Exploring Mobile Augmented Reality Navigation System for Pedestrians

Mobile augmented reality has been introduced rapidly through various mobile applications ever since smart phones became widespread. Geographic information system applications, especially those using location based service, have adapted this new computer vision technology, but current mobile AR applications which contain POI data only display location information. This forces the user to switch from an AR view to a conventional 2-dimensional view in order to receive continuous spatial information that covers a user's entire route. This paper will use a scenario-based approach and propose a solution that will provide linear spatial data, particularly route information, in mobile augmented reality applications.

This conference paper was published in the GISRUK 2012.

Open publication - Free publishing - More gis

IBM Seer: Augmented Reality app for 2010 Wimbledon Games

IBM has upgraded their augmented reality application for the 2010 Wimbledon games. Named Seer, this application produces augmented reality views of geo-specific information, showing everything from the length of queues for Champagne or strawberries and cream to the location of the nearest cash machine. In addition, as part of a deal with the BBC, the application shows live video streams of matches from the top three courts. Seer is available for the iPhone and Android platform.

A New Android Application : Google Shopper

Google has launched a new Android application called Google Shopper which can lead you to a new way to buy goods. Google Shopper gives you information about a product that is displayed on the screen of your Android-platform mobile phone. The application can read a 2-D bar code or the front page of a book. In addition, the application recognizes your voice and searches for products that you are looking for.


Google has already launched an application called Google Goggles which uses image processing technology (namely image extraction and recognition). Google also already has an application called Google voice search.

A New Augmented Reality (AR) Application in Korea : Ovjet

Korean mobile network provider SK Telecom has revealed a new augmented reality application called “Ovjet” for Android-platform mobile phones.

It seems like quite similar to the concept of Google Goggles. When you point your camera at a building using your Android phone, the relevant information about the building is superimposed on the camera image on your mobile’s screen. For example, when you point your camera at a movie theatre, the application provides information about the movies being shown, and if you point at a book centre you can buy books through Ovjet.

A new mobile appl : GeoVector’s World Surfer 2

A company called GeoVector launched a new version (2.0) of its World Surfer app for the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone and Android-powered devices.
They categorized some themes such as coffee shops, resturants, historical places and so on, which they call "Channel". The application simply gives information on the direction you are heading.
As for as I understood their application, the application does not provide augmented reality display but they use digital compass and GPS.

Washington Post: "Google phone would break industry model"

The advent of the Android-based Google phone "Nexus One"

Google has tested their first mobile phone, "Nexus One," through their employees.

The appearance of an advanced mobile device this year has led to an outpouring of mobile augmented reality applications.

So it is very interesting to hear that Google is going to launch their first mobile phone, "Nexus One."

Here is an interesting news article from the Washington Post about the new Google phone. It compares the policies of iPhone and Google phone to the OS battle between IBM and Apple in the 1980s.

The full detail article is here.
The image from here.

My 3 favorite mobile augmented reality applications

Since the iPhone 3GS and Android platform mobile phones have appeared, a lot of mobile augmented reality application have launched. These include LBS (Location-Based Service) mobile augmented reality applications, games and so on.

I have tried some of these applications and here are my three favorite mobile augmented reality applications so far. This is only my personal opinion, and I only chose applications which are related to GIS or LBS.


1. Layar
Layar is a platform for mobile augmented reality. The great thing about this platform you can make your own augmented reality application on your Android phone and your iPhone.
In order to do this you need to get a developerID and a developer Key from Layar. I think Layar will help to diffuse the usage of augmented reality in the mobile world.
The video clip is here


2. Acrossair's Nearest tube
Acrossair's Nearest tube is one of the first augmented reality applications on the iPhone. The reason I like this application is that the user interface is very simple and easy. I think that is the most important factor if an application is to become widely used. In addition, this application has showed how we can use augmented reality with GIS (or LBS) in the first stage of mobile augmented reality.
However, producing only directions and distance is not enough for real-life usage. I have used this application only once since I downloaded it several months ago, but it does a great job of showing us what the future can hold when we combine augmented reality with GIS and LBS.
The video clip is here


3.WIKITUDE Drive - AR Navigation
AR Navigation is the best application when it comes to combining GIS with augmented reality. It also features world-wide coverage. In order to improve this application in the future, it could be fused with other technologies. For example, as display technology has improved there have been several attempts to use a car's windshield as a display material. If we can use this transparent display to provide information to a driver, we can have a significantly safer driving environment. And in order to enhance the accuracy of figure information, image recognition and detection technology should be improved.
The video clip is here

An amazing image recognition technology - Google Goggles

Since I began to study augmented reality, I have recognized that image recognition and image detection are significant technologies that can enhance locating accuracy.
Now Google has introduced an application (a new searching method) called Google Goggles. It recognizes the image of a book's front page, the text of business cards, and even buildings. In the cases of books and buldings, Google Goggles shows further information about those objects. In addition, it directly extracts text from business cards (name, phone number, etc.)

