{"id":1842,"date":"2013-06-04T17:44:20","date_gmt":"2013-06-04T07:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onlyaustralia.com.au\/?p=1842"},"modified":"2013-06-04T17:44:20","modified_gmt":"2013-06-04T07:44:20","slug":"eyefi-with-my-little-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onlyoz.com.au\/oa\/stuff\/great\/eyefi-with-my-little-app","title":{"rendered":"EYEfi with my little APP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Besides the fact that\u00a0EYEfi is a very clever business name, specially considering what they do, even better,\u00a0EYEfi are based in Melbourne Australia.<\/p>\n

We always have a giggle when we read about what a company does, but don’t have a clue what it is or what they do. \u00a0EYEfi is a bit like that, in that their header says they are a Spatial Video Service Provider. \u00a0We don’t have a problem with\u00a0Video Service Provider, but what is SPATIAL.<\/p>\n

According to the Google machine, spatial means:\u00a0Of or relating to space: “the spatial distribution of population”.<\/p>\n

Does that help you, or us? Nah!<\/p>\n

EYEfi is the vision of founder and chief engineer, Simon Langdon. \u00a0 According their web site,\u00a0EYEfi\u00ae<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>is the\u00a0culmination\u00a0of Mr Langdon’s extensive\u00a0experience in research and development,\u00a0application architecture, commercialising and deploying\u00a0technology based solutions into\u00a0government and industry.\u00a0A well-established\u00a0electronics engineer and\u00a0successful businessman,\u00a0Mr Langdon’s\u00a0product development methodology is driven by his\u00a0strong understanding of the technology adoption lifecycle, and his desire to solve real\u00a0problems for real customers\u00a0through\u00a0innovative\u00a0thinking and intuitive technology.<\/p>\n

Now, what does this all mean and why this article.. simple. \u00a0EYEfi have developed an APP called Spatialeye,\u00a0that will tell you the exact location of any object you point your smart-phone at. \u00a0How cool is that?<\/p>\n

On the\u00a0EYEfi\u00ae <\/strong>web site you can see Simon demonstrate the APP’s beginnings as a fire-fighting tool on the ABC’s New Inventors.<\/p>\n

So, how does EYEfi\u00ae\u00a0<\/strong>describe the APP?<\/p>\n

Ever wondered about the distant unknown? Where is that landmark? How do I get there? How can I point my friends there? Where is that bushfire, flood or road accident I can see?<\/p>\n

Spatialeye\u2122 is the very latest development from EYEfi Pty Ltd that will enable consumers to use their Smartphone as a geo-pointing device, to pin-point real-world Positions of Interest (POI\u2019s) within the field of view.<\/div>\n
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WHERE CAN I USE IT?\"alt\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Existing augmented reality applications only share information about your current location and based on ‘static\u2019 data – which is quite limiting.<\/p>\n

Spatialeye\u2122 introduces entirely new levels of spatial awareness and connectedness by giving users the power to explore, create, annotate and share information about their extended surrounds, with the crowd.<\/p>\n

So whether it\u2019s for social or recreational, business or emergencies – Spatialeye\u2122 has you covered. It will even work when you are out exploring in the wilderness without mobile network coverage, and then synchronise\u00a0your results online at the next opportunity.<\/div>\n
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WHEN WILL IT BE AVAILABLE?<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
EYEfi Spatialeye\u2122 is currently operating as a closed BETA release, with commercial release dates to follow. Operating system information and detailed specifications will be provided prior to release.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Well done Simon and everyone at\u00a0EYEfi<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Locating objects just an app away<\/h2>\n

Your GPS-equipped smartphone might be able to tell you where you are, but a new Australian software application will also tell you the location of any object you are looking at, even many kilometres away.<\/p>\n

Spatialeye from Melbournebased developer EYEfi uses a smartphone\u2019s GPS, gyroscope and compass features coupled with downloadable terrain data to provide accurate location information on any object the device is pointed at. Even a building, tree or mountain.<\/p>\n

According to the inventor Simon Langdon, Spatialeye enables users to accurately determine the location of points of interest without the need for triangulation. Hence a photographer could determine the location of the object photographed, not just their own location at the time of taking the photograph. Points of interest can also be easily shared with other users.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018 As long as you can see it, we\u2019ll tell you where it is,\u2019\u2019 Mr Langdon said. \u2018\u2018 Just zoom in, click, and we\u2019ll tell you where it is on the map.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The app is about to make its debut for consumer use, with the technology having been deployed in an incident-management and field dispatch system for VicRoads and other in-field applications. An earlier version had been tested by the Victorian Department of Sustainability and the Environment (DSE), which used fixed cameras with high-quality optics and mountings to test its accuracy spotting the location of bushfires and lightning strikes.<\/p>\n

The underlying technology behind Spatialeye is EYEfi\u2019s SPARC algorithm, which uses sensor data from the smartphone and geospatial information to mathematically determine the real-world location the phone is pointed at.<\/p>\n

SPARC capability has also been trialled in detecting lightning strikes, which often cause bushfires. The technology also worked effectively with other electronic devices and camera types, including thermal imaging cameras.<\/p>\n

Mr Langdon said digital terrain data could be pre-loaded for any given area, allowing Spatialeye to work effectively regardless of whether the user had wireless internet coverage. Accuracy was to within 150 metres, with 95 per cent accuracy at 15 kilometres.<\/p>\n

Mr Langdon said that, unlike competing location systems, Spatialeye did not require any modification of the smartphone\u2019s hardware. So far it has been trialled on a Nokia Lumia handset running Windows Mobile 8 and Nokia\u2019s HERE mapping technology, but Mr Langdon said Spatialeye would be made available for other operating systems over time, along with an application programming interface for developers.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018 The technology is so versatile that if we tried to develop an app for every scenario we\u2019d imagined, we\u2019d be developing for the next 10 years,\u2019\u2019 Mr Langdon said.<\/p>\n

Nokia HERE\u2019s business development manager Rohan Fernando said Spatialeye was a complementary technology to its City Lens augmented reality application, which overlaid usergenerated information onto the real world when viewed through a compatible smartphone.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018 What Spatialeye brings is the ability to create new points of interest,\u2019\u2019 Mr Fernando said \u2018\u2018 To my mind there are many different applications where that capability can be applied.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

DSE\u2019s director for spatial information infrastructure Bruce Thompson said the technology offered triangulation without a second source, and proved a successful augmentation to the department\u2019s human spotters.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n