to push the frontier a little further by allowing its users to visit the inside of shops and companies all around the country, using Google search, Google Maps and Google Plus. To roll-out this project and carry on with the shootings, a few panoramic photographers were selected in the participating countries. They are the contact points for shop-owners willing to have their business integrated across all relevant Google products. 

In Switzerland, Jan-Mathieu Donnier, the founder of GlobalVision Communication is one of them, offering this service through the dedicated website Virtualvisit.ch. Mr. Donnier had already made the headlines at the time his company launched the VideoStreetView.com 360° mapping platform, and once again at the moment GlobalVision partnered with Mozilla Firefox for the creation of 360° interactive videos to showcase HTML5 capabilities. Further surfing the trend, the company was among the 2011 Venture Leaders selection of Switzerland's 20 most promising startups.

GlobalVision developed considerable expertise in the field of panoramic 360° vision, both in software and hardware. This broad knowledge helps the company to face a great variety of projects, from large-scale industrial mapping to interior 360° virtual visits. Among previous customers relying on its services, we find the State of Geneva, large corporations as well as hospitals and education-related facilities.

Google Business Photos are meant to make the technology affordable for companies of any size, at prices ranging from 360.- to 2'000.- CHF, depending on the size and number of images. The fee is charged only once, and the virtual tour will be hosted free of charge on Google servers, while the owners retain the right to use all images copyright-free. It is possible to integrate the 360° images directly on the client's website, and those seamlessly adapt for display on computers, smartphones and tablets.