Yes, that’s what Wonobo offers you. It’s Google Street View’s Indian rival, and is bigger, better, bolder. Um no, not bolder; just better. Launched by Mumbai-based mapping firm, Genesys International, it runs on the same concept as Google Street View, providing 3-D views of Indian streets, but with a difference.
For long, Google Street View has been the only player providing us with 360-degree view of streets. But, of late, it has been struggling to get required permissions from Indian authorities.
Wonobo
Why it’s better than Google Street View?
a) It is way more personalized than simple shots of streets. It inserts placeholders to show business, city guides and walking tours. It even gives you trivia and latest news connected to your city as you browse through the streets.
b) Also, it finds more favour with government authorities since the company worked in consultation with them in order to comply with the regulations. So, in all probability it will have more access to the streets and places of interest than Google.
Work Under Progress:
Wonobo presently charts 12 Indian cities, and the plan is to expand to 54 more. The site is still evolving; new cities, new landmarks are being added to bring everything to your doorstep, sorry, computer screen. So, expect more, and don’t fret if you can’t find your Pappy Halwai yet.
Genesys International was started two decades ago by brothers Sol and Sajid Malik. The latter said at the launch of Wonobo, which by the way saw an investment of $35 million:
“We are the first urban chronicle of today’s India, having mapped panoramic imagery of thousands of square kilometres and close to 10 million places of interest across the country. We are confident that Wonobo will be a major value creator for an entirely new ecosystem of businesses in the years to come.”
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