APPLICATION OF AUGMENTED REALITY GIS IN ARCHITECTURE Yan Guo a,*, Qingyun Du a, Yi Luo a, Weiwei Zhang a, Lu Xu a a Resources and Environment Science School, 129 Luo Yu Road, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, [email protected] Commission V, WG V/2 KEY WORDS: Augmented Reality, 3D GIS, Architecture, Urban planning, Digital photogrammetry ABSTRACT: Paper discusses the function and meaning of ARGIS in architecture through an instance of an aerodrome construction project. In the initial stages of the construction, it applies the advanced technology including 3S (RS, GIS and GPS) techniques, augmented reality, virtual reality and digital image processing techniques, and so on. Virtual image or other information that is created by the computer is superimposed with the surveying district which the observer stands is looking at. When the observer is moving in the district, the virtual information is changing correspondingly, just like the virtual information really exists in true environment. The observer can see the scene of aerodrome if he puts on clairvoyant HMD. If we have structural information of construction in database, AR can supply X-ray of the building just like pipeline, wire and framework in walls. 1. INTRODUCTION Real environment (RE) and virtual environment (VE) are at two sides, mixed reality (MR) is in the middle, AR is near to the 1.1 Definition real environment side. Data created by the computer can augment real environment and enhance user’s comprehension Augmented reality (AR) is an important branch of virtual about environment. Augmented Virtuality (AV) is a term reality, and it’s a hot spot of study in recent years. AR is that created by Milgram. It means add RE images to VE, such as organically, in real-time and dynamically overlaying virtual add texture mapping video on virtual objects. This term can images created by computers and other information on real increase virtual object’s reality degree, decrease virtual object environment which the observer sees. And when the observer and real object’s differences. But VE is entire virtual. In AR moves in real environment, virtual information changes real object and virtual object and user environment must be according to the movement, just like those virtual information seamlessly integrated together. truly exists in real world. Azuma R.T. summed up AR with three properties: combines real and virtual objects in a real The most important in the feature of interactive of AR system is environment; runs interactively, and in real time; and registers displaying relative information and permitting user to move (aligns) real and virtual objects with each other (Azuma, 1997). discretionarily in information spaces. To portray at the same With the help of photoelectric display technique, interactive time the whole physical space in which the user walks in AR is technique, Calculator sketch technique and visualization a very speciality of GIS. The association of AR and GIS technique, AR created virtual objects not exist in real produces a characteristic, turning traditional inside static man- environment. And by sensor technique AR well overlaid virtual machine interactive mode to outdoor dynamic mode. It objects on real environment. syncretizes the traditional GIS virtual world with the external true one to construct a imaginary-real man-made world. The 1.2 Characteristics earliest research on virtual reality GIS is Georgia industrial school description system (Faust, 1995). Augmented reality might apply to all senses, not just sight. So far, researchers have focused on blending real and virtual images and graphics. However, AR could be extended to include sound. The user would wear headphones equipped with microphones on the outside. The headphones would add synthetic, directional 3D sound, while the external microphones would detect incoming sounds from the environment. This would give the system a chance to mask or cover up selected real sounds from the environment by generating a masking signal that exactly canceled the incoming real sound (Durlach, Fig.1 Milgram’s reality-virtuality continuum Mavor, 1995). AR started at 1960s, Sutherland invented head mounted display (HMD) to display 3D images. AR is not a Not as virtual reality system, AR technique is still at laboratory study realm until recent years. Milgram (Milgram, Kishino, stage. At present, exploited successfully registration technique 1994) defined a reality-virtual continuum. must be in controlled environment so it can capture accurate tracking result. People have gotten much progress with registration of indoor AR system, but not mature outdoor AR * Corresponding Author: Yan Guo, doctor candidate, majors in multimedia cartography, GIS conceptual model and technologies 331 The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. Vol. XXXVII. Part B5. Beijing 2008 tracking project and application system. Constructing a set of developing BARS (battlefield AR system), aimed at in urban applied AR system needs much preparation about survey and battlefield environment supplying a flat roof for commanders calibration, which restricts generalization and application of AR. and soldiers to transmit 3-dimentional tactics information. The research included designing new types of user interface and new interactive method, exploiting interactive distributed 3- 2. RELATED WORK dimentional environment, accuracy tracking and registration system (Julier, 2000). There has been much research in the field of AR in the past years. AR technique not only has similar application field with VR, but it is also excellent in RE augmented effect. In medical, anatomize training, exactitude instrument produce, assembly and maintain, drill, engineering design and long-distance robot etc so many fields, AR has more superiority than VR. In this paper, we mostly discuss follow aspects. Construction touring, analysis and rebuilding can be applied to aerodrome construction, inspection and renovation. 2.1 Construction Touring The first set of known AR system is Campus touring machine by Feiner of Columbia University (Feiner, 1997). This sketch (fig.2) illustrates how a MARS (mobile augmented reality system) unit could be used. Using that system, user can see certain constructions’ related information in campus (department or construction’s name), or certain construction in Fig.3 BARS shows the interior construction of a building by the past. The system adopts passive sensor (including compass this system and incline sensor) and difference GPS, but when user moves faster, system error is bigger. At present, the researchers work 2.3 Construction Rebuilding on overlaying some information, such as past constructions in campus, paths to certain destination, events happened in Another application of AR system is letting users see characters observer locus and so on, on real scene. and events in the past or in the future. When tourists visit cultural heritage, they can not see their past scene. For a modernistic tourist it is difficult to imagine past refulgence of a place. So at some historic sites there are always some actors wearing old-time habiliments performing past scene. But tourists with outdoor AR system can see redivious history created by the computer. HMD can shelter modern constructions or cenotaphs in the back, display culture heritage information at then. Fig.2 Prototype of Campus Touring Machine 2.2 Construction Analysis In Rockwell Science Center, a research group registers by checking ground level contour and compare it with local geographic model. Azuma research group develop a system, including compass and three rate gyro incline sensor, use a tracking method of video based inertia mixed with optical, with a condition of already known land mark can minimize error to a few pixels (Azuma, 1999). But this system can not do real time tracking at the moment. Fig.4. It is an AR scene in Archeoguide project. This project is run by many Greece research institutes and governments. The An outdoor AR system exploited by University of South study group is working on supplying wearable AR system to Australia can let user see some objects exist in virtual military visitors to rebuilding Grecian Olympia heritage information emluator. The system consists of notebook PC, TCM2-80 (Stricker, Daehne, Seibert, 2001). Visitors can see Grecian compass, Garmin GPS12XL with difference and so on. North Olympia fane information in 2000 year before, they can better Carolina University has done some research about tracking. comprehend those significant events happened in these They use magnetic sensor and vision tracking to develop a set heritages. of AR system (State, Gentaro, David, 1996), and got some satisfying tracking accuracy. US NRL Navy study laboratory is 332 The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. Vol. XXXVII. Part B5. Beijing 2008 3. CORE TECHNIQUES inputted image, the computer can real-time ensure the HMD location and direction, so to do fixed tracking with the user. In technologic investigation aspects, the most challenging problem in AR is tracking and locating of user’s location and 3.2 3D Display Technology observational spot in the moving process of Outdoor AR System. Nevertheless, obvious objects based method does not AR stereo display needs 4 coordinate systems(fig.5), real spatial adapt to outdoor natural environment, present research coordinate system xyz ; virtual object coordinate system mainstream is inclined to picture-chasing.