Smartphone Augmented Reality Applications for Tourism

Invisible, attentive and adaptive technologies that provide tourists with relevant services and information anytime and anywhere may no longer be a vision from the future. The new display paradigm, stemming from the synergy of new mobile devices, context-awareness and AR, has the potential to enhance tourists’ experiences and make them exceptional. However, effective and usable design is still in its infancy. In this publication we present an overview of current smartphone AR applications outlining tourism-related domain-specific design challenges. This study is part of an ongoing research project aiming at developing a better understanding of the design space for smartphone context-aware AR applications for tourists

The integration of an augmented reality module within the Way- Cyberparks app. : the case study of Valletta city

Latest improvements on mobile devices capabilities are changing the way people interact with their surroundings. Nowadays, devices are able to sense the environment and user’s location, enabling the user to experience improved digital services. This is a key aspect of public spaces enhancement, which plays a pivotal role for the improvement of public spaces; a key to make public locations more accessible, interactive and enjoyable. One of the most powerful technologies enabling this innovative set of services is known as Augmented Reality (AR). More in depth, AR allows users to visualise in real time virtual information about the physical objects of the real world, directly on the display of their own devices. AR provides innovative way-finding widgets and context-awareness services. Along with the aims of the COST Action Cyberparks, our aim is to improve the App delivered during the first stages of the project (Way-Cyberparks) with AR functionalities, by developing a location-based AR module tailored to be integrated within Way-Cyberparks. The AR section will link virtual geo-tagged annotations as an interface to (geo) spatial and attribute data, allowing users to quick access digital sensory inputs. The overarching idea is to populate the App with virtual signage fostering the fruition of public spaces by allowing users to experience new ways of moving within specific places. Thanks to that, on one hand, the App works as an interactive path-finder tool, heading visitors towards the most interesting locations or landmarks within a specific area (Points of Interest or POIs). On the other, users are enabled to create their own contents and upload them into the network of available POIs, enabling a true participative community. The city of Valletta has been chosen as first case study; here the AR module will be tested to identify historical locations and heritage buildings, acting as contextual objects for the Way- Cyberparks App.Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union.peer-reviewe

A Response Analysis of Mobile Augmented Reality Application for Tourism Objects

As a form of innovation in a promotion media Tourism Objects in Indonesia especially at Purbalingga District, one is through Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR). The utilization of technology application of MAR, give the impression of interactive and real towards an object tourism and provide a special experience for tourists to get the information completely including the tourism location. To deliver care facilities to users, we need the evaluation to development or improvement for next application. The method used in this research is evaluation of user satisfaction towards the multimedia elements. The result of MAR user satisfaction showed that almost all respondents are well satisfied

Mobile Indoor Augmented Reality. Exploring applications in hospitality environments.

Augmented reality (AR) is been increasingly used in mobile devices. Most of the available applications are set to work outdoors, mainly due to the availability of a reliable positioning system. Nevertheless, indoor (smart) spaces offer a lot of opportunities of creating new service concepts. In particular, in this paper we explore the applicability of mobile AR to hospitality environments (hotels and similar establishments). From the state-of-the-art of technologies and applications, a portfolio of services has been identified and a prototype using off-the-shelf technologies has been designed. Our objective is to identify the next technological challenges to overcome in order to have suitable underlying infrastructures and innovative services which enhance the traveller?s experience

A MOBILE PLATFORM FOR LOCATION-BASED SERVICE APPLICATIONS USING AUGMENTED REALITY: ONLINE MAP, TRACKING AND NAVIGATION ON GOOGLE ANDROID SMARTPHONE DEVICE (TOC, Abstract, Chapter 1 and Reference only)

