Helsinki, September 5th, 2006

Virtual Kainuu portal opens for beta testing

Virtual Kainuu area portal with 3D map of city of Kuhmo opens for beta testing. 3D map user interface is based on Fontus new CityGuide3D tehnology. www.virtualkainuu.net (Link opens a new window).

Web2.0 user interface with AJAX

Fontus is developing its CityGuide3D technology in cooperation Kainuu Telephone KPO. Project is partly financed by Tekes, the National Technology Agency of Finland.
CityGuide3D uses modern AJAX technology that makes it possible to publish 3D city maps with local Point Of Interest (POI) information without any web browser plugins.

Current city portal version is beta 0.6. Version 1.0 should be finished by the end of 2006 and final opening of Virtual Kainuu is to take place in early 2007.

Virtual Kainuu as a 3D Wikipedia

Virtual citizens of Kainuu are invited to take part in adding and editing local POI-data to 3D map of Kuhmo. The goal is to make Virtual Kainuu a living "Kainuupedia".

Virtual Kainuu and 3D map of Kuhmo

Province of Kainuu is in North Eastern Finland. Between 1998-2002 Fontus built one of the largest 3D-models in the World for Kajaani Telephone Company and local communities. Virtual-Kainuu project was financed partly by European Union. Huge model covers over 23.000 km2 with all roads, buildings, lakes and rivers in the province.

Now the 3D map of Kuhmo is used as one of the pilot cases in the project. Fontus has modelled the city in two different scales. Center of the city is modelled using 3d stereo mapping made by FM-Kartta Oy. Surrounding areas are modelled using data by Finnish Land Survey.

The goal is to publish in the future all 3D Kainuu maps in the new Virtual Kainuu portal so that it would cover all 23.000 square kilometers of the province.

Image of Virtual Kainuu, city of Kuhmo in the distance.

More information:

CEO Immo Teperi,
Tel. +358-44-2928775
Email immo.teperi@fontus.com
Fontus Oy, Pihkatie 4, FIN-00410 Helsinki

Managing director Marja Karjalainen
Tel. +358-8-61771
Email: marja.karjalainen@kpo.fi
Kajaanin Puhelinosuuskunta, KPO, Pohjolankatu 20, FIN-87100 Kajaani