PEREY Research & Consulting and its partners are demonstrating that 3D and 2D data sets and models provided to developers of AR experiences can be the basis for innovative new services. This project combines data of the city of Basel, the businesses in the city, software tools in the Internet as well as the skills of mobile AR developers worldwide.
As highlighted in the New Scientist article on May 18 2011, 2020 vision: Stroll through data in the augmented city [registration required to reach this article], the ability to visualize and then to interact with and use digital data in Smart Cities is available today and growing in popularity. The purpose of this project is to establish a framework in which creative professionals can push the envelope of what has been done in Smart Cities with 3D data sets and to showcase the first generation of services that are available to the public with smartphones during the ISMAR conference October 26-29 2011. This project coordinates resources in the city of Basel, and internationally for the purpose of implementing real world mobile AR services.
Openness
This project is open to any individual or company wishing to participate provided that the partner agrees to the terms and conditions stipulated by the provider of the digital data set. Any application that is developed as part of this project can also be made available by its developers to the citizens and other visitors of the city of Basel. We are simply suggesting that the pilot implementations to showcase the best technologies available be ready in time for the ISMAR2011 conference.
The Scenarios
Now, what types of services do people need? The scenarios for using mobile AR are nearly infinite, too numerous to list on one Web page, but a few of the important popular scenarios for a city to offer appear in this table.
| Type of Experience | Description |
|---|---|
| Discovery | To provide a way to discover (without knowing what to search for) what an area (a neighborhood of the city or a museum) contains in a personalized fashion |
| Simulation | To provide a “simulation”, a projection, of the future or reconstruction of the past by overlaying photographs and/or realistic 3D graphics on the real world (i.e., the “real world” is in the present) |
| Visualize | To see information about the population, businesses or natural elements or environmental conditions surrounding the person |
| Learn | To convey information that is part of a course or curriculum, or "just in time" learning based on the user needs |
| Play | To provide entertainment using the real world as elements in a game |
| Navigation | An alternative to maps for guidance (navigation from point A to point B, or a walking tour). This can be provided for indoor navigation as well outdoors |
| Search | An alternative to list for receiving the results of a search query (where is the nearest grocery store or hotel?) |