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Box 1 – Augmented Reality based Water Infrastructure Management
Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that extends and enhances human awareness,
by superimposing digital information acquired using ICT in real world information that
humans obtain via sight and hearing. Highly recognizable augmented reality markers
are required for water infrastructure maintenance. Mobile devices can allow to
recognizing them easily, despite conditions such as darkness, outdoor environments,
dusty areas, or places that are difficult to access. This technology is applied in water
infrastructure management and maintenance practices to obtain optimal information
for an operation on site, linking real images by simply pointing the camera of a smart
device towards an augmented reality marker. The appropriate information can be
adjusted to specific needs and job descriptions. For example, an inspection worker
should see checkpoints, while a worker conducting repairs should see maintenance
procedures. Augmented reality technology enables more efficient and higher quality of
maintenance operations by prompt access to necessary information including
procedures and veterans’ know‐how via images and recorded sounds which allows a
worker intuitive understanding of what he or she should do. Indeed, daily
communication for water infrastructure management and maintenance practice was
typically implemented by oral or on whiteboard and papers. This makes it difficult to
ensure accurate information and know‐how sharing among workers and becomes a
reason to decrease quality of maintenance.

ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications 523