The purpose of our field test is to use one of these emerging technologies we have learned about in our classes, or perhaps elsewhere, and solve a problem. I had been struggling with this project for a number of reasons until last week. During the weekly exposure to new technology I kept thinking, “now this is what I want to try out.” Then I was also pondering about the whole problem solving aspect. What audience out there in the world had a problem in media that I could solve? Where are they and how could I help them?
Then last week as I was headed up to the Adirondacks with my dad and my little sister it dawned on me mid-conversation: better campsite imaging. For those that are pro’s they know right where to go online and they know exactly which sites they want to go to since they return to the same campgrounds annually. However, if you are new to camping or are someone who likes to explore new campgrounds, my idea may just help you plan your next trip with precision. Right now when people plan their trips they are booking blind on most sites. I’ve tried getting around the lack of pictures by going to Google Earth and zooming in but most of these properties are not visible through the trees.
I have been mulling around a couple different ways to tackle this project, which is fine as we need to have back-ups plans.
Using a 3D sensor or photogrammetry I could gather the imaging/data necessary to recreate a campsite in VR. Ideally, each site would eventually be done and hosted on the same site that people book their trips from. This way, people will know exactly what to expect before their trip and what extra equipment may or may not be necessary. When people search for sites that meet their date preferences or site preferences a cartoon map comes up. At the very least, once they click on a potential site and all of its information comes up, this is where a 360/VR experience of the single site could be located. I would annotate the site with dimensions for crystal clear expectations. I am thinking this part of the project will be dependent on the number of sites that are empty, as it would make more sense to let campers see the full space they are working with.
Using a 360 camera I could walk, or drive through the campgrounds for a virtual reality tour. Depending on the size of the campgrounds, it may be necessary to drive for battery life. I am still reading about my options as far as merging these two ideas together. My thoughts are that it would be most beneficial for people to be able to go in to the campground’s VR and click on their site number or zoom in on their site and there they will see the annotations I mentioned above. If the 360 video ends up being a stand-alone piece it would be annotated to include street names and site numbers.
I am looking forward to hearing back from the campgrounds I have reached out to and trying to put together such an informative campground resource.
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