Dr Mark Billinghurst and his team at the University of Canterbury’s HIT Lab are developing an augmented reality (AR) engine for mobile devices.
The AR platform is particularly relevant in the context of the re-build of Christchurch following the devastating earthquakes. Christchurch City Council recently used the HIT Lab’s AR platform to publicly launch its plans for the re-development of Christchurch CBD. In simple terms, the AR platform allows a citizen to stand at street level, stream re-development plans and other spatial information to their mobile phone and superimpose the new design over existing features and buildings – thereby obtaining a true to life visualisation of redevelopment plans and impact.
Feedback can be collected from users to gauge public opinion on planning and development proposals. This novel and exciting integration of spatial information and technologies applies not just in Christchurch but in any new development scenario. The work at the HIT Lab promises to drive broader adoption of spatial information technologies, especially when the software is made available via the Android app store in the near future.
Highlights
1. Michael Partridge has come on board with the team through the research component of his Masters of Human Interface Technology at the University of Canterbury.
2. Project partner and 43pl member ZNO have provided content, which the team has integrated into the software and used to create mock-ups of planned buildings.
3. The Client/Server architecture has been developed further
4. The team held discussions with the Greening the Greyfields team and partners about potential future engagement and interlinking research
5. The end-user group has been identified as Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (Architecture School), Victoria University of Wellington, University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology.
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