Yesterday, I have presented the latest results in the area of Virtual Mobile Navigation in London Library & Information Science Research Seminars (LON-LIS) with title ‘Pedestrian Navigation using Mobile Virtual Reality’. The seminar took place at the department of Information Science at City University. The presentation involved an overview of three experimental VR systems I have partially or completely developed since 2005. Initial evaluation of all systems has been performed but a complete study is underway. An overview of the research prototypes presented include the following:
- a mobile map interface
- a mobile VR interface
- a multimodal map/VR interface
The mobile map interface is based on Macromedia Flash technologies and the main functionality includes: map visualisation; map navigation; and finding local information. Initial evaluation with five users showed that raster and vector maps were favoured in terms of visualisation. As far as navigation is concerned, feedback about rotation operations was diverse but about zoom operation was encouraging. Moreover, users found the finding local information very useful but more functionality would be good.
The mobile VR interface (also known as Virtual Navigator) is based on open-standard VRML technologies and the most characteristic features include a user-friendly navigational interface and functionality to support realistic rendering and intuitive interaction. Initial evaluation with ten users illustrated that the use of textures is preferred when navigating and wayfinding into virtual environments. Also the use of street geometry (i.e. trees, benches, fences, street lights) enhances the whole navigational experience. Furthermore, users reported that the use of low-resolution scenes is preferred compared to high-resolution scenes because of efficiency issues.
The multimodal map/VR interface is the main technology developed in the LOCUS project and an overview of the method of operation is shown below:
LOCUS software infrastructure is based on the Camineo platform which is spin-off company formed after the completion of a European funded project called WebPark. In LOCUS, we use the Camineo platform to receive positional information, take advantage of the client-server functionality and use ‘mobile search' options. Both map and VR interfaces can be controlled by tracking devices including a location-sensor such as GPS and an orientation sensor such as digital compass. Mobile map navigation can present information relevant to a user’s query over a 2D map whereas VR navigation over a 3D map respectively. Information in both cases may include: the current position of the user; navigation information such as a route to be followed; and the locations of features of interest that were retrieved as the result of a user query. Evaluation of this prototype is under way.
The abstract of the presentation can be accessed from here.
The abstract of the presentation can be accessed from here.