3D Visualization & Analytics

AuGeo: An Augmented Reality mobile app for your GIS data.

.We are pleased to announce the release of AuGeo, a mobile augmented reality app for your GIS data..

AuGeo, latin for ‘augmented’, is an Esri Labs initiative to explore the possibilities of using ArcGIS data in an augmented reality environment. Available to ArcGIS users for free in the iTunes and Google Play stores, the AuGeo mobile app allows you to easily bring data from your existing ArcGIS point feature layers into an augmented reality mobile app.

At Esri Labs we see many potential uses for Augmented Reality in GIS. While we love maps, locating assets around you can be easier through the lenses of a camera on your phone or tablet. Through an augmented reality view, we can more intuitively represent hidden assets (underground, covered by vegetation or snow), reducing the time needed for people to find what they were looking for.

.Will augmented reality help perform asset inspections more quickly? Will it guide rescue teams towards a fire hydrant that otherwise would be missed? Will it provide the ultimate mobile user experience for the most technology averse real estate agent? Will it be the foundation for the next tourist guide of your city?

As a Research Project from Esri Labs, our intent with AuGeo is to make interesting technology available to you, so we can explore the possibilities together. To start with AuGeo, all you need is an ArcGIS Online subscription, some point data and a mobile device.

Preparing your existing data for use within AuGeo is very straight-forward as described in this tutorial.

We encourage you to experiment with AuGeo using your own data and scenarios. In our own experience, how accurately your GIS data is shown in AuGeo’s first person view is highly dependent on the quality of sensors in your device. The location accuracy and compass calibration in particular are key.  Of course, the quality of your own GIS layers is critical as well. Only through use and experimentation you will learn what practical uses you can give to AuGeo..

We would love to hear your feedback through our Github Repository and evolve what already looks like a gold (Au) mine of possibilities.

We built AuGeo so anyone could play around with Augmented Reality and ArcGIS: without expensive devices and without mad developer skills.  However, the source code of this application is now available with AppStudio for ArcGIS 2.0. If you are a developer (no need for mad skills by the way), you can embed the AuGeo functionality into your own applications, or even brand AuGeo for your own purposes.  We took the AuGeo AR view for example and embed it within another Esri Labs app called Trek2There.  We are also working on incorporating the AuGeo AR view into Map Tour Story Maps!

Common questions:

Esri Labs projects are released to public as non-commercial offerings but are NOT official Esri products. These projects do not have to go through the standard rigorous software development lifecycle and testing as other official Esri products. Esri Labs projects may not be holistically tested or documented, and are NOT supported by Esri Technical Support.

About the author

Ismael Chivite joined Esri in 2002. A geographer by training, he loves helping people leverage GIS to improve the way they work. As a Senior Product Manager, Ismael is always looking for ideas to create new and improve existing Esri products. Outside working hours: Legos, rock climbing, Romanesque architecture and jamon iberico. On occasion, he enjoys jamon during working hours too.

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