*Nice urban-informatics-fiction in the upcoming TechWeb/ O'Reilly trade-show scheme here. "Invisible City," yes, very Italo Calvino!
*Surely you could augment state and local government with networked devices of this kind. Or, you could just throw yourself a nice blogger vs MainStreamMedia revolution and *replace* the local governments. Very "Color Revolution." "I Am the Mob." etc.
http://www.gov2expo.com/gov2expo2009/public/schedule/detail/10360
"Potential Government Applications of AR
"Large geo-spatial projects, such as Everyblock.com, have shown that context is critical for much of the data currently provided by state and local governments. By incorporating this information into a format that augments a user’s current context, this information is at once more accessible and more relevant to the user.
Am I in a neighborhood with a high crime rate?
What is the average selling price of a home in this neighborhood?
Where is the nearest subway station? Bus stop? How do I get there?
I just saw a tornado touchdown, how do I report it? How do I describe where it is?
"As seen in the last bullet, an AR provides an avenue for both information retrieval, AND reporting. An AR can quickly allow a user to record video, and upload it to a server anonymously with a simple touch of the screen. The location, direction, heading of the object of interest are all reported instantly. This information can also be archived.
"Invisible City Concept
"An AR can provide a complete platform for a local municipality, such as a city, that combines information from several agencies into a cohesive information structure that is navigated through a physical, geo-interface. This concept, called Invisible City, can provide value to citizens and below are three scenarios where new and extended value can be provided:
"Scenario: Wayfinding & Virtual Tours Which way to the museum? Where are the nearest subway stations? Who were the original inhabitants of the historic home in front of me? What building houses the U.S. Constitution? What new exhibits just arrived and which are nearest to me?
"I’m in the Capital Building, what office is my Senator located? Direct me to the office of my district’s Congressman (calculates my district based upon my address, gives me directions inside the building).
"Scenario: Virtual Department of Transportation I am sitting in traffic. Tell a central traffic service and find available alternate routes. Is this road consistently over burdened? Notify state planners that the road needs expansion. Are there planned road closings? Changing patterns due to construction? Are there too many potholes in the road?
"Scenario: Collaborative Crime-fighting I see a crime being committed, one tap on the emergency button and I immediately start uploading video and still photos to local authorities. My position and direction are automatically embedded in my notification and it is completely anonymous. The next day I notice what appears to be suspicious activity down the alley. I send a brief description, w/photos and post it to an online bulletin board. My contact info is automatically embedded in case there are questions. I later find out that one of the people was on a missing person’s list.
(((Special BEYOND THE BEYOND Bonus Scenario: massive, violent urban uprising by Favela Chic mobile-mobs against Gothic High Tech regime, while the newly autonomous gangs in the street are weaponizing iPhones. A lot of people don't know that Italo "Invisible Cities" Calvino was once an anti-Fascist resistance fighter with a machine-gun:)))
