London, from above: Record-breaking 320-gigapixel interactive picture of the capital that lets you zoom in on streets and buildings 20 MILES away

Image was taken from the 29th floor of the BT Tower, London's tenth highest building, over three days in 2012

If printed out, the photograph would be almost as large as Buckingham Palace

The photographers took more than 48,000 individual frames, making it the most detailed picture ever taken

The panorama, captured on four cameras, took three months to process




It's often said that you can't see London in a day. Well, now you can.

Using 48,000 individual frames, photographers have created the world's largest panoramic image, allowing you to explore England's capital like never before.

Taken from the top of the BT Tower, London's tenth largest building, the interactive picture offers a 360-degree view that lets you weave through the architectural maelstrom and even occasionally stumble upon some greenery.

London in 320-Gigapixels - use your mouse to navigate around London (may not work on all mobile devices)

Bird's eye view: An overview of the 360-degree image that consists of 320 billion pixels

LONDON'S 360 IN NUMBERS

3 – the number of days it took to shoot all the individual photos

3 – the number of months over which the computer processed the final result

60,000 – times bigger than an iPhone 4 photo

98 – length in metres if printed in normal photographic resolution

24 – height in metres if printed in normal photographic resolution

29th – The floor at the BT Tower where the photos were take n

20 – number of miles distant to the viewable horizon

Whether zooming in on the Shard, or picking up a group of friends playing football in the park, the picture offers an immediate taste of life in the city.

Photographers spent three days painstakingly capturing the city while enduring sub-zero temperatures, making sure that every inch was covered.

The 320 gigapixel image (320 billion pixels) took a further three months to finalise, as technicians from photography firm 360Cities amalgamated the images and welded them into a final vista.

The completed interactive image - 64,000 times more detailed than a standard iPhone snap - would measure 98 metres in width and 24 metres in height if printed in 2D.

The nearest attempt at creating a similar image was in 2010, taken from Centrepoint.



But the image was a quarter of the size, measuring 80 gigapixels.

These new images, which were taken following the London 2012 Games, capture the city during a remarkable year in which it hosted the world's biggest sporting occasion, saw patriotic fervor swell due to the Queen's jubilee and welcomed Europe's largest building to its skyline.

Vista: A trio of photographers from company 360Cities spent three days in 2012 compiling the images using four cameras

Detail: The photographers meticulously gathered the images from every angle possible in order to create the image

Hard work: The trio were forced to endure sub-zero temperatures and 50mph gusts of wind to complete the project

Toil: After the pictures were taken the team spent another three months amalgamating them into a final piece

The image was taken from the BT Tower's 29th floor - with the horizon 20 miles in the distance.

Suzi Williams from BT, who sponsored the picture, said: 'What better way to capture that remarkable year than with a full panoramic photograph taken from its roof. This isn’t just a world record for the BT Tower, it’s for London and the people who live, work in or visit the capital.'

The interactive map invites Londoners, or indeed anybody with a soft spot for the capital, to mark their favourite views or places on it.

The director of 360Cities described how his photography team of Jeffrey Martin, Tom Mills and Holger Schulze had to battle the elements to capture the image.

Deatil: The interactive picture allows you to zoom in incredible detail, whether it is looking at the Shard or perhaps recognising yourself walking along the street



Sightseeing: The in-depth zoom function allows to explore London's landmarks, such as Tower Bridge

Hi there: Passengers on the London Eye, another of London's impressive viewpoints

The trio had to endure below freezing conditions and were battered by gusts of winds of up to 50mph.



Steve Hercher said: ' So many unknowns and variables had to be addressed in the planning of this unprecedented shoot, really the first of its kind.



'Software and hardware were pushed to the limits, and rain, wind and other potential stumbling blocks had to be dealt with.

'Our photography team of Jeffrey Martin, Tom Mills and Holger Schulze did an amazing job and not a single individual frame from the more than 48,000 planned was missed.'

Stunning: The incredible interactive image of London comprises more than 48,000 individual frames amalgamated

Have a look: The image allows users to span the capital as captured from the 29th floor of the BT Tower, London's tenth largest building

The team used four Canon EOS 7D cameras to record the 48,640 images. They were mounted on Clauss company Rodeon VR Head ST robotic panorama heads and positioned in four secure locations around the platform.



The robotic heads are capable of 72,000 steps in a single 360 degree arc and the cameras here were set to fire four frames a second.



Laptops monitored a live preview of the images.



The team behind the photo have also hidden a BT mascot in the image, with prizes up for grabs for those who find him.

Operation: The detailed operation captured at height as the photographers captured the images and reviewed them them live as they were fed into nearby computers