Wikitude Drive – AR Navigation System

Mobilizy GmbH has released a new Android based augmented reality car navigation system. According to the website, this application has world wide coverage. However, your mobile device must be connected to a mobile internet network while you are using it, because this application is designed to get data in realtime from the internet.

Augmented Reality: Augmented Traffic Views

This augmented reality application shows how augmented reality can be used for ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) in contrast to the last few augmented reality applications, which give you information about restaurants and buidlings. The augmented traffic views application shows you current traffic scenes from traffic monitoring cameras. The application augments points of traffic monitoring cameras which are located near you. It basically works with GPS and a digital compass. According to the video clip it displays traffic monitoring camera scenes remarkably fast.

Augmented reality meets scavenger hunt with GeoBeagle, Wikitude

This is another Android based Augmented Reality application which is made by U.K.-based developer Nicholas Tollervey. It is Augmented Reality version of treasure hunting game. I found this this post from the Venturebeat website.
The more detail information about this application here.

Geocaching, an outdoor game where players use GPS on mobile devices to leave or track down hidden packages, may be about to get a bit easier.

Instead of relying on GPS coordinates and written clues to find packages, players can see visual markers on an Android phone’s viewfinder thanks to an augmented reality project by U.K.-based developer Nicholas Tollervey. It’s one of augmented reality’s newest uses after two companies released application programming interfaces last month to encourage experimentation. Augmented reality is a young field that lets you overlay information or graphics in a viewfinder. It was considered more of an academic pursuit until smartphones opened the door to potential everyday use.

Tollervey took data from GeoBeagle, a free, open-source application for Google’s Android platform and marked it up in the Wikitude browser. Wikitude is an augmented reality browser from Austrian company Mobilizy. When it launched last year, it was a travel guide that let you hold up your Android phone’s viewfinder and see Wikipedia articles tagged to places around you. (See examples here.)

Since then, the company and its Dutch rival, SPRXMobile, have opened up APIs and are competing to lure independent developers to build apps. So the space could be set to balloon with lots of interesting commercial applications. Think restaurant recommendations, real estate listings, or search queries that could be launched directly from your phone’s viewfinder.

Augmented reality android app: Wikitude

This is the one of the first augmented reality applcation for Android. It shows the POI(Point Of Interest) through your mobile device screen.
GPS, Digital Compass and Accelerometer were used to catch up your location and visual angle, and Image Recognition, Data Connection were used as well.

IBM’s ‘Seer’ Brings Augmented Reality to Wimbledon

IBM has unveiled an Android application designed to change the way tennis fans keep up to date with all the action going down at Wimbledon 2009. The app called Seer features location-aware visualization built for the T-Mobile G1. Using augmented reality, Seer works as a real-time guide and interactive map and provides users up to the second scores. Like other augmented reality apps Seer Android Beta uses the camera and lays content and map tools right on top.

Everything from tennis matches to dining and points of interest will be plotted using the combination of GPS, camera, compass. Users get a ‘heads up display’ to so they can see exactly what it is they are looking at. One added feature that other AR apps don’t use is tying in live data. For instance if you point your G1 towards a tennis court, users not only get basic information like the court number, but also details about the current and subsequent matches.

These applications were designed with tennis fans in mind and add a whole new dimension to the event whether you are attending in person or sitting in your garden 5,000 miles away. I can see the incredible potential here to change the way people will engage with major sporting and other events both now and in the future, as the applications help address common challenges such as getting lost, encountering queues or momentarily missing some of the action. - Rob McCowen, Marketing Director at The AELTC.

IBM will be showing off the new app and giving demonstrations at Wimbledon.

Augmented Reality on your Mobile

Brightkite Augmented Reality from Brightkite on Vimeo.

The World’s First Augmented Reality Browser. Layar is a free application on your mobile phone which shows you what is around you by displaying real time digital information on top of reality through the camera of your mobile phone.
Layar will be available for the T-Mobile G1, HTC Magic and other Android phones in Android Market before July 1st 2009.

How do you use Layar?
By holding the phone in front of you like a camera information is displayed on top of the camera display view.
For all points of interest which are displayed on the screen, information is shown at the bottom of the screen.

What do you see in the screen?
On top of the camera image (displaying reality) Layar adds content layers. Layers are the equivalent of webpages in normal browsers. Just like there are thousands of websites there will be thousands of layers. One can easily switch layers by selecting another via the menu button, pressing the logobar or by swiping with your finger across the screen.
We offer companies the possibility to publish their own layer in our browser(through an API). Currently several companies have already signed up for Layar and will publish their own content in their branded layer soon. We will share with you soon which layers will be available in your country.

Features of Layar
Layar has some cool features. We have listed a couple of them below.
Switch layers easily
Radar widget to give you an overview
Logobar to indicate which layer is active
Link through to mobile websites
Integrated map view
Custom filters for each layers (like distance, category, search box)
Who is the team behind Layar?

Layar is developed by SPRXmobile. A Mobile Innovation Company run by Raimo van der Klein, Claire Boonstra & Maarten Lens-FitzGerald.

How to develop an application for Android