DUBAI // Tourists can now visit the Burj Khalifa, explore areas not usually accessible to the public and enjoying astonishing 360-degree panoramic views – without leaving their armchairs.
The internet giant Google has incorporated the world's tallest building into the Street View section of its Google Maps service, the first time Street View has been used in the Arab world.
The Burj joins other international landmarks showcased on the service such as the Eiffel Tower, the White House and the Everest base camp.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, was given a special preview of the service before its worldwide launch yesterday.
He commended the efforts of Google in building a “digital mirror to reality” and for creating bridges of human interaction between people around the world.
“We welcome visitors not only in the UAE, but now also virtual visitors from all over the world online to see the tallest building built by man,” Sheikh Mohammed said on Twitter.
“The Burj Khalifa embodies the aspirations of Emiratis. I am pleased to launch a project that allows more than a billion internet users around the world to roam through the Burj Khalifa.”
The standard version of Street View enables users to navigate their way through composite ground-level images of street scenes that are photographed by a fleet of specially adapted cars.
The Burj Khalifa capture takes the service to new heights – literally: cutting-edge camera equipment was used to take images both inside and outside the building and record stunning views of Dubai.
An operator carrying a device known as a trekker, a backpack camera system with 15 lenses pointing in different directions, circled the exterior of the 80th floor while standing on a maintenance platform.
Street View equipment had never been used in a skyscraper before, and the trekker had never been used at such heights.
The device was developed by Google to film winding, narrow paths, remote sites and other locations that could be photographed only on foot. It was first used in the Grand Canyon and has since been deployed on the Galapagos Islands. Photos are taken every 2.5 seconds as the operator walks along.
Shots inside the Burj were taken using a camera system fitted to a trolley during the three-day shoot last month.
Familiar areas such as the At The Top viewing platform on the 124th floor and the Dubai Fountain were photographed, but users can also see parts of the building that are normally hidden from public view.
These include the residents’ lounge and lobby on the 43rd floor, the outdoor swimming pool on the same floor, the health club, lounge and exterior deck on the 76th floor, conference suites on the 152nd, 153rd and 154th floors and an outdoor terrace on the 160th floor.
A member of the team even climbed up through the spire to the very top of the 828-metre high building, where he swung open a hatch and peered out at heart-stopping views across the city while being battered by 40mph winds.
The images from the spire will be added later.
“We are so proud that Google has selected Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa for its first skyscraper,” said Mohammed Gawdat, vice president of Google in the Middle East and North Africa.
“The images are breathtaking and the Burj Khalifa is a beaming example of the vision and achievements of this nation.”
There have been a number of privacy concerns about Street View, but the faces of the people captured in the Burj Khalifa images have been blurred.
“We will absolutely try to do our best to make it as protective of people’s privacy as possible,” Mr Gawdat said.
Street View was launched in 2007, and images of 3,000 cities in 50 countries are now available. Google Maps has more than a billion worldwide users a month. Google has offices at Dubai Internet City.
The Burj Khalifa tour can be seen at www.google.ae/streetview
csimpson@thenational.ae
- With additional reporting by Ola Salem
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
