Interactive navigation services through value-added CycloMedia panoramic images
E. Verbree, Siyka Zlatanova, Kees Smit · 2004
Most people have problems to understand the scenery of a city using just topographical maps and descriptive city guides. Especially maintaining the route by comparing the current position using the map and to get directions where to go by a written guidance is quite complicated. One possibility to increase the interaction between the map and the user is to use a handheld navigation system, in which a GPS receiver or another kind of locating tool is used to pinpoint the current location of the user in the map display. This approach solves the 'where am I' and 'where to go' questions and even the 'how to get there' problem when supported by a road-database. But the user still has to translate the information projected on the map to the real world and visa versa.This paper addresses a way out of this problem by avoiding the need of map information processing by applying panoramic images as the 'background' layer to display upon certain geometric features, guiding directions, and information labels. The company CycloMedia provides the panoramic images or so-called Cyclorama's. We give some directions how to decide which value-added information can be augmented within the Cyclorama and which not because real world features do obstruct it.