Augmented Reality Markerless Multi-Image Outdoor Tracking System for the Historical Buildings on Parliament Hill

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) applications have experienced extraordinary growth recently, evolving into a well-established method for the dissemination and communication of content related to cultural heritage—including education. AR applications have been used in museums and gallery exhibitions and virtual reconstructions of historic interiors. However, the circumstances of an outdoor environment can be problematic. This paper presents a methodology to develop immersive AR applications based on the recognition of outdoor buildings. To demonstrate this methodology, a case study focused on the Parliament Buildings National Historic Site in Ottawa, Canada has been conducted. The site is currently undergoing a multiyear rehabilitation program that will make access to parts of this national monument inaccessible to the public. AR experiences, including simulated photo merging of historic and present content, are proposed as one tool that can enrich the Parliament Hill visit during the rehabilitation. Outdoor AR experiences are limited by factors, such as variable lighting (and shadows) conditions, caused by changes in the environment (objects height and orientation, obstructions, occlusions), the weather, and the time of day. This paper proposes a workflow to solve some of these issues from a multi-image tracking approach.