Spatial Mapping

Let’s dive in.

There have been rumblings of the metaverse for some time, but it’s finally broken into the public space as one of the hottest and most popular topics. This is in part thanks to the recent rebranding of Facebook to Meta as the company strives to deliver the space the metaverse needs for entertainment, socializing, and work productivity.

But what exactly is the metaverse? A survey conducted by Insider Intelligence to dissect the attitudes toward the metaverse among U.S. internet users found that while 23% expressed the desire to explore the metaverse, nearly a third of survey respondents still don’t understand what the metaverse is, showcasing the need for a simple way to enter and participate in this new space.

What is the Metaverse, Exactly?

We can’t necessarily point to one piece of technology and say “This is the metaverse;” rather, it’s more a shift in how we’re interacting with technology overall. Platforms and interactive mediums are evolving from mobile to AR/VR and video to 3D content in inherently spatial and immersive spaces. It’s the evolution of the internet in how we share information from text to immersive 3D content and how we perceive information from static displays to head-mounted displays in mixed reality.

What is Spatial Mapping?

Spatial mapping is the ability to create a 3D dynamic map of the environment and what makes these spaces so immersive is it allows a device to understand a location and interact with the real world, meaning spatial maps will be an essential layer that most of the metaverse applications will rely on and use for spatial networking.

How Does Spatial Mapping Fit Into the Metaverse?

Every device in the metaverse needs to understand the context of location, such as where currently the device is, how nearby things look, and what objects are around a device with meaning (tables, chairs windows, roads etc.) Ultimately It helps in understanding the context of situations for a device. Without spatial mapping, there’s no possibility of immersive environments to dive into.

Why is the Metaverse Important?

The world is an ever-changing place and the amount and variety of data generated over the internet is ever-growing. The metaverse allows us to bring computing to the next level by utilizing immersive content and bringing spatial computing and blockchain to the center of it.

How to Enter the Metaverse

The most common thought when exploring ways to enter the metaverse is undoubtedly through a VR or AR headset. The Oculus headset dominates the game with over 10 million units shipped, with other options being Sony’s PlayStation VR and HTC Valve’s Index VR. However, some barriers do exist when entering the metaverse with these types of headsets. Some consumers simply aren’t interested in headsets. Other complaints are that it’s quite pricey and uncomfortable, especially for those with glasses. And how long can you truly expect someone to strap on a piece of VR gear and carry that weight? So, we can see that price and ease of use a potential problems when looking into hardware that encourages consumers to enter and engage in the metaverse.

ARway – How Anyone Can Join the Metaverse

ARway gives its users the ability to create a spatial map of a physical environment and populate it with immersive 3D content, essentially giving users the ability to create their metaverse and share it with other users. Rather than needing equipment, our app allows users instant access to the metaverse. Its easy-to-use mapping techniques that support a wide variety of phones have enabled any user to map and make it so that content creation in 3D is simple, meaning any user can get into the metaverse. It’s a responsive, useful application that can be broken down into 3 quick steps:

Create location-based AR maps for events, rental homes, advertisements, and more!
Add Content – Drag and drop objects or add text to your mapped experiences.
Publish & Share – Once your map is ready, publish it and share it with others.

What Content Can I Add to the Metaverse?

With ARway, you can add any of the following to your metaverse:

Text messages: Quickly communicate location-specific details by displaying messages in AR.
Audio: Record audio or upload it from your device. You can select audio to play on tap or by coming into proximity.
3D objects: Add objects from the library or upload your own!
Notes: Need a sticky note for extra information? We’ve got you covered!
Images: Upload from your camera roll and place them directly into your map.
Navigation: Drag and drop points of interest and help guide your audience via AR navigation.

How Does ARway Work?

ARway divides a map into the following multiple layers:

Content layer – All 3D contents (models, spatial audio, navigation, etc) and their associated transform.
Location layer – Feature point representation of physical space which helps devices to identify an accurate initial location in a map.
Semantic layer – This layer holds the real object context information of the environment.

Want to get started building your metaverse? Get started here.

