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Google launched what could turn out to be a landmark 360-degree video platform last week called Rio: Beyond The Map to coincide with the opening of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
The project is the result of an ongoing collaboration between Google and the local Grupo Cultural AfroReggae organization. Together they have spent the last two years in Rio de Janeiro mapping a couple dozen of the favelas using Google Street View technology.
The immersive videos in Rio: Beyond The Map confront the stereotypes surrounding the city’s infamous, impoverished favela neighborhoods by presenting stories of hope and inspiration. They’re designed to provide a more well-rounded, thoughtful, and positive perspective of these slum communities, which are typically associated with violent crime and crushing strife.
The series of 360-degree videos begin with the viewer riding on the back of a motorcycle as it races through a favela’s narrow streets for a slightly harrowing introduction into the claustrophobic maze of derelict buildings typical of these mountainside shantytowns.
As viewers proceed through each new stage of Rio: Beyond The View, they can click on video profiles of interesting people who are striving to improve themselves and their communities. These intimate character studies are the best part of the Google initiative.
Or, viewers can click on icons spread around the 360-degree viewing panorama to learn more about the history and culture of the particular neighborhood. Those icons link to content inside a larger Rio de Janeiro-dedicated Google Arts & Culture website with extensive archival content and online exhibits collected from a wide range of museums that collaborated with Google on this project.
The website also hosts 24 virtual Street View tours and thousands of photos of Rio’s museums and popular attractions. This could be the most comprehensive online overview of historical and cultural context of any travel destination packaged together in one digital platform.
Source: skift.com