Upnext.com – Virtual Manhattan in 3-D

Upnext.com is a virtual cityscape that allows you to explore Manhattan’s shops, restaurants, and venues in 3-D. The site, similar to other city guide sites like Citysearch and Yelp, allows members to rate and review destinations and socialize with other users, but it also includes several additional features its predecessors don’t. First, it’s in 3-D, “which makes the information more visually readable, and lets you pack in more information,” explains one of its co-founders, Raj Advani (who is responsible for most of the site’s programming). Second, the “spotlight feature” allows users to search for and highlight certain specific search items – Chinese restaurants or concert halls for example – through a search box or by clicking one of the sites category icons above the map. After deciding the scope of the area you want to search (it can be as wide as Manhattan and as specific as one block), the answers to your search are then highlighted on the 3-D map which you can navigate through and view from any angle.

Advani explained that because the site uses local data and not Mapquest’s or GoogleMap’s APIs, the information on Upnext is more current and flexible: “Those APIs are made for directions and local recovery – not local discovery.” Advani says a time component (being able to search for events based on when they’re going on) is in the works, and depending on the success of Upnext Manhattan, other major metropolises like San Francisco and Los Angeles may be on their way.