Investigating the Ways in Which Mobile Phone Images with Open-Source Data Can Be Used to Create an Augmented Virtual Environment (AVE)

Abstract: This paper presents the development of an interactive system for constructing Augmented Virtual Environments (AVEs) by fusing mobile phone images with open-source geospatial data. By integrating 2D image data with 3D models derived from sources such as OpenStreetMap (OSM) and Digital Terrain Models (DTM), the proposed system generates immersive environments that enhance situational context. The system leverages Python for data processing and Unity for 3D visualization, interconnected via UDP-based two-way communication. Preliminary user evaluation demonstrates that the resulting AVEs accurately represent real-world scenes and improve users' contextual understanding. Key challenges addressed include projector calibration, precise model construction from heterogeneous data, and object detection for dynamic scene representation.