This project paper is about Augmented Reality (AR) using location-based visualization and implementation on the smartphone devices. That is partly because smartphone comes packed with built-in sensors have grown and become popular over the years. This will explore the interactive and interaction Location Based Services that AR allows on Android devices. The use of mobile applications and advancement in mobile technology such as Global Positioning System (GPS), compass and accelerometer sensors are able to identify and determine the location and orientation of the device, location-based applications with augmented reality views are possible. AR combines the real world with virtual, the integration of information in the user's environment in real time, the user interaction techniques of representing rich, intuitive information data of the real world. The AR application which typically takes the image of the integrated camera, positioning location as a representation of the real world and project objects on top of this image to create the AR view. The research was initiated by exploring and reviewing literature related domain and existing AR application available on Android devices. There are a number of AR applications available and the rapid development of Android smartphone devices has provided an improved platform for the application of mobile AR technologies. Developing application will help the researcher explore the topic while going through this technology. The aim of this study is to develop a combination of location-based information and AR features by blending both visual, map-based and nonmap based elements like live projection of a nearby landmark on camera preview on mobile devices, utilizing free and open source software development tools. In the context of this paper a prototype application, based on the Android platform and Mixare engine library is developed. This paper showed the initial thoughts on this application and overall process that leads to the final system development. This report describes MyARTGuide, a prototype application of augmented reality designed to be run over Android based smartphone. The user can now look through their phone as if taking a picture to look at the augmented world which leads to a better user experience. MyARTGuide is developed for experiment, simulation and to test the AR functionality of these project objectives is not a fully functional product. Thus, there are still more areas that can be improved and new features can be added. With the use of AR and Andorid technology it is possible to spread the experience which will be shown in this report. (ABSTRACT BY AUTHOR

Designing for Mixed Reality Urban Exploration

This paper introduces a design framework for mixed reality urban exploration (MRUE), based on a concrete implementation in a historical city. The framework integrates different modalities, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and haptics-audio interfaces, as well as advanced features such as personalized recommendations, social exploration, and itinerary management. It permits to address a number of concerns regarding information overload, safety, and quality of the experience, which are not sufficiently tackled in traditional non-integrated approaches. This study presents an integrated mobile platform built on top of this framework and reflects on the lessons learned.Peer reviewe

Designing for Mixed Reality Urban Exploration

This paper introduces a design framework for mixed reality urban exploration (MRUE), based on a concrete implementation in a historical city. The framework integrates different modalities, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and haptics-audio interfaces, as well as advanced features such as personalized recommendations, social exploration, and itinerary management. It permits to address a number of concerns regarding information overload, safety, and quality of the experience, which are not sufficiently tackled in traditional non-integrated approaches. This study presents an integrated mobile platform built on top of this framework and reflects on the lessons learned

Translating Tourist Requirements into Mobile AR Application Engineering Through QFD

Augmented reality (AR) has moved into the spotlight of technological developments to enhance tourist experiences, presenting a need to develop meaningful AR applications. However, few studies so far have focused on requirements for a user-centric AR application design. The study aims to propose a method on translating psychological and behavioral indicators of users into relevant technical design elements for the development of mobile AR tourism applications in the context of urban heritage tourism. The research was conducted in three phases to generate a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) model based on interviews, focus groups and questionnaires of international tourists and industry professionals. Key categories, content requirements, function requirements and user resistance were defined for the identification of requirements. The outcomes of the study outline tourist requirements based on behavioral and psychological indicators and propose a method for translating them into technical design elements for tourist mobile AR applications

Augmented Reality in Tourism – Research and Applications Overview

Augmented reality is a complex interdisciplinary field utilizing IT technologies in diverse areas such as medicine, education, architecture, industry, tourism and others, augmenting the real-time, real-world view with additional superimposed information in chosen format(s). The aim of this paper is to present an overview of both research and application aspects of using augmented reality technologies in tourism domain. While most research, and especially applications, are dealing with and developing visual-based augmented reality systems, there is a relevant amount of research discussing the utilization of other human senses such as tactioception and audioception, both being discussed within this work. A comprehensive literature analysis within this paper resulted with the identification, compilation and categorization of the key factors having the most relevant impact on the success of utilization of augmented technology in tourism domain

Implementation of augmented reality and location-based services to regional development

This article discusses an innovative concept of augmented reality and location-based services in regional development. The aim of this article is to present the approaches that led to the creation of dynamic data of the strategic parts of community development strategy in the local action groups of the Zlín Region in the Czech Republic. In total, data from 18 local action groups, which are located in the territory of the Zlín Region, were collected. These data were transformed into a tabulated form, and a web platform (developed by the Institute of Geonics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) was used to dynamically transform static data into dynamic ones. The output from this web platform is data that are ready for implementation into augmented reality applications (such as Layar or Wikitude) and can serve not only local action groups. Other potential subscribers are regions, micro-regions, as well as developers or citizens themselves. © 2017 WIT Press