Part of a project I’m designing about the psychogeography of North Central Expressway in Dallas involves an augmented reality (AR) layer for smartphones. I’m placing historical, personal memoir-derived, and archival images (and maybe a soundtrack) at various locations along and around the freeway. The AR server I’m using is Layar (www.layar.com/ ), which requires coding sophistication well beyond my ken. So I’ve turned to a service called Hoppola (www.hoppala-agency.com/ ), which uses Google Maps and a few simple GUI commands to automate the coding and so serves as an interface for the less than 100% nerdly among us. However, near as I can tell, Hoppola does not support Layar Vision (www.layar.com/browser/layar-vision/ ), a new service which attaches AR content to images – bits of graffiti, e.g., or a building façade – instead of geo coordinates. Since the Google Maps interface is not entirely accurate, causing AR content to sometimes land around the corner from my target, making use of specific images would allow me much more precision in the AR layer.
I would like to propose a working session on the technical aspects of AR projects and on the general ideas associated with the use of AR in the humanities and visual arts. I am not expert in the coding necessary to use the Layar service directly. Learning from what others in the field have to offer would be of immense help.