GPS Friend Location System with Dynamic Perspective Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing GPS systems do not effectively provide situational awareness and allow spectators or individuals to easily identify friends or objects of interest in complex environments, such as sports events or crowded areas, as they lack the ability to offer personalized and dynamic views of locations and perspectives.
Innovation Solution
A GPS system where participants equipped with GPS-enabled devices communicate their positions to a central server, allowing users to select and view the situation from various angles, locations, and magnifications, including real-time rendering of relevant information and perspectives, using portable devices with communication links like cell phones or glasses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a simple GPS tracking system is used to show positions on a map, then the system is easy to implement and low-cost, but users cannot easily identify friends or objects of interest in complex environments like crowds
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates visual representations (copies) of users and objects as icons or markers on the display. These copies contain identifying information and can be selectively highlighted or enlarged when users tap or select them, allowing easy identification without requiring complex visual processing of the actual crowd scene.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer between the raw GPS data and the user's visual perception. Position data is transformed into graphical icons with metadata (names, distances, relationships) that serve as intermediaries to bridge the gap between raw location information and human identification capabilities in crowded environments.
2Loss of information
If an overhead map view is provided showing positions of friends, then location information is available, but users cannot relate the map marks to their actual position or view of the situation
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides dynamic viewing options that allow users to switch between overhead map view and first-person perspective view. Users can pan, zoom, and rotate the map to orient themselves relative to their physical position and surroundings, making the abstract map marks relatable to concrete spatial context.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a two-dimensional overhead map view to a three-dimensional first-person perspective view. This dimensional change allows users to visualize their position and orientation in space, relating map marks to actual physical location and viewing angle through immersive 3D rendering of the environment.
3Measurement precision
If GPS accuracy is improved to less than 2 meters with WAAS, then position measurement precision is improved, but the system still cannot provide personalized and dynamic views of locations and perspectives
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the accurate GPS position data as a universal foundation to enable multiple viewing modes and functions. The same precise location information supports overhead map viewing, first-person perspective viewing, distance calculation, bearing determination, and interactive exploration, making the system highly adaptable and versatile.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the view and display parameters based on user interactions and situational context. Users can switch between different perspectives, zoom levels, and display formats while maintaining accurate position information, allowing the system to adapt to various viewing needs and preferences.
4Adaptability or versatility
If spectators watch from their location during a race, then they have their own unique perspective, but their location limits their view and creates divergent perspectives from announcers and TV angles
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the spectator's personal viewing perspective with broadcast information by overlaying contest data (car positions, race status, distances) onto the first-person view. This combination allows spectators to maintain their unique spatial perspective while receiving comprehensive race information that would otherwise be separate from their personal view.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces graphical overlays and augmented reality elements as intermediaries between the raw visual field and the spectator's understanding of the race. These intermediaries provide context, distances, and race information directly in the spectator's field of view, bridging the gap between personal perspective and broadcast information.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for observing a personal networking event which shares the position of a number of friendly participants with other participants within a group. In one form, the position of unknown participants meeting certain criteria is also displayed to a user or one or more friendly participants. The views are selectable by friendly participants on, for example, a GPS equipped cell phone, to include a view from the participant's position, zoom, pan, and tilt views, or views from another friendly location or from another geographic location, giving increased situational awareness and identification of participants. Other information can be shared among friendly participants, including social information, status and directions.