Augmented reality: forget the games, I want to see planning applications

There are some great examples of early uses of augmented reality applications going round at the moment, such this one from Lego:

Hat tip: Josh Feldberg

All good fun for kids and adults alike and it is a pretty safe bet that augmented reality games will grow to be popular and profitable.

The ability to take an object and augment it with extra information in different formats (3D graphics, animated) also has uses beyond entertainment. We’ve seen a bit of that already with examples such as this one to help you find the nearest tube station in London.

One I would like to see become common is for planning applications. Typically residents deciding what to make of an application in their area, and so whether to oppose or support it, are presented with flat, 2D architectural drawings plus artistic impressions, often from angles that are only seen if you are flying over the site in a helicopter.

The helicopter views are great for oligarchs used to flying overhead, far less useful for the rest of us. Likewise, the architectural drawings are handy for those who can read and interpret such drawings but far less useful for the many people who cannot.

Augmented reality planning applications could fill this gap: helping anyone, whether trained architect, oligarch or someone else, to visualise what a proposal would look like from the angles which actually matter to them.

Mind you, I suspect even the best of such applications would stick with the architectural conceits of airbrushing out drainpipes (they’re the architectural equivalent of cellulite), never having litter on the streets and never, ever having a pedestrian who looks like they might be overweight.

But if there was a data standard for such applications, other people could come up with their own ‘add on’ packs which turn the architectural world of perfection into a more realistic street scene…