New Website Lets You Discover West Bloomfield in 3D

Despite a deep appreciation for Middle Eastern cuisine, Michele Economou Ureste had never tried . According to the township supervisor, it's "tucked away" near the corner of Orchard Lake and Maple roads.

Once Ureste eventually tried Falafel King, she said, she was hooked. However, the inability to find such a gem is something she hopes will be avoided thanks to 3dwestbloomfield.com, a new website launched Saturday by Luna Tech Designs. 

“When it comes to business, I think that this technology will offer a lot to people without them having to leave the comfort of home,” said Ureste, who in November 2010 received unanimous approval for a recommendation from the township board to help fund the site, which is mostly funded by a $3,000 submission from  “Take the Falafel King ... if we can get West Bloomfield businesses to buy in to this service, it could be something that helps us retain them.”

Doug Willett, 43, believes that within 10 years, online, three-dimensional mapping of West Bloomfield Township businesses will be as ubiquitous as a website.

Since 2008, the Plymouth resident has provided “3D geospatial mapping solutions” to both individual businesses and communities around Metro Detroit and as far away as Branson, MO. Willett said that Luna is one of only six companies in the United States utilizing technology in this way and the first certified by Google as a “Geo 3D Developer.”

"If you were to walk into a business now and ask where their phone is, and they said that they don't have one, you would tell them that they're crazy," Willett said. "We think that people are going to think the same of our type of technology 10 years from now. It's a tool to answer your questions — where can I vote, where are the parks, where is available property — with visuals."

Willett said that he and his team rely on Google Earth, other imaging sources, and "anywhere from 10 to 200 photos" of a building or an event provided by a client to incorporate its customers into the technology. According to its site, Luna Tech can use information which is already online, including an entire site, to incorporate into the technology in the form of "pop-up balloons."

"Everyone has a dot on the map," Willett said of the West Bloomfield site, which for now features a 3-D model of the hospital and no other models. "What we hope is for is that businesses and events will want to take it further, to provide their phone number, information, and even their entire website, to seamlessly integrate with ours."

According to John Buzuvis, director of business operations for the city of Plymouth, Luna Tech was not only an easy sell on Plymouth, but an easy sell for independent businesses.

"I'd say that 75 percent of the businesses who we've individually approached about it have been on board," he said. "Once they know what it can do for them, it makes the entire community a better place. I would absolutely recommend to a DDA or a Chamber of Commerce to promote. Young people are all over the web these days to use tools like these."

The site’s launch will feature interactive icons on a Google Earth interface to point out to users the locations of township facilities, including:

• West Bloomfield , , and department headquarters
• Library facilities at both the and the
• Schools of the
• Recreation facilities of
• Every business listing in the
• Henry Ford West Bloomfield Health System

In November, the Health System agreed to pay for the startup cost of the site, in addition to a portion of an annual maintenance fee to be divided amongst the located community members, with the exception of the Chamber. "We're on board here at Henry Ford," said Carey Chesney, then director of marketing and public relations. "This is a great opportunity."

However, Willett made note that he cannot be the "feet on the street," to sell individual West Bloomfield businesses on Luna Tech.

"We're looking for someone in the community, someone who knows the community, who can go door-to-door for something like this," he said.

Willett noted that he can be reached at (734) 260-1069 and lunatech3d@gmail.com.