Informing Real-Time Operations with SmartCam Augmented Reality

Entry 3 in Blog Series: Getting to Know Jagwire

The virtue of flying full motion video (FMV) sensors is typically found in the real-time nature of the returned sensor data. The ability to watch a collection live while inflight means that you can observe conditions on the ground in real time and make adjustments. That is a powerful tool. For typical operations, this real-time aspect is key, breaking the paradigm of plan, fly, collect, quality check, and repeat if the collection was in some way incorrect.

Unfortunately, real-time operations are still hampered by the typical narrow field of view, or “soda straw” nature of many FMV sensor systems, and also by the difficulty of orienting oneself to relevant spatial features in a moving image frame. For many sensor operators, no tools are available to assist in the task. A few more fortunate operators have, at best, a separate “slaved” map in which the sensor footprint is viewed, in a different window, over a separate set of map data. A map-to-video correlation step must then take place in the mind of the sensor operator, leading to an increased workload, and the constant potential for misunderstanding and miscommunication.

Jagwire’s new augmented reality capability, powered by SmartCam3D, provides an elegant, powerful new solution to this problem of informing and communicating with the sensor operator. This capability provides real-time overlays of a variety of reference data sets including road networks, cultural and geographic points of interest, and custom KML data sets, all presented over live FMV data in real-time. By synchronizing operationally relevant reference data right onto the FMV picture, the operator is able to quickly and transparently understand the ground picture, vastly increasing operational effectiveness.

Over the next few blog entries, we will be looking at a variety of scenarios to illustrate the operational improvements possible when combining Jagwire web-services, ENVI analytics, and SmartCam3D augmented reality.

Entry 1 in Blog Series: Save Time and Effort by Organizing Your Data with Jagwire >

Entry 2 in Blog Series: Disseminate your Geospatial Data with Jagwire >