Visual content is a key component to most, if not all, purchasing decisions. Nowadays, businesses — small, medium and large — use the web as their first source of information and an impressive web site speaks volumes about the company. Now full screen virtual tours add another dimension of information — one that appeals to the emotions and transcends language barriers.

“We do understand the changing market needs in Dubai and want to keep abreast with the latest trends. As business profits multiply, innovative ways are used to attract clients and hold on to existing customers,” explains Mahmood Rashid Khan who has a web site iMedia.ae.

He introduces the concept of Virtual Tours in an exclusive presentation to Weekend. By providing high quality visual content, it is easier for users to take decisions while at the same time offering online businesses a superlative visual medium to attract customers.

“My mission is to inspire Internet surfers through complete illustration while immersing them in a unique and interactive experience – a virtual prelude to the real-world experience that awaits them,” he adds.

Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology, which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment as in Virtual Tours. VR environments are primarily visual experiences and were an ad on to QuickTime (QT) in 1994. The official QTVR support was launched in January 1995. To promote this experience QuickTime was used and is still the best player for quality visual experience.

What is QuickTime VR? “It is a media type that lets you examine and explore photorealistic, three-dimensional virtual worlds. Virtual reality information is typically stored as a panorama, made by stitching many images together so they surround your view point or surrounds an object that you want to examine,” Khan informs.

What is a panoramic virtual tour? He adds, “A panoramic virtual tour lets you stand in a place and look around. It provides a full 360-degree panoramic virtual tour, the ability to pan horizontally as well as tilt up and down. To look left, right and up and down, you simply move the mouse across the panorama.”

There are a lot of activities both commercial and otherwise that can be covered by this technology. It includes musical programmes, exhibitions, conferences, sports activities, fashion, travel and tourism, culture and heritage shows, weddings, graduation and official ceremonies.

Khan offers VR photography services and says that the market in Dubai is good but people need to be educated about its benefits. He says that he often receives strange looks and comments from people like most VR photographers have encountered. “When I shoot panoramas, people laugh at me and ask me why are you shooting the skies and floors. So I have taken it upon myself to educate people and promote my services by covering local events,” he says.

He has covered prestigious events such as the 18th Arabian Gulf Cup football tournament 2007, Dubai Shopping Festival activities on Al Seef Road, The Legends ‘Rock’ Dubai, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup — Qualifier Dubai, Camel Race Festival (Swehan) and Dubai Air Show (2005) which are all available on his web site  http://www.iMedia.ae

He recollects some of the problems he encountered while shooting pictures. “It was very difficult to shoot a virtual tour of the funeral ceremony of His Highness Shaikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Lots of people were there and there wasn’t even room to place the tripod. I decided to shoot without the tripod and the result was amazing.”

Khan is not only recognised in Dubai but has received worldwide recognition for his work. His virtual tour of the 18th Arabian Gulf Cup 2007 was published on a Denmark-based web site  "http://www.panoramas.dk" Switzerland based http://www.VRMAG.orgis the only magazine which writes articles on virtual tours all over the world. This one has also featured his work on their web site.

Khan admits that he was honoured to shoot the first virtual tour of The Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) Mosque (Masjid Al Nabawi). This is the second most important place of worship for Muslims around the world, after the Grand Mosque (Al-Haram), in Makkah Al-Mukarramah. This work was selected as the best virtual tour of 2005 by http://www.VRMAG.org

Khan also recorded the first virtual tour of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry during the opening ceremony of the Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship. He was there when Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah, Secretary General, Gulf Co-operation Council, spoke at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) in Abu Dhabi. He covered the Global Indian Film Awards in Dubai in which Shah Rukh Khan (the King of Bollywood) was present along with his wife Ghouri and other well-known Bollywood stars.