Future With AR & VR

Augmented reality is connecting a world of data for people who may not be familiar with GIS . 3D and AR/VR are the next big thing in the GIS industry.

- Dominik Tarolli

Far from merely being cool, three-dimensional models have all sorts of applications, from planning and analysis for anything from urban development to understanding where to send first responders in the event of an emergency. When three-dimensional modeling can be fused with virtual reality or augmented reality, it is even easier for people to understand what they are seeing.

Let’s start with some basics: what is virtual reality? Virtual reality means creating a computer image of the real world. VR helps people to understand what could be possible by combining both things that are real — a 3D model of a downtown using geographic data — and not yet real — a 3D model of a proposed building. The building model can be placed into the existing 3D urban location to see what the proposed building will look like in the real space.

Augmented reality is different: it involves placing an image on a picture of the real world. An example of AR could be officials bringing up an image of a building that is on fire and overlaying a schematic so they can direct those first responders to fire escapes and rooms within the building.

The next big thing

Think about last year’s craze, Pokemon, a game on a phone. It helped introduce the concept of merging real-life maps and information with things that don’t exist in our real space. AR is now opening up the entire field of GIS to people who might not be keen on geography or mapping.