A tour of SAP's augmented reality for business

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    Advances in location and mobile technology are boosting the potential of augmented reality applications, meaning they are no longer the preserve of consumer-focused developers, according to enterprise software specialist SAP.

    The company is developing an enterprise application for the iPhone and iPad (shown above), known currently as the Augmented Explorer Prototype. The idea is that the software will allow businesses to call up corporate data while out in the field and to map this data to what they are seeing. For example, a car salesman could point a handset at a vehicle on a showroom forecourt to find out how many the company has in stock.

    In blog post on the prototype, Timo Elliott, senior director of strategic marketing at SAP, noted that location technology has become refined enough to allow people to use their handset as a pointing device for drilling down into data.

    Development of the augmented reality app is in "beta of an alpha phase", according Elliott. However, he said that the software should be available on the iPhone app store within the next two months at the latest.

    Photo credit: SAP

    Caption by: Ben Woods

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    The prototype augmented reality app calls for the user to first log on to SAP's BusinessObjects BI OnDemand site. The user then uploads a data set that includes points of interest (POIs), which are the physical items that the mobile device will be pointed at in the field, and chooses data configuration options in the BusinessObjects Explorer interface used by the app.

    Augmented Explorer Prototype uses five points of data — latitude, longitude, name, an associated image and at least one data value — to define each POI. Each point can have many different lines of data associated with it.

    The app then determines the direction and distance to the POI based on the handset's GPS location and compass. The appropriate information is then shown on the iPhone/iPad display.

    Photo credit: SAP

    Caption by: Ben Woods

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    Once the data source is appropriately configured, the POIs are displayed on the handset screen. This can show either the POIs closest to the handset's location or those closest to where the phone is pointing.

    In the example above, the arrow icon shows whether sales are increasing, decreasing or static. The colour used on the arrow denotes whether sales are higher than, equal to or below targets.

    Photo credit: SAP

    Caption by: Ben Woods

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    People can choose to display the POIs overlaid on a map, rather than in list format. Tapping on the radar in the top right hand corner allows a user to zoom in further.

    Photo credit: SAP

    Caption by: Ben Woods

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    As well as zooming in for a closer map-overlaid view, people can also set the radius of the POIs displayed on screen.

    Photo credit: SAP

    Caption by: Ben Woods

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    Using the iPhone's camera, the POIs can also be viewed superimposed on the real world. General information about each is still displayed on the screen, and tapping any POI will allow the user to choose what other information is displayed.

    Photo credit: SAP

    Caption by: Ben Woods

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    At any point, results can be filtered using any of the parameters specified in the uploaded data set. Thanks to the integration with SAP's existing BusinessObject Explorer, selecting any POI takes the user through to the Explorer interface. Filters that are applied to the augmented reality view are applied to the Explorer view and vice-versa, making it easier to quickly access the exact data desired.

    Photo credit: SAP

    Caption by: Ben Woods

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    SAP hopes that with future developments of the precision of location services, that the app will be able to track the performance of specific locations. For example, in the mock-up above, the shop could track the performance of items in a window display versus those on the shop floor.

    Photo credit: SAP

    Caption by: Ben Woods

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    Another conceptual example cooked up by SAP is the ability to use the app in an manufacuring environment scenario. In the mock-up above, the app would provide at-a-glance information about the maintenance records of machinery on the factory floor, saving teams the task of ploughing through old records.

    SAP has noted that if other developments in mobile BI to improve latency issues are put into play, the technology could be used to measure or track people or equipment on the move, rather than being restricted to static locations.

    Photo by: SAP

    Caption by: Ben Woods

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Take a look at the company's prototype augmented reality business intelligence app forthe iPhone and iPad, which aims to map corporate data to the outside world

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Advances in location and mobile technology are boosting the potential of augmented reality applications, meaning they are no longer the preserve of consumer-focused developers, according to enterprise software specialist SAP.

The company is developing an enterprise application for the iPhone and iPad (shown above), known currently as the Augmented Explorer Prototype. The idea is that the software will allow businesses to call up corporate data while out in the field and to map this data to what they are seeing. For example, a car salesman could point a handset at a vehicle on a showroom forecourt to find out how many the company has in stock.

In blog post on the prototype, Timo Elliott, senior director of strategic marketing at SAP, noted that location technology has become refined enough to allow people to use their handset as a pointing device for drilling down into data.

Development of the augmented reality app is in "beta of an alpha phase", according Elliott. However, he said that the software should be available on the iPhone app store within the next two months at the latest.

Photo credit: SAP

Caption by: Ben Woods

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