POI - a vote for use cases first

Hi,

I've been following the discussions on the POI forum.  I am both academically and commercially exploring this space, and have a history in the VR, MR and AR fields (again, both as a researcher and commercially).  I am taking a slightly different angle, and rather than thinking of AR as the output, instead thinking about how POI can lead the users to alternate views of the real and virtual spaces.  For example, one of my clients wants a scent-trail program that leaves your (virtual) smell behind you as you move around, for others to find.  This uses POI, but in a rather unusual way.

However, my background training is in usability, and from this perspective, it makes good sense for when discussing new concepts like POI, to take a step back and think of the users and the use-cases before again delving into the technology and standards.  From the use-cases, we can get a superset of requirements, and often, this includes things we might not have thought of otherwise.

Use cases that I am currently chasing are mostly in tourism, and very much around the ideas of:
1) 'I'm here, what is there to do?'
2) 'I'm going to be there, or perhaps there, what can I do, and what special offers are around that area, so I can decide which route to take next...'
3) 'I'm here, now, what has happened here in the past, what have others seen before me?'
4) 'I want to learn more about this area / history / shopping / nature / geothermal activity, please take me around on a tour...'
5) 'I want to reach potential clients with my special offers - how can I do this without being annoying?'
6) 'I want to offer a special activity, like a treasure hunt, so people can have fun, learn something or to promote my product.'
7) 'I want to leave a trail of my experiences for others to find and enjoy'.

I'd also like to suggest that we do some thought exercises for how the technology will mature in the future, I for one see:
1) faster, more mobile devices with very hi-res screens, possibly stereosocpic or autostereo, various interaction capabilities such as GPS, motion, compass, gyro, proximity, touch, etc)
2) fast, always on, cheap mobile broadband regardless of where you are in the world
3) powerful cloud computing resources that can be accessed by these mobile technologies.

So, what does this mean for the requirements of a POI standard?

Regards, Roy.
--
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Dr. Roy C. Davies, The VR Guy.
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Managing Director, LOOK-HERE IP Holdings Ltd.
Consultant and Managing Director, The Flexible Reality Studio Ltd.
Senior Research Fellow, Auckland University of Technology (AUT)

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Received on Saturday, 30 October 2010 15:39:10 UTC