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Integration of Mixed Reality and GPS-based Positioning to Support Public Works Applications

The NBCC Mobile First Technology initiative (MFTi) developed software for industrial client Kognitiv Spark that addressed technical gaps in application development for the Microsoft HoloLens involving the use of geographic positioning.

Research topics

augmented reality, global positioning, geo-spatial, Microsoft HoloLens, mixed reality, smart city

MFTi has established an ongoing collaboration with industrial client Kognitiv Spark, a company based in Hanwell, New Brunswick which is a designated Microsoft developer for the HoloLens. In its first project with Kognitive Spark, MFTi developed an advanced prototype called the Fire Hydrant Inspector with the following objectives:

Address technical gaps in application development for the Microsoft HoloLens involving the use of GPS data that were identified by Kognitiv Spark; and
Develop the first in a planned series of compelling demonstrations of the value of mixed reality applications within a smart city context.

Fire Hydrant Inspector combines mixed reality via the Microsoft HoloLens and geospatial data management to streamline inspections of public infrastructure, enabling inspectors to locate fire hydrants and visualize their status and maintenance history in the field. The MFTi prototype makes use of the NBCC Location-based Object Management Framework.

Fire Hydrant Inspector is one of the first demonstrations of MFTi’s Smart Communities program. This program is designed to foster co-creation among public and private partners of technologies that help communities and residents address life-critical needs. Development of co-creation projects having commercial value began in November 2016 with the City of Fredericton’s CIO. The City has provided crucial domain expertise and data.