Wolfgang Höhl (2015): Augmented Reality in Public Space

Augmented Reality may sound like Science Fiction. But the ongoing development of smartphones and tablets allows for many new and interesting applications in public space –  not only for experts, but also for the broad public. This lecture gives an overview on up-to-date AR applications in public space. This includes planning tools for engineers, politics and the public and a broad range of applications for tourism, education and entertainment.

On the one hand there are so called Augmented City Guides, Augmented Reality Games and Historic City and Architectural Guides such as the applications „Chronovizor“, „Landauer Walk“, „Time Traveller“ or „Zeitfenster“. On the other hand there are new tools for reviewing new planned buildings in public space such as the applications „Talking Places“, „Location-Based-Audio“, „Baukultur mit allen Sinnen entdecken und erleben“ (Discover and experience architecture with all your senses) and „Variantendiskussion im Entwurfsprozeß“ (Design Alternatives), „Augmented Collaborative Architectural Visualization“ and „AR-Bebauungsplan“ (AR Land Development Plan). These projects support the participation of citizens in an early stage of the planning process.

Technological requirements and components of an AR system will be discussed, showing contents and level of detail, server management and cloud based solutions, geo localisation and other tracking systems and marker based and markerless tracking systems. It will be shown, how technology and their components depends on content, level of detail and the intended target group. We all will be tensed, how the further development of sensors and interfaces will change the acceptability of AR systems in the reception of all users.

Programme and Speakers . AR Day at HFF Munich on 2015-02-24