Progress Blog
- Written by Joe
With the recent events transpiring in Artsakh as they have, we've decided that there's now no longer a reason to keep the Artsakh imagery offline. We will be expanding our coverage of Armenia and making the Artsakh imagery available in high-resolution 360 video form within the next few months.
Plans for expanded coverage:
We plan to re-photograph Yerevan in order to account for the massive construction boom
the plan is to provide true street-by-street coverage.
Beyond Yerevan, the next goal is to provide street-by-street coverage of adjacent cities and fan out progressively.
We'll be partnering with other organizations in order to make the mapping of Armenia a regular consistent process
please get in touch with us if you live in Armenia and would like to participate.
Patreon for interactive 360 video drive throughs of Armenia
We'll likely be creating a Patreon in order to provide funding for continuous operations (a driver and an operator who can do the work on a regular weekly basis) as well as to provide an opportunity for those who wish to gain access to the hundreds of minutes of high-resolution video, the chance to do so.
Our 2018 Armenia coverage represents the height of freedom in Artsakh, and it includes walkthroughs of sites like:
- Stepanakert
- Shushi
- Amaras
- Dadivank
- Gandzasar
- Metz Togher
In addition to the sites above, we also have the road to Vardenis covered as well as many connecting roads.
All of this will be processed into 360 video form and made available via our Patreon.
- Written by Joe
If you're reading this, there is no doubt you are aware of the situation on the ground in Armenia right now.
There is an unfolding humanitarian disaster afoot in Artsakh and you may have noticed that nearly all of our Armenia360 imagery has disappeared from the map. Please rest assured that this is not a technical difficulty or other unintended setback. After careful consideration and out of concern for the safety of the civilians living in the area, we have decided to withhold publishing all imagery of the region until a durable peace emerges. The images are not lost, far from it, they now constitute an important historical record of the state of important parts of Artsakh before the conflict.
Like many of you we are pushing for a durable, lasting, non-military resolution to this conflict.
- Written by Joe
Google's Street View Summit 2019 and next steps
We presented at the summit, here is a beautiful summary of our efforts thus far
In an unexpected turn, it appears we've made an impression with Google's Street View Team
Here is Stafford Marquardt, program manager for Google Street View mentioning our work in Armenia and how we've made it appear as though Google themselves covered Armenia
"
As of today (October 18, 2019) we've amassed 35 Million views
There's so much more for us to photograph and publish in Armenia.
Google covered cities have street-by-street coverage, we need to achieve the same level of coverage for Armenia
We've solved so many challenges of making this a reality, but we're going to need some help to get to street-by-street coverage
It should now be obvious that we're serious about this mission, now we need to figure out the support we'll have to get in order to deliver the next level of coverage
- Written by Joe
We finally finished uploading all 610,000 remaining 360 images which
were shot with the Insta360 pro.
All in all this equates to 727,000 360 images published!
Notably these were nearly all images of Artsakh.
Artsakh was uploaded after the whole of the Armenian national dataset was uploaded.
- Written by Joe
This August we're going to be on the ground in Armenia
adding a tremendous number of new images to the Yerevan metro area
We're going to be in Armenia in August/September with Google streetview certified high-speed, high-resolution cameras, and we'll be adding an order of magnitude greater number of images to the Yerevan metropoliton area. We'll also be introducing a new campaign to expand beyond the borders of Yerevan.
- Written by Joe
Armenia360 produces a continuously growing set of immersive 360 degree photographs
presented on Google maps (at present) and viewable via Desktop and mobile devices.
2018թ. մայիսի 26-ին ԵՊՀ Իջևանի մասնաճյուղում կայացավ «1918թ. Մայիսյան հերոսամարտերը և Հայաստանի առաջին հանրապետության արարման գործընթացը» խորագրով հանրապետական գիտաժողովը՝ նվիրված Առաջին հանրապետության հիմնադրման 100-ամյակին:
Գիտաժողովին մասնակցում էին հանրապետության գիտաուսումնական հաստատությունների ավելի քան 50 ներկայացուցիչներ (ոչ միայն դասախոսներ, ուսումնագիտական ոլորտի աշխատակիցներ, այլև ուսանողներ ու շրջանավարտներ):
Գիտաժողովն անցկացվեց հինգ բաժանմունքներում, այդ թվում նաև ԵՊՀ ԻՄ Բնական գիտությունների ֆակուլտետում։ ԲՆական գիտությունների ֆակուլտետում բացման խոսքով հանդես եկավ դեկան, ֆ․մ․գ․թ․, դոցենտ Մանվել Զաքարյանը։
ԵՊՀ ԻՄ Ծրագրավորման և ինֆորմացիոն տեխնոլոգիաների ամբիոնի դոցենտ, տեխն․գ․թ․ Աննա Սմբատի Սիմոնյանը ներկայացրեց Armenia360Նախագծի շրջանակներում լայնամաստաբ քարտեզագրման առանձնահատկությունները թեմայով գիտական զեկույց․
Ներկայացվեց շրջիկ գործակալի խնդրի կիրառությունը նկարահանումների ժամանակ ինչպես նաև լուսաբանվեց Հայաստանը 360 աստիճան տեխնոլոգիայով նկարահանման ժամանակ քարտեզագրման գործընթացը․
Ներկաները ծանոթացան Armenia360.org-ի աշխատանքներին և կայքին․
Կոնֆերանսի ավարտին պարոն Զաքարյանը մասնակիցներին տվեց հավաստագրեր
- Written by Joe
Serj Tankian & Nikol Pashinyan, during May 7th evening rally in Republic Square Yerevan, Armeni.
PM Candidate Nikol Pashinyan and System of A Down frontmant Serj Tankia address the crowd at an evening rally of May 7th in republic square Yerevan, Armenia.
(If you're on a mobile device & cannot see the interactive 360 video, please use the following link
to open the video in the YouTube app on your device: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PziSWT6MpU)
- Written by Joe
Nikol Pashinyan gives a pre-election speech on April 28th to a crowd of thousands in Ijevan, Armenia.
PM Candidate Nikol Pashinyan and Serj Tankian (of System of a Down Fame) greet a crowd of cheering supporters at Zvartnots Intl Airport.
- Written by Joe
Nikol Pashinyan gives a pre-election speech on April 28th to a crowd of thousands in Ijevan, Armenia.
Member of Parliament Nikol Pashinyan, gives a rousing speech to a crowd of thousands in his hometown Ijevan, days before the May 1st snap elections in Armenia.
- Written by Joe
This Year's March for Justice
In light of the recent political developments in Armenia, this year's March for Justice was particularly special. In an era of strained political polarization, and in a part of the world where a previous supposed 'bastion' of democracy (a large neighboring state to the west) has tilted troublingly toward autocracy, the events in Armenia are a ray of hope that the spirit of true democracy of the people by the people is alive.
We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Armenia, and will do all we can to walk with them into this new era for our country.
Below are some excerpts from the recent March for Justice 2018, which took place both in Los Angeles and around the world.
Arpi Avanesian of the Armenian Genocide Committee giving the closing address. She notes that we now have the support of 48 out of the 50 united states of america in recognition of the Armenian Genocide (The 2 remaining states are Alabama, and Mississippi) and that we are closing the remaining political gap in our cause for justice.
Congressman Adam Schiff expressing the support of our allies in the US, towards acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide. He ends with a phrase "Paykar, Paykar, meenchev Verch", which tranlates in English to "Persevere, Persevere, Till the End".
A particularly spirited voice in the Armenian Youth, Aram Manukyan led a rousing speech that resonated particularly strongly with the crowd. Well spoken Aram!
Closing out the speeches was a moving performance of Zartir Lao ("Awake, my Son!") by Maria Cozette:
The lyrics of Zartir Lao, are translated in english, below:
Mobs of soldiers have gathered,
And surrounded the plain of Moush,
The sultan aims to wipe us out
Awake, my son, I die for you...
Poor Countrymen died, drowning in tears,
Wandering through foreign lands,
Died under tax and boot of the Turk
Awake, my son, I die for you...
What curse could fit the heinous Turk soldiers,
Who killed our sons and chief Arabo,
Bereft left our sole hopes in the cradle
Awake, my son, I die for you
- Written by Joe
Welcome to Stepanakert!
Tatik yev Papik
Translated means: "Grandmother and Grandfather"
- Written by Joe
There and back again
To borrow a phrase from Tolkien, indeed it is a trek to reach Artsakh, a 6 hour drive
from Yerevan to the border line, and then another 1.5 hour drive to reach Stepanakert.
At the time of our shoot there was only one way into Stepanakert from Armenia, this road was the
Goris-Berdzor Stepanakert Highway
or highwayM12
(Beginning at Goris and running across the border).
Moving in the opposite direction (Towards Armenia) the road becomesYerevanyan Highway
.
Thus to visit Artsakh from Yerevan is indeed a long (14 hour roundtrip moving quickly) trek,
"There and back again".
Our mission is to bring the Armenian homeland to the eyes of the diasporan and native Armenian populations easily and immersively. It's our job to help you connect easily again to geographical & cultural Armenia, to that end we have covered the road to Artsakh and some key cities.
It is now possible to immersively visit the path from Goris to the Artsakh border.
Approaching the border checkpoint on the way into Artsakh
Welcome to Artsahk! Onwards to Shushi, & Stepanakert
- Written by Joe
It's been a VERY productive summer!
This summer, over August & September we've increased our production capabilities markedly. The big change is the switchover to vehicular-based image acquisition, and a native Armenia360 team who will be tackling the ongoing job of continuing to cover cities and locations. This summer we generated over 5,000 images, nearly 200% more imagery than last year! We're on-track to reaching 10,000 360 photospheres by the end of year 2017. More updates to come soon as the images are processed and published.