Mirror World Website Matches RL Locations To SL Sites

This is a fun widget with an unpronouncable name: ViWoGeo is a site that mashes up real world locations to their parallel place (if any) in Second Life.  Clicking on any of the displayed locales gives you the option to directly teleport there.  According to the available documentation, the map's generated with Google Earth; if you have that program installed, you can also tag SL locations into the map yourself.  The interface is a bit cluttered, in my opinion, but this is a solid first step in adding mirror world technology to Second Life.  Hat tip: Radar Masukami.

Comments

[Vidal Tripsa]

Thanks for the highlight, Hamlet - this is certainly an interesting tool. It's made me aware of some universities for which I had no idea there was an SL interest. It is a shame about the name, though - am I to guess it stands for "Virtual World Geographic"? Much more pronounceable in that format.

[Uccello Poultry]

Thanks for reminding me. I've long thought that individual simulators should have their in-world clocks and day cycles set to match (if they wish) their real world locations. For example, the in-world Isle of Lesbos could set it's "clock" to GMT +2 to match the real world Lesbos. Universities might find this option handy, too, for coordinating with class or event schedules. Integrating all of this Google Earth or other non-SL applications would then make more sense.

[Via]

Currently so many locations are clearly missing (no Dublin?!), and I agree the interface is overly-busy (bubbles are full of excess verbiage, icons are all the same shape and color and sized too large, for example).

But its a fantastic beginning! I'd love to see this collaborative map-making mashup contain photos and wiki/blogpost overlays...and yes, a usable name ;)

Here what another attempt, circa 2006, looks like: http://snipr.com/7panm Seems as though it died.

It would also be fun to see a layered inworld map similar to GTAIV's: http://snipr.com/7pasa

[Mark John Wiseman]

Tnx for blogging my site, its nice to be surprised with a spike in the visitor statistics :)

I just want to correct a point: Adding a new location is done through the website (Add a place) and not through Google Earth. Google Earth is not used to generate these maps, but can be used to view the same data as on the site, if you wish.

AS for developing the application: Yes, we are currently brooding on perfecting the basic application and will be adding features to this 3 week old site in due course.

regards, Mark John