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Post 3 : Case Studies

Google Maps AR

Google Maps AR, also known as Live View, is intended to assist you navigate while walking by using augmented reality. What does this imply? Rather of just displaying a map, it uses the camera on the back of the phone to determine where you are and directions as details on the display.

Figure 1 : AI recognises what you see, while GPS helps you locate yourself on a map. Finally, Google Maps Live View alleviates the difficulty of not knowing which way to walk because the AR can point you in the appropriate direction so you’re on the right track (Chris Hall, Pocket-link, n.d).

Google Maps AR Limitations

Figure 2 : However, Google Maps Live AR has several restrictions and flaws that a user identified and decided to share his experience with (Bibhash Biswas, Medium, 22 April 2019).
Figure 3: According to his blog, even with a beautifully designed UI and interactivity, the software was slow and misleading because it couldn’t precisely locate the door. He further claims that the app is not adaptive to its surroundings and requires a fixed posture to function (Bibhash Biswas, Medium, 22 April 2019).

There aren’t many AR wayfinding apps at the moment because the industrial sector is just beginning to use AR, which may be used with smart glasses in the future. Nonetheless, the majority of universities use a static campus map that can be challenging to use.

Different University Campus Maps

Figure 4 : As you can see, the University of York lacks interaction, and due to its huge size, they have attempted to provide navigation directions, but it is still difficult to navigate due to not knowing where the entrance is or the quickest way to get there (University of York, n.d).

Summary

Even though the concept is reliable and has a lot of potential going forward, it was found that the wayfinding alternatives available now are still inaccurate after looking over the case studies. Thus, when developing an augmented reality wayfinder, the user should come first, with symbols that appear on the road and the ability to produce a realistic map.

References

Bibhash Biswas, Medium, 22 April 2019. Navigation in Augmented Reality from Google Maps [Online] (n.d.) Available at : https://medium.com/swlh/the-new-google-maps-in-ar-587285a5d523 [Accessed in 28 October 2023].

Chris Hall, Pocket-link, n.d. What is Google Maps AR navigation and Live View and how do you use it? [Online] (Updated in 17 September 2023) Avaliable at : https://www.pocket-lint.com/what-is-google-maps-ar-navigation-live-view/ [Accessed in 28 October 2023].

University of York, n.d. Campus Map [Online] (n.d.) Avaliable at : https://www.york.ac.uk/map/ [Accessed in 30 October 2023]