Virtual JHU 2.0 Released!

Today we released version 2.0 of Virtual JHU, which contains a lot of new features. Keep reading for more information.

We are happy to announce the release of Virtual JHU 2.0. We have made a lot of changes and added many new features for this release. The most obvious change is the new website design, for which we can thank STS’s team of web designers: Allison Tse, Lia Cefalu, Steve Han, and Lavanya Sivakumar.

Depending on the speed of your internet connection and your computer's graphics card, you may experience performance difficulties. We are working to decrease the amount of time it takes to load Virtual JHU and hope you will be a little patient. One thing to note is that once you have loaded Virtual JHU, it will load quicker within the same browser session.

Here is the full list of new features:

1. Google Earth Browser Plugin

For the first version of Virtual JHU, the models were contained in a Google Earth file (kmz) that users downloaded and then opened in Google Earth. Version 2.0 utilizes the Google Earth browser plugin to display the Virtual JHU models inside the user’s browser window.

2. Realistic Terrain

If you have ever visited the Homewood Campus, you know that the terrain there is unique, to say the least. Virtual JHU now includes a realistic representation of the terrain and accurately places buildings in the terrain.


3. New Models – Including Interiors!

Almost all of the Homewood Campus buildings have been remodeled for version 2.0. Why? Because we wanted to include the interiors of the buildings as well as the exteriors. Now you can look inside a building and see its individual rooms. This is great for locating classrooms, offices, and many other relevant places on campus.

4. New Levels of Data

As mentioned, you can now view individual rooms by clicking on their icon inside the Earth viewer. When you do this, you will get information associated with that room: if it’s an office, you will see a description of the office, a link to its website, and maybe a video talking about what goes on there. Classrooms contain a list of classes that meet there, and dining locations around campus are tagged, showing hours, payment options (Dining Dollars, J Cash, etc.), and more. In the coming months we will be adding more kinds of data as well as extending our coverage of tagged data. If you would like input in what data is included in Virtual JHU, email us. We need your help!