Enjoying 9% share in worlds GDP, tourism industry seems to burgeon as UNWTO predicts a growth in international tourist arrivals of between 4% and 4.5%. This growing digitization of our world implies that more decisions will be driven by data and online depiction of information rather than preferences.
This has certainly taken the tourism industry to a new level as ubiquitous information makes them comfortable and reduces the hassle. As means of transportation has evolved, so are the mobile tourism app. Mobile app developers are not just making the tourism apps as they have got the answer to What’s next in the tourism industry? And the answer is mobile apps powered with Augmented reality.
Example of Junaio
Junaio was an Augmented Reality browser designed for 3G and 4G mobile devices. It was developed by Munich-based company Metaio GmbH (first release=2009). It provided a Creator application and an API for developers and content providers to generate mobile.The smartphone app, for Android and iPhone platforms, and API were free to use.
Junaio was the first augmented reality browser which had overcome the accuracy limitations of GPS navigation through LLA Markers (latitude, longitude, altitude marker, patent pending).
In May 2015 Metaio and all of the company's products were acquired by Apple. It is clear that this domain and this software are ++. Subsequent to the purchase Junaio web presences were removed. Junaio and all Junaio channels were deactivated on 15 December 2015.
The API was based on "AREL" (Augmented Reality Experience Language) which allows scripting of these channels based on common web technologies such as HTML5, XML and JavaScript.
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Without Augmented Reality, you can use classic geomatics (web map services) or on you mobile:
- Google_maps
- Apple Maps – Apple's map service was launched in 2012 with iOS 6 to replace the Google Maps application on iOS devices
- Bing Maps – Microsoft's mapping service with road maps and aerial/satellite imagery
- Géoportail – a French rival offering detailed aerial photographs of French territories
- ViaMichelin
- Seat Pagine Gialle – an Italian competitor offering detailed satellite pictures of Italian territories and navigable street level panoramas similar to Street View
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- OpenStreetMap – a royalty free, editable map of the world
- Mapbox – an online service to build custom maps based on OpenStreetMap
- TransforMap – a collaborative map based on OpenStreetMap to visualise socio-technical transition initiatives.
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The best is still google maps.
If you select a point of interest (POI), you can get some details (from user-generated content).
Another way is to select "near by" on travel website with user-generated content:
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One example of a view:
Ref. http://www.enukesoftware.com/blog/augmented-reality-augments-your-travel-business/
Example of technical infrastructure:
Ref: https://github.com/taoito/AR-world-explorer
(an old project (2015) for windows phone).
