GeoPointer - approaching tangible augmentation of the real world

摘要

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to present an architecture and prototypical implementation of a context-sensitive software system which combines the tangible user interface approach with a mobile augmented reality (AR) application. Design/methodology/approach - The work which is described within this paper is based on a creational approach, which means that a prototypical implementation is used to gather further research results. The prototypical approach allows performing ongoing tests concerning the accuracy and different context-sensitive threshold functions. Findings - Within this paper, the implementation and practical use of tangible user interfaces for outdoor selection of geographical objects is reported and discussed in detail. Research limitations/implications - Further research is necessary within the area of context-sensitive dynamically changing threshold functions, which would allow improving the accuracy of the selected tangible user interface approach. Practical implications - The practical implication of using tangible user interfaces within outdoor applications should improve the usability of AR applications. Originality/value - Despite the fact that there exist a multitude of research results within the area of gesture recognition and AR applications, this research work focuses on the pointing gesture to select outdoor geographical objects.