Google VPS: A Technical Hindsight View - Geospatial World

A caller article brought backmost my absorption connected VPS, which I person been pursuing since past 10 years. In fact, galore of america techy radical person played with ocular positioning systems going backmost to 2010 – whilst utilizing Vuforia to recognise objects and way them for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality applications. After a while, this came to the Google and Apple AR systems.

It was astir 2015 that determination was immoderate treatment connected however this could beryllium utilized to flooded GPS shadow, which is simply a nonaccomplishment of GPS awesome successful an municipality country owed to ample buildings blocking the steadfast GPS vigor waves reaching our devices. Old AR apps similar LayAR were an inspiration.

But it wasn’t until 2018 that Google announced the AR VPS astatine the I/O Developer Conference. It was initially designed to usage for walking directions, whereby you could presumption the satellite done your camera and it augment arrows to amusement you the direction. This improved the accuracy by utilizing recognisable objects. Though, from the outset, it was doomed arsenic it was a horrendous artillery drain.

Interestingly, astir the aforesaid time, a institution called Niantic had this truly large app called Pokémon Go which they wanted to marque the characters much realistic by giving them amended designation of the objects astir them.

To flooded this, they started to make a usable planetary ocular room called Lightship. In September 2022, Niantic announced the motorboat of Lightship, the exertion which allows the Pokemon successful Pokemon Go to fell down objects and beryllium much close successful their position.

Although Niantic created an awesome VPS, it is designed for enhancing the AR acquisition successful the existent satellite utilizing a immense database of 3D real-world objects.

What is breathtaking astir the Google VPS is that the caller absorption appears to beryllium much astir determination accuracy. Although Google positioning already uses the latest GPS chips which instrumentality relationship of GPS shadiness and besides usage Wi-Fi to triangulate arsenic good arsenic GPRS, the caller VPS tin supply an adjacent amended position, adjacent extending to indoor navigation.

In 2016 Google announced Cartographer, a SLAM (Simultaneous localization and mapping) room which would let indoor mapping by utilizing question to cipher determination from a commencement point. Could the integration of VPS seizure the commencement constituent with an close determination to past let SLAM to beryllium utilized for a tenable calculation of wherever we are indoors?

Also Read: Getting mislaid with GPS? Don’t worry, Google Maps VPS is here