PhotoCity, a virtual capture-the-flag game devised by UW and Cornell computer scientists, starts this week. Says University Week:
“It’s an intercollegiate challenge that’s a little bit different. No balls, sticks or stadiums are involved. Any number of people can participate. The playing field is the entire campus. And the only equipment you need is a digital camera. The goal is to capture the campus, one photo at a time.
“Starting today, anybody is invited to snap digital photos of the University of Washington campus in a game of virtual capture-the-flag. Students, faculty, staff and community members are all invited to participate.
“To play, go to http://photocitygame.com to sign up. There you’ll find a campus map showing white flags that have yet to be captured, as well as colored flags that have already been claimed by one of four teams.
“Next take your camera or other device and snap photos at the flag’s location. You can submit photos instantly using the game’s iPhone application or upload photos to the game’s Web site. Points are awarded for the number of photos, the resolution and quality of the images and, most importantly, whether a player was the first to capture a flag.
“The game, PhotoCity, is a project by computer scientists looking at ways to make 3-D models of neighborhoods or cities. Reconstructions have been started at the UW and Cornell campuses, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle. The game is being organized by researchers who are using their own campuses to test a new strategy to acquire images for their models.”
See the article here. Play the game here. Learn about the phenomenal work in UW’s Graphics and Imaging Laboratory here.