Page 149 - Kaleidoscope Academic Conference Proceedings 2020

SELF-GUIDED VIRTUAL TOUR USING AUGMENTED REALITY

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Aphile Kondlo ; Andre Henney ; Antoine Bagula ; Olasupo Ajayi ; Laurenda Van Breda 2
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Department of Computer Science, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
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Nature Reserve, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
ABSTRACT
The Cape Flats Nature Reserve, situated in the Western
Cape, South Africa provides refuge to over 200 plant species,
many endemic to the Western Cape. As part of the reserve’s
recreational activities, scheduled guided tours are offered to
the public. The tours focus on the ecological importance
and educational aspect of the reserve. A complete tour
usually takes more than an hour. Due to the lack of trained
tour guides and its strenuous nature, tours are only offered Figure 1 – A simple AR marker
once daily. This has been identified as a challenge by the
real-world environments are augmented with superimposed
management of the nature reserve. In this paper a solution to
computer-generated images. This enhances one’s perception
the challenge using an augmented reality mobile application
of reality [1]. Using AR, a pseudo-physical world is created
is proposed. The application allows visitors to experience the
by enhancing the physical world using graphics, sounds, and
nature reserve in their own time without a guide. Augmented
touch sensations. AR application areas range from social
reality markers are placed at points of interest around the
media filters to simulation of surgical procedures, from public
reserve. These in conjunction with the mobile application
safety to gas and oil, healthcare, tourism and marketing. It
provide information about plants thereby mimicking actual
also finds applications in digital maps and navigation apps in
tour guides. Outlines for the design and development of
smartphones, where it is used alongside GPS to superimpose
this self-guided tour application and the results of user
the user’s location on a map [1].
acceptance and unit tests are provided in this paper.
On mobile phones -an AR application utilizes the camera
Keywords - Augmented reality, IoT, mobile application, -to identify an AR marker. These markers are often barcode
nature reserve, virtual tour encoded black and white images. The AR application then
analyses the marker and creates a virtual image, which is
1. INTRODUCTION displayed on the screen of the mobile phone. Similarly,
the GPS sensors within the phone are also used to identify
The Cape Flat Nature reserve situated in the Western Cape
locations of the phone. In this paper, both the camera and
province of South Africa is home to a diverse variety of GPS are primary requirements to identify points of interest
indigenous plant and animal species. The reserve is very within the nature reserve.
active in academic research and offers recreational activities
to the general public. Guided tours are offered by trained tour AR is available in three forms, which are discussed in the
guides, with tours lasting for more than an hour. A challenge next subsections.
being experienced by the management of the reserve is its
inability to meet tour demands, as only one guided tour can
1.2 Marker Based Augmented Reality
be offered daily. This is due to a shortage of trained tour
guides and the strenuous nature of a tour.
This project investigates the design and development of a Marker-based AR is one in which distinctive images or shapes
mobile application with augmented reality (AR) to assist are printed on paper or similar material, as shown in Figure
the reserve with self-guided tours and thus improving access 1. Cameras are used to scan the marker, once recognized
to recreational activities. The mobile application will allow corresponding actions are performed by the AR application.
anyone with a smart mobile phone to go on self-guided tours Actions might include: opening a web link, displaying objects
around the reserve. or playing video animations [3],[4].

1.1 Augmented Reality Though black and white colors are the most used for AR
markers, other colors can also be used as long as there is a
Augmented Reality (AR) can be defined as an improved distinct contrast making them easily recognizable by cameras
version of reality where live views of the physical [4],[6].

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