TourGuide

Tour Guide App

Sibex Thesis Project Proposal

Functional Requirements

Basic Premise

A mobile application that allows people to view a tour video created by anyone. The video is tagged with location information so that the viewer can follow the tour "on location", and even follow the guide.

Tours can be authored by anyone. In fact, the system should be designed such that anyone can easily create a tour and share it with friends, or publicly. It's likely that public tours will be created by professionals and rented via the system.

The general system is comprised of an authoring function and taking a tour function.

Phase One Development

Authoring
During playback of a tour video, assign periodic GPS data and store this data such that it can be retrieved and associated with the same time indexes during playback.

Store the tour, potentially using a pointer to a service such as YouTube, or Vimeo for the video storage, and store tags on our server under the tour ID along with the video/link. Allow sharing of links via Facebook, Twitter, etc..

Taking a Tour
Log into server with a Facebook id, gain access to all tours shared to user, as well as public tours. Use location filters (e.g., w/i 500/1000/5280 ft of HERE).

Playback a video with tagging with indicator that helps put the viewer where they're supposed to be based upon GPS. Think along the lines of a video game "radar", maybe.

Phase Two Development

Authoring
Allow for live creation of video while adding tagging of the then current location as the video is made.

Allow for highlighting/arrows/text additions to video. (Edit of video vs. overlay?)

Add pricing and charging model.

Take a tour
Support for paid tours on interface. PayPal at first, direct Credit Card eventually.

Include rating system for tours as well as FB Likes for friends.

Possibly allow viewing of video Can view tours outside of location - but definitely an advantage to "be there".

Outside of app, perhaps with a google map showing location. And/or "street view".

Can view tours outside of location - but definitely an advantage to "be there".

Phase Three Development

Authoring
Integration with Google Latitude. Landmark tagging with associated tours.

Take a tour
Get a tour based upon landmark tags.

Share tours - e.g., simulcast of video amoungst a group. Possible addition of audio chat amongst participants. Especially useful for, say, travelling tours (car, bike).

Technologies Summary
- Video
* Recording
* Playback
* Editing/overlays
- GPS
* Video tagging of location
* Overlay displaying distance direction to location on playback.
- Server
- Facebook integration
- Billing support (PayPal/Credit Card)
- Mapping support (?)
- Google Latitude support
- Audio chat support