AreaAr

AreaAr is a software framework for measuring and visualizing geographic areas within augmented reality applications. It provides tools to define polygons in real-world coordinates, compute surface area and perimeter, and render area boundaries as overlays in AR scenes.

Origins and development: AreaAr originated in 2020 as part of the AreaLabs research initiative and was released as an open-source project in 2021 under the MIT license. It has since grown through contributions from academics, developers, and city-technology pilots.

Architecture: AreaAr comprises a core mathematical engine for coordinate transformations and polygon geometry, a geospatial data model, an AR rendering module, and a plugins layer for data sources and visualization. It supports WGS84 and local coordinate systems, provides snapping and alignment features, and offers APIs for multi-user synchronization.

Features: area and perimeter computations on planar and curved surfaces, polygon validity checks, coordinate system transforms, map data integration, rendering of translucent area overlays, and support for AR annotations. It emphasizes privacy by enabling local data processing and optional data anonymization.

Applications: used in urban planning, cultural heritage mapping, field surveys, and location-based games; suitable for prototypes and pilots in municipal projects. It is often paired with GIS tools to provide AR visualization of geographic extents.

Status and reception: AreaAr remains an open-source project with an active if dispersed community. Documentation, example apps, and tutorials are maintained on the project site. As a development framework, it is one of several options for AR-based geospatial visualization.