Current Trends in travel Technological Applications - Literature review Example

Integration of Travel Technological Applications for Entertainment and Learning about Places [Name] [Institutional Affiliation] [Date] Literature Review Introduction Current trends in technology have seen a number of applications being developed for entertainment and learning about places while travelling. These applications enhance the experience of the travelers by achieving entertainment for them, in addition to giving their exact locations as they travel. Travelling by air or road, one could easily develop feelings of boredom and frustration. Inadequate knowledge on one’s exact location as they travel is a common negative experience that most travelers have gone through. Therefore, this paper is a literature review on applications that have been developed in the past that have the ability to load the traveler’s current occasion, with the ability to respond to provide information about the surrounding environment, and have cameras that scan the location for improved augmented reality. Wikitude According to Madden (2011), Wikitude was developed by Wikitude GmbH, an Australian firm in 2008. This mobile software can display information relating to the surrounding environs of the user. Wikitude utilizes mobile camera view technology, which includes 3D modeling and recognition of images. It is the initial software technology to be applied in augmented reality, using the location-based technology. Efficient augmented reality results that are location based can be realized by calculation of the relative object positions on the mobile device screen from the location of the user (Madden 2011). This is possible through the use of either Wi-Fi or GPS. An accelerometer and the direction faced by the user as determined by the compass are also vital in the calculation of object positions, as illustrated in Figure 1. As opposed to location-based augmented reality, tracking in marker-based type of augmented reality utilized such markers as the QR code. Figure 1: Calculation of virtual object position with aid of GPS, motion sensors, the Compass on screen of mobile camera devices. Since a map gives abstract view of a location from above, location based form of augmented reality is more efficient since it gives content generated with aid of computer technology, as a form of enhancement to the direct reality view that it gives. Location is the major element of Wikitude, which is a world browser. While obvious web pages fail to give importance to user location, Wikitude has been optimized to provide information on user location on mobile devices. Improved versions of Wikitude can now enable the application to provide augmented reality through utilization of technologies of image recognition. Research has revealed that Wikitude content is majorly generated by the users. Such platforms as KLM, web interface and ARLM have enabled addition of content by the users. Registration of dynamic data delivery is dedicated to web services (Madden 2011). Wikitude gives unreliable results as a result of doubts on compass, motion sensors and GPS accuracy, when the location based approach is used. Although the location based approach is easier to implement and use as opposed to marker based technique, it is prone to errors. ARToolKit Piekarski (n.d.) emphasizes that more accurate and reliable augmented reality can be achieved through usage of ARToolKit. This application is developed as a computer-based tracking library that enables applications to realize augmented reality. Strong augmented reality is achieved with ARToolKit since a number of real world virtual images can be interconnected. The technology heavily relies on calculation of the actual locations and orientations of real cameras with regard to the real time square physical markers, all which are features of video tracking devices majorly used. The moment the location of the real camera has been established, a virtual camera is installed on the similar point, while drawing and overlaying of models of 3D computer graphics onto the real marker takes place. The major strengths of ARToolKit that can be utilized by travelers for efficient experience are the ability to realize interaction of virtual objects and enabling of viewpoint tracking. ARToolKit is compatible with such operating systems as Microsoft windows, Linux, Mac OS X and SGI IRIX. Recent improvements have also seen the enhancement of the technology to be installed on iPhone, Windows, Symbian and Android operating systems which works to support AR mobile applications. Therefore, travelers can have ARToolKit on their personal computers or phones and use them for tracking as they travel. Further, Piekarski (n.d.) notes that ARToolKit has such defining features as free and open source, high speed to enable real time AR mobile applications, use of tracking codes, user friendly codes of camera calibration, ability to utilize tracking codes using simple black squares and one camera location (orientation tracking). ARToolKit therefore stands as a better application as compared to Wikitude since realized better augmented reality. ChattAR ChattAR allows users to view the real time location of their friends (Barbeau, 2012). As a Facebook client, chattAR has an additional feature of an additional chat room that is public. With map view available, chattAR is therefore a location chat that is integrated with the Facebook software that realized augmented reality. As an application, chattAR was developed by QuickBlox. ChattAR can be understood as an application, a sample of codes or a free and open source that enhances interaction socially by giving the user’s apps an augmented reality. ChattAR’s main features include map chat which entails friends chatting either on Bing or Google maps, chat room which is a local chat platform, AR chat that provides for augmented reality chats and Facebook integration which shows the check-ins by friends both on the chats and maps. Although ChattAR allows users to share photos of their location, it has impaired AR as it cannot give immediate feedback on the location of the traveler as it may not load the location of the location, but depend on traveler knowledge on location which is provided on the chatroom. Google goggles Hansmann (2003) asserts that a traveler might at one time find themselves in a location that is unfamiliar to them. As such, need to access information with regard to the location in which one is. Google goggles, therefore, is an application that enables the user to search information about a given place on Google by taking a photo of the place and searching it on the internet. This application gives sufficient results when fed with pictures of landmarks. In addition, the app allows one to use Google translate, which enables one to take picture of foreign words with the help of the OCR function. Google then filters and provides the most relevant results on the location of the traveler. Google goggles is an effective application in location identification as it gives real time information regarding the position of the traveler with the aid of image identification technology. However, this app proves ineffective if the traveler is in a location that is not recognizable by Google maps. Orient Other researchers such as Taneja (2011) observe that orient technology uses a unique assortment of compass view to derive a number of locations. These locations are given in relation to the user. The application further gives the locations of the world’s major cities when it is fired up, in relation to the position of the user. In addition, the Orient app allows users to add the destinations of their travelling plan. At a given city or destination, Orient gives its user the distances and directions of all the other destinations. Enhanced versions of Orient have slick AR features. Integration of the technological features of these applications could yield a more effective augmented reality application, that could have improved capability of giving information to travelers concerning their location in real time, and make travelling exciting. Some versions of Orient fail to give effective augmented reality. They lack cameras that scan the location. In addition, questions regarding the location of the traveler might not be adequately responded to since Orient has no ability to connect to Wikipedia for answers. Therefore, my project will focus on both the strengths of each application in line with traveler location identification, online search and improved augmented reality by incorporating the features present in these apps and concentrate on the weaknesses of each application for improved performance. Conclusion Travelling can become an exciting experience with integration of appropriate technology. Travelers could feel the fun of travelling as well as being updated on their location as they travel. Be it in an unfamiliar or foreign land, the feeling of being lost is not prevalent as travelers can use their mobile devices installed with an application with features found in applications as ChattAR, Google goggles, ARToolKit, Wikitude and orient to efficiently gain knowledge of their exact points of location. In addition, other apps allow travelers to share their experience with friends through sharing the map views and pictures of their locations. Therefore, a project done to develop an application with the capabilities of the above applications, with special attention paid to rectification of their weaknesses could result in an application with effective location identification and improved augmented reality. References Top of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Barbeau, S. J. 2012. A Location-Aware Architecture Supporting Intelligent Real-Time Mobile Applications. (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2012. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3968. Hansmann, U. 2003. Pervasive computing: the mobile world. Berlin: Springer. Madden, L. 2011. Professional augmented reality browsers for smartphones programming for Junaio, Layar, &Wikitude. Chichester, U.K.:Wiley. http://www.books24x7.com/marc.asp?bookid=41793. Piekarski, W. N.D. Using ARToolKit for 3D hand position tracking in mobile outdoor environments. Thesis / Dissertation ETD. http://itupl-ura1.ml.unisa.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=72843. Taneja, N. K. 2011. The passenger has gone digital and mobile accessing and connecting through information and technology. Burlington, Vt: Ashgate Pub. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10493869. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More