Maps have long been sources of fascination for people. In a recent post, we explored a broad range of map-making technologies, including LiDAR, a critical component of the ARway platform. In this post, we are going to scroll back a bit to understand how we got here and to consider the history and evolution of maps as objects and tools. We’ll also delve into how new technologies have allowed deeper levels of engagement, especially for mapping complex indoor spaces to improve the overall experience.

A two-dimensional representation of three-dimensional space has been a challenge since the dawn of time. The very earliest map, the Bronze Age Saint-Belec Slab (mentioned in the LiDAR post), was actually three-dimensional itself. This map – like other ancient and pre-modern ones – was not intended for navigation, but instead was to represent a space symbolically. In the case of the Saint-Belec Slab, scientists recently determined that it represents an area along the River Odet in Brittany. Amazing, yes, but at 5’ by 6.5’, not exactly portable!

Let’s look at a few of the other major milestones in the history of maps:

Mesopotamia, 700-500 BCE – a clay tablet showing Babylon at the center of the world. More detailed than the Slab, but still not a navigational tool. It served more to understand the relationship between spaces and to orient users as to their place in the world.

The Babylonian map of the world. Late Babylonian, 700—500 BC.

The Roman Empire was an administrative marvel, and its maps, like the famed Strabo one, attempted to present an accurate depiction of the world as it was then understood at the time. Helpful for running an empire, perhaps, but not so good at getting around one!

Map of the world, according to Strabo

Alexandria, Egypt, 100 CE – Ptolemy created the first map that correctly placed locations in (approximate) relation to each other. He accomplished this through the creation of longitude and latitude, which allows every point on the globe to be accurately described using the two sets of coordinates. Think of it as early geolocation technology!

A 15th-century version of Ptolemy’s map.

Flanders, 1538 – After Ptolemy’s invention of latitude and longitude, Gerardus Mercator’s eponymous “projections” were the next big thing in mapping. Mercator’s insight allowed a flat map to represent the geometry of a round world.

A 1550 engraving based on Mercator’s work.

Paris, 1744 – To further increase the accuracy of maps, the Cassini family were the first to use geodesic triangulation to create a precise representation of space – in this case, France. Hey, is that an outdoor cafe I see there?

Cassini’s 1744 map of France.

Koblenz, 1832 – While guidebooks had been popular for many years by the early 19th Century, Karl Baedeker improved the model by providing content and context that would be interesting and helpful for people using his firm’s guides. One could say this was the birth of today’s digital points of interest (POI) technology!

At each step along the way, maps carried more and more detail and information. This progression was carried to the point of absurdity by Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges. His collection of stories, The Maker, first published in 1960 includes a short excerpt, purportedly from a larger imaginary work, titled “On Exactitude in Science.” It describes a “cartographers guild” that created a map as large and detailed as the space it seeks to present – even when that space is as large as an empire. The result is a meta-map, if you will, combining the real and the imagined in one space.

Detail from page 674 of “Paris and environs, with routes from London to Paris. (1913)

Spatial Computing for Navigation

Perhaps it’s not so absurd after all. In some ways, this is what we do with ARway, our real-world Metaverse spatial mapping platform. We apply proven – and emerging – spatial computing technologies to enable advanced wayfinding and navigation capabilities. These allow ARway customers to enhance real-world locations at scale with interactive content, customized routing, audio, images, holograms, and more. For map users, the experience is like peering through a magic window, where the world can still be seen but where it has been enriched in new and wonderful ways.

To the left: ARway creator portal with an AR-populated floorplan. To the right: ARway app showcasing the map in use.

The applications for this technology – like the utility of maps themselves – are boundless. From wayfinding and navigation to augmenting advertising with contextual information that helps shoppers find exactly what they are looking for, ARway melds the real with the virtual and connects both to place. If you’re interested in stepping into the visionary maps of today, contact us here.

Attribution

¹ “The Babylonian map of the world Late Babylonian, 700—500 BC” by Haluk Ermis is
used under CC BY 2.0.

² “Map of the World, according to Strabo” is in the public domain.

³ “Beatissimo Patri Paulo Secundo Pontifici Maximo. Donis Nicolaus Germanus” a 15th
century version of Ptolemy’s map is in the public domain.

