Unioninakseli
 
 
 
vision

Take a virtual stroll along Helsinki's Unioninkatu!

The virtual Unioninakseli is a joint project between Helsinki University and Arcada University of Applied Science.The aim of the project is to bring rich media into the streets of Helsinki thus creating a multilingual citywide interface for the visitor and interested citizen alike.

This is a prototype version, offering a short presentation of our work so far. We have created 21 videos in eight languages, accessed by clicking on the flag icons. The videos representing various points of cultural-historical interest have been placed on a map where you can take a look at the location and then click on the "link to see the footage.

HD quality videos are available in three languages in and they may take a little time to load. In the "Mobile" section you can find all eight language versions of the videos encoded in 3gp format which is supported on most mobile phones, iPads and other tablets.

In the near future we aim to connect the footage presented here to the physical cityscape. Using QR codes and GPS.

If you are interested in contributing to the project, please contact the producers as listed on the "Credits" page above.

Videos in HD format
These videos work best in Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari browsers.

Firefox works but has to download the file completely before starting the video.

Currently these videos are available in English, Finnish and Swedish. The other languages will be added shortly.


Mobile videos
 These videos are highly compressed and well suited for watching on your mobile phone over 3G or wireless LAN.

They also work on the PC and Mac but require Quicktime.

All eight languages are available here on the right.

Note: you can go straight to the videos using the "Video links" on the top of the page.


When clicking on the flag, you are presented with a google map interface. The red markers represent the different sites. Clicking on the marker brings up a streetview window depicting the nearby area. Above it is a blue link that takes you to the video. Some of the street view windows are empty due to the Google car not having had access to the area.