Terrain Visualization with 3DAR

The Spot Metrix team has been experimenting using 3DAR for terrain visualization over the past months. This started as an effort to increase the accuracy of augmentations and, while we came up with some cool results, this problem presented some challenges.

The primary issues were related hardware limitations. Our devices’ GPS receivers provide unimpressive locational accuracy, which is crucial, as the accuracy of any augmentation drawn in 3DAR is a function of the accuracy of the device’s assumed location. The accuracy of the device’s longitude and latitude can be acceptable for some forms of augmentation, but GPS is much, much worse at providing an accurate altitude value due to the geometry of the satellite network. In the image below, you see that GPS satellites can provide signal from one “side” of a  given location on earth, that is, the “space side”. Without a signal from the “earth side”, the vertical accuracy cannot compare to the horizontal accuracy. The high-accuracy GPS receivers used for surveying can achieve impressive vertical accuracy (within 5 cm), but these receivers read the phase of the GPS signal (in addition to the code signal commercial GPS devices read) and rely on an extensive network of terrestrial differential correction stations.

source: Dept. of Mathematics, Texas A&M

Knowing that we couldn’t rely on GPS for an accurate altitude reading, we used Google’s Elevation API, both to find the users approximate elevation and to collect regularly-spaced points to build our elevation grid. We added a meter, or two, to the users elevation to determine presumed device altitude. While more accurate, this approach still relied on a potentially inaccurate horizontal location that could result in a substantial deviation in device altitude in areas of sharply varying terrain. For instance, what if you’re 20 stories up looking out a window? Clearly, we’re going to need to find a more reliable and accurate positioning system before terrain-aware augmentation can become ubiquitous.

While these issues limited our ability to achieve true terrain-aware augmented reality, they didn’t stop us from doing some fun experiments with immersive 3D mapping. Check out this video, courtesy of Max Ogden:

We’ve been working with terrain visualization on and off for a while and we’re still excited about potential applications. If you’re interested this technology, get in touch!

New Mapping API Makes iPhone Augmented Reality Easy

This week we announced the availability of a new mapping API for our 3DAR augmented reality iPhone SDK that enhances the Apple’s standard map component, allowing developers to transform mapping applications into 3D geodata visualizers with just a few minutes of programming.

The new API was demonstrated at the Augmented Reality Event to an audience of mobile developers and natural user interface design experts. Existing beta customers have already published apps such as SP Next Bus and Japanoramic, but the ease of 3DAR’s new Mapping API makes augmented reality a breeze for any iOS developer.

Developers can download a free version of the SDK from www.3dar.us and will also find documentation and a 5 minute tutorial video that demonstrates the ease with which existing mapping applications can be enhanced with AR features.

Random intensity with Spot Metrix targets

Random intensity with Spot Metrix targets

Geoloqi #6 on JWT’s 100 Things to Watch in 2011

Geoloqi #6 on JWT’s 100 Things to Watch in 2011

Augmented reality in 2011

There is no question that a growing number of companies, municipalities, institutions and other organizations will want to reach the millions of people around the world carrying modern mobile phones and tablets. The most effective user interfaces will help people visualize and interact with vast landscapes of spatial, temporal and archival data in a mix of online and offline access.

Mobile devices should act as virtual windows into both private and shared data spaces, with custom interaction methods extending standard techniques for creating, reading, updating and destroying content on the device or in the cloud.

A recent Forrester article has this:

“Expect lots of innovation and interest from handset manufacturers (mobile AR as the new UI), online and social media players, and location-based networks such as foursquare, but set realistic expectations!”

Happy new year!