360World A mobile app for creating and sharing 360° images

Abstract

This report details the construction of 360World, an Android based prototype for a social media platform, the purpose of which is facilitating the capture and location focused sharing of 360 panorama pictures. The project encompasses the development of an Android application, a database for storing user information and the interface between these, as well as the configuration of hosting servers. The application makes use of algorithms from the OpenCV code library which are used to stitch multiple captured images into a single 360 panorama image; an image which can then be shared with the help of features that are typical for social media platforms, namely users and friends. 360World also has an innovative map-based way of visualising user profiles. Social media as an industry has been on the rise since its inception, and picture sharing is one of its major features; 360 pictures, however, are still relatively fringe. In this project, we explore one possible way 360 pictures could be utilised in a social media setting. The project resulted in a working prototype with which users can create, and share 360 panoramic images via map-based image presentation.