Market potential for a location based and augmented reality system for utilities management

Abstract

LARA project is an innovative combination of different emerging technologies to develop a hand-held and mobile device that integrates state-of-the-art technologies in the domains of mobility, positioning and sensors (Global Navigation Satellite System — GNSS), Augmented Reality (AR) and 3D Geographic Information System (GIS) geo-databases. The vision of the system is to develop a system that simulates an ‘x-ray camera’ and is able to guide utility field workers to ‘see beneath the ground’ the buried infrastructures. The system renders, in high accuracy 3D models, all the complexity of the different underground grids (water, gas, sewerage, electricity, etc.) that are stored in the 3D GIS geo-database. The project has a clear intention to commercialize the products and services built therefore a detailed market analysis for the system and the definition of the appropriate business models is required. In order to prepare the commercialization strategy of the final location based and augmented reality assistive system, during the project lifetime, all consortium partners are defining and agreeing the marketing strategy and the collaborative business models that best fit system requirements and needs developed through end user workshops and technical consultations. The project has received funding from the European GNSS Agency (GSA) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program; specifically, grant agreement no. 641460.