Geomatics Meets XR: A Brief Overview of the Synergy Between Geospatial Data and Augmented Visualization

Roberto Pierdicca, Maurizio Mulliri, Matteo Lucesoli, Fabio Piccinini, Eva Savina Malinverni

Abstract: Extended Reality (XR) is an extension of the real world obtained thanks to the increase of innovative features that allow users to perceive the surrounding reality in a different and enhanced way, combining it with virtual elements. XR is declined through three different technologies that help change the perception of reality: Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR). The latter combines VR and AR creating a more complex experience, generating a new reality resulting from the union between real and virtual allows the user to interact simultaneously with the real world and the virtual environment. In the last years XR technology has been employed in several fields of application, except in geomatics, that is the less explored field. Given the extreme complexity of heterogeneous geomatics data, the visualization is complex, and there is the need to better understand the potential of MR for both users and experts. Considering the potentiality of this technology in geomatics, in this paper we present GEOLENS, an MR application in an eXtended environment. With GEOLENS it is possible to visualize digitally produced objects and information in the field and superimpose them on reality. The advantages of this solution in the field of surveying, architectural design and Geographical Information System (GIS), are the interaction of digital design with reality for greater decision control, time saving and office-field sharing. This paper reports over the development of a cloud-based platform which acts as a repository of geomatics data, ready to use in the real environment. The features described prove the suitability of the solution for multiple purposes.