Mobile Augmented Reality for Environmental Management (MARE)

Abstract

Access to real-time data while in field observations is often a requested issue in environmental management. Additionally, it is easier to see that information spatially distributed where it makes sense, leveraging users of the task of searching for the context where the retrieved information can be applied. Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that allows the superimposition of synthetic images over real images, providing augmented knowledge about the environment in the users vicinity. AR will also make the task more pleasant and effective for the user, since the required information is spatially superimposed over real information related to it. This short paper describes ANTS (Augmented Environments), an AR project for environmental management providing geo-referenced information to the user. The systems architecture has a flexible design based on a client/ server model, where several independent, but functionally interdependent modules are articulated. Therefore, modules can be moved from the server side to the client side or vice-versa, according to the client processing capacity. The system is being deployed in laptop computers and work is in progress to deploy the system using Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices. A 3D model and a geo-referenced database are used in the server for user positioning, and presentation components are used in the client to superimpose synthetic information over real images. Several applications for the system are being developed and will also be discussed in this short paper.