A new start up is shaking up the realm of virtual worlds (or the 3D internet as more and more in the know seem to be calling them). Micazook, a UK company claim to have built a complete 3D replica of planet Earth that they say makes Google Earth pail into insignificance.
It’s been done using a variety of sources such as openstreetmap.org .
So far, inner city areas are in full detail, but the further out of cities you go in the world, the more 3D shells you will find. The idea to fill in the blanks is to employ the crowd. Users who come on to the platform can roll up their sleeves and do the work for the world! The benefit for anyone who does that is that they become moderators of their own section of the world.
Eventually, users in the world will be able to buy and sell property, and this is where Micazook hope to make their money – by imposing a 30% tax on any transactions within the world!
- Just as in Second Life, there will be opportunities for brads to place digital ads. But, the difference is that this will be an exact replica of the real world, so like it or not, our clients will have property within it – which could be ‘owned’ by anyone! Even by their competition.
- In all probability, this venture will probably fail. It relies massively on gaining enough interested participants building the world to make it viable, and it seems that the rewards for building a business for Micazook are scant. However, it does seem inevitable that at some point, the likes of Google Earth and Street View could become a fully fledged real world / virtual world. Until this happens, the implications for advertisers are low.
Filed under: Virtual Worlds Tagged: | 3D, google, google earth, JVC, Micazook, street view