⁴ “Quam hic vides orbis imagine[m] lector ca[n]dide ea[m] ut posteriore[m] ita & eme[n]datiorem ijs que[…]” a 1550 engraving based on Mercator’s work. The image is used under CC BY 2.0.

⁵ “Nouvelle carte qui comprend les principaux triangles qui servent de fondement à la Description géométrique de la France. Levée par ordre du Roy par Messrs. Maraldi et Cassini de Thury, de l’Académie royale des Sciences. / Tracé d’après les mesures et gravé par Dheulland ; Aubin scripsi” Cassini’s 1744 map of France. In the public domain.

⁶ Detail from page 674 of “Paris and environs, with routes from London to Paris : handbook for travellers” showing not only streets, but also places of interest. In the public domain.

Creating data-rich “digital twins” of real-world spaces with LiDAR technology.

LiDAR scan in the ARway Creator Portal.

Measuring and mapping physical space has been a human activity for almost as long as we’ve been human. The array of approaches and technologies that have been used is absolutely amazing. From the Bronze Age Saint-Belec Slab to Ptolmey’s world map to the geodesic triangulation of Cassini to aerial maps created by the US Army Balloon Corps during the Civil War to modern GPS, our species have been mapmakers for an awfully long time.

Now that each of us carries what is essentially a real-time atlas in our pockets, finding one’s place in the world has never been easier. Finding your way around dynamic, indoor spaces – like a cavernous conference center, a bustling medical center, or a museum with regularly changing exhibits? That’s a little harder, but it’s exactly the problem we set out to solve with ARway, which connects the physical and digital worlds with augmented reality, wayfinding and no-code spatial maps.

One of the cool technologies that makes this modern miracle possible is light detection and ranging, commonly referred to as LiDAR. LiDAR is a technique for measuring and recording distances by firing a laser at an object and recording how long it takes for the light to be reflected back to a sensor.

LiDAR is one of the most effective methods to generate rich information about the surface of the surrounding environment and construct accurate 3D models, which has a million applications.

Of course, LiDAR isn’t the only available method for providing accurate representations of the world. Let’s examine a few of the available alternatives, shall we?

Wi-Fi is almost ubiquitous in indoor spaces at this point, it is not universally. To function most effectively, multiple access points are required, not a certainty in every situation.
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons are another popular approach. The challenge with this approach is the need for beacons to be mounted at various points in space, adding to the cost and complexity of deployment.
Finally (at least for the moment) comes Ultra-Wideband (UWB). The downside here is the requirement that anyone wishing to use a UWB-powered experience will need to carry a special tag because current smartphones don’t have UWB-compatible hardware.

At one point, LiDAR scans themselves could only be created with professional and costly instruments, including scanners, lasers, and GPS receivers. Luckily, recent innovations made on consumer devices mean people can harness this powerful technology directly from their phones.

At ARway, we are always seeking new and better ways to map and present the world. After a careful evaluation, it became clear that LiDAR was the optimal solution. LiDAR really does permit us to do amazing things. At the top of the list is the ability to create hyper-accurate “meshes” that allow us to create high-quality spatial mapping solutions. Our use of the technology – and the impact it has for our customers – has helped secure our leadership in the expanding wayfinding and spatial computing market.

LiDAR in the ARway Creator Portal

LiDAR allows ARway to create data-rich “digital twins” of real-world spaces. These can be used in our Map Studio Portal, as well as for creating far more accurate geospatial datasets than can be achieved using the standard point-cloud approach or any of the alternatives described above.

LiDAR has a wide range of real-world applications that help it make ARway a perfect fit in a variety of use cases. Realtors, for example, can present spaces with far greater fidelity than in the past. Those spaces can also be populated with persistent data that people can access by scanning a QR code to enter a hidden world of information, such as wayfinding, AR advertising, and entertainment.

When it comes to connecting places with information, there is no more powerful tool than ARway. LiDAR provides the foundation for this amazing capability. If your business depends on connecting people with physical spaces, ARway is unmatched. To learn more about how LiDAR can make your business more successful, contact us here.

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What is the Metaverse and Spatial Mapping?