ARGeo

Augmented reality (AR) applied in any context, typically requires a strong internet connection, which can be a huge issue for researchers working to monitor the environment in more remote communities. Four researchers from Argentina created ARGeo in 2018 to attempt to make AR accessible regardless of the environment by untethering researchers from the need to find or establish an internet connection. ARGeo is a software particularly geared towards geologists that allow users to register geo-tagged information, like points of interest along a bank or river, and superimpose those locations on previously recorded images or recordings of the surrounding topography. Locations are geotagged using hardware common in mobile devices, like the GPS receiver. ARGeo still requires sensors to collect data, cameras, and a computer or tablet to display the information, but an internet connection isn’t needed to effectively incorporate AR into environmental monitoring. The 3D, interactive model it creates on the screen can be manipulated with more ease, arguably giving a more accurate representation of the surrounding topography, which is of particular importance to geologists. It appears that the researchers did not test ARGeo in a physical location, so it would be interesting to see how the simulation functions when applied within a functioning geological study in a remote location to see if it transfers well to more complex environments and varied working conditions.

Gazcón, Nicolás F., Juan M. Trippel Nagel, Ernesto A. Bjerg, and Silvia M. Castro. “Fieldwork in Geosciences Assisted by ARGeo: A Mobile Augmented Reality System.”

Lee, Sangho, Jangwon Suh, and Hyeong-Dong Park. “BoreholeAR: A Mobile Tablet Application for Effective Borehole Database Visualization using an Augmented Reality Technology.”

Pierdicca, Roberto, Emanuele Frontoni, Primo Zingaretti, Adriano Mancini, Eva Savina Malinverni, Anna Nora Tassetti, Ernesto Marcheggiani, and Andrea Galli. “Smart Maintenance of Riverbanks using a Standard Data Layer and Augmented Reality.”

R.K, Westhead, Smith M, Shelley W.A, Pedley R.C, Ford J, and Napier B. “Mobile Spatial Mapping and Augmented Reality Applications for Environmental Geoscience.”

Categories

Data, Ecological Modelling, Ecological Monitoring, Immersive Technology, Regulation