About Digital Corfu Project

Object of this action is the creation of the digital town of Corfu, a pioneer effort worldwide for the representation of the old town of Corfu by means of virtual tour technology.

This application gives the possibility to the internet users to tour the historical centre of the town and get to know better its history, its particularity and the tourist product it has to offer.

Along with the tourist promotion of Corfu, a series of commercial services from businesses running their activities at the historical centre of the town are provided.

The tour at the historical centre is made with panoramic images of 360 degrees, which allow the user to see a realistic photographic representation of the space as it is and get to know it better by exploring every nook and cranny of it. The application tries to give the sensation to the user that he is at that place, at a square, out of a museum or a monument and he is given the possibility to do some things he would do, if he truly were there. He may turn his eyes all around, observe a building or focus on a detail by blowing up the picture.

In connection with the real space, he may, with a mouse click, find himself at the entrance of a museum that is at the panoramic image, get virtually transferred in the interior of the museum and learn more about its exhibits.

The whole experience of the panoramic image exploration is particularly impressive and manages to whip up the user’s interest and attract his attention. At the same time, it gives him the sensation that what he sees on his computer’s screen is the real image of the real place, on account of the fact that it gives him the possibility to explore the place on his own and turn his eyes all around.

300 panoramic images have been made for the promotion of the historical centre setting off attraction sites, such as important buildings, monuments, museums, but also every nook and cranny of the town in which the visitor is interested. Every panoramic image is accompanied by a descriptive text, which gives more information about the specific place, i.e. its name, its history, its utility etc.

All this information provided by the application of the digital town is spatially organized, so that the user acquires access to it, by choosing spots at a map of the conurbation, as well as to a series of categories, so that he may have easily access to the subcategory of everything he is looking for, for example sights and museums, celebrations, ship mooring etc.

At the same time, with the co-operation of the Commercial Chamber of Corfu, 110 businesses that run their activities at the historical centre have been included in that application. These businesses that manifested their interest to include themselves in the application of the digital town, offer a series of products and services in which the internet visitor might be interested, either by distance or when he travels at Corfu, as a tourist or visitor. Thus, thanks to the digital town, the internet user is able to enter these shops, see their products or services provided and if he finds something that he likes, he can buy it or make a reservation.

The businesses in the digital town include hotels, café, restaurants, cake-shops, jeweller’s, boutiques, shoe-maker’s, gift shops, tourist and traditional shops, travel agencies, bookshops etc.

The user can virtually visit these shops, either during his virtual tour at the historical centre or through lists of similar businesses the application of the digital town offers.