The Impact of Augmented Reality Techniques on Cartographic Visualization

Augmented reality (AR) is playing an increasingly important role in a variety of everyday application scenarios. Users are not completely disconnected from the current sensory influences of reality. They are merely confronted with additional virtual objects that are projected into reality. This allows users to obtain additional spatial information, which makes this technology interesting for cartographic applications (e.g. navigation). The dynamic positioning of the superimposed image in the scene being viewed is crucial for the generation of AR elements displayed correctly in terms of perspective. Understanding these technical basics is an important prerequisite for the cartographic use of augmented reality. The different techniques influence the visualization and the perception of AR elements in 3D space. This article highlights important visualization properties of current augmented reality techniques.

Different Levels of Complexity for Integrating Textured Extra-terrestrial Elevation Data in Game Engines for Educational Augmented and Virtual Reality Applications

Elevation and visual data from Chang’E-2, Mars Viking, and MOLA were transformed into 3D models and environments using unity and unreal engine to be implemented in augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications, respectively. The workflows for the two game development engines and the two purposes overlap, but have significant differences stemming from their intended usage: both are used in educational settings, but while the AR app has to run on basic smartphones that students from all socio-economic backgrounds might have, the VR requires high-end PCs and can therefore make use of respective devices’ potential. Hence, the models for the AR app are reduced to the necessary components and sizes of the highest mountains on Luna and Mars, whereas the VR app contains several models of probe landing sites on Mars, a landscape containing the entire planet at multiple levels of detail and a complex environment. Both applications are enhanced for educational use with annotations and interactive elements. This study focuses on the transfer of scientific data into game development engines for the use in educational settings using the example of scales in extra-terrestrial environments.

Potentials of the Three Spaces Theory for Understandings of Cartography, Virtual Realities, and Augmented Spaces

For about three decades, cartography has been (critically) studied from a theoretical perspective. This perspective has contributed to the recognition of the social preconditions and effects of cartographic representations, but little to their further development. From the theory of three worlds, a theory of three spaces or its special case of landscapes is derived, whose modes of construction are presented as well as the derivations from the different modes. The categories of material, virtual and their combination of augmented spaces as well as the media (such as painting, texts or models) of the construction of space/landscape are added. The formulas derived from this illustrate the different aspects and relations of the constructions of space on the different levels and against the background of the different categories. Thus developed, the theory of three spaces or landscapes provides a framework for neopragmatic exploration, here, of maps, virtual and augmented spaces.

Virtual Reality Application of the Fortress Al Zubarah in Qatar Including Performance Analysis of Real-Time Visualisation

Technological advancements in the area of Virtual Reality (VR) in the past years have the potential to fundamentally impact our everyday lives. VR makes it possible to explore a digital world with a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) in an immersive, embodied way. In combination with current tools for 3D documentation, modelling and software for creating interactive virtual worlds, VR has the means to play an important role in the conservation and visualisation of cultural heritage (CH) for museums, educational institutions and other cultural areas. Corresponding game engines offer tools for interactive 3D visualisation of CH objects, which makes a new form of knowledge transfer possible with the direct participation of users in the virtual world. However, to ensure smooth and optimal real-time visualisation of the data in the HMD, VR applications should run at 90 frames per second. This frame rate is dependent on several criteria including the amount of data or number of dynamic objects. In this contribution, the performance of a VR application has been investigated using different digital 3D models of the fortress Al Zubarah in Qatar with various resolutions. We demonstrate the influence on real-time performance by the amount of data and the hardware equipment and that developers of VR applications should find a compromise between the amount of data and the available computer hardware, to guarantee a smooth real-time visualisation with approx. 90 fps (frames per second). Therefore, CAD models offer a better performance for real-time VR visualisation than meshed models due to the significant reduced data volume.

Map Symbols in Video Games: the Example of “Valheim”

The main focus of this article is to examine the interpretation of twelve cartographic symbols on the map in Valheim. The authors set the research goal: to investigate how players and non-players interpret the symbols. The Valheim video game, which was released in 2021, is a survival game set in an open world. The authors noticed that game developers did not provide a direct explanation of the map symbols used, which could result in a different interpretation and experience of the game. The authors adopted a survey on the LimeSurvey platform as research methodology. This survey tool was used to gather information on experiences and interpretations of map symbols among a diverse group of respondents. Using online forums allowed one to disseminate the survey to a large audience of players from all over the world. Then, using the categorisation method for individual questions, a large database of respondents’ answers was created. Through the analysis, the authors checked the interpretation of symbols and presented the results in the form of graphs. Then, using statistical tests, they analysed the relationship between individual symbols. The study reveals that there are intergroup differences in responses to symbols directly related to the game. With more complicated symbols that did not emphasise an unambiguous answer, both groups of respondents had a problem with indicating the meaning of the symbol. For future research, it is worth continuing research on the interpretation of various map symbols not only in games, but also in all cartographic products.

Visualization and Perception of Data Gaps in the Context of Citizen Science Projects

Citizen Science initiatives often collect the data in an unsystematic way and dependent on the voluntary participation of interested citizens. The visualization of such data must present this incompleteness in a way that is understandable and comprehensible even to scientific laypersons if the correct conclusions are to be drawn. Using the project “Experiencing Biodiversity” as an example, this article shows how these requirements can be taken into account in the development of an online portal. Thereby, we discuss how data gaps can be pointed out by means of maps in order to be able to better interpret the significance of crowd-based data. We use empirical user studies to show the extent to which this was successful in the “Experiencing Biodiversity” project and the role of additional interpretation aids. Finally, we discuss how the findings of this project could be transferred to other use cases.