Short-sighted design is at the root of much of the destruction caused by environmental crises, whether it is flooding, earthquakes or tsunamis. Buildings and critical infrastructure