Burj Khalifa’s Online Profile Reaches New Heights

Burj Khalifa has become the first skyscraper globally and first major landmark in the MENA region to be mapped out by Google Streetview.

The move provides online visitors with greater insight into the world’s tallest tower and serves as a virtual marketing tool for promoting the tower globally. At the launch in the Armani Hotel Dubai today, Google said that the move could equate into “hundreds of millions of visitors” globally every month.

Google’s Streetview team used specially designed cameras strapped rucksack-style to their backs to map out every inch of the tower, including the 152nd floor where they were buffeted by 40 mile-an-hour winds. Alongside its dedicated portal, users can also access the tool through Google maps where, by dragging a ‘yellow peg man’ onto their desired area, they can see the real life image.

The search engine giant believes Streetview enhances users’ knowledge of landmarks and helps boost overall navigation, given that 40 per cent of all its searches are location oriented.

Emaar chairman Mohamed Alabbar, speaking via a video link in Paris, said the online development will not only help reflect Dubai’s “incredible spirit” but also show how more than 100 nationalities “stretched technology to the limit” in building the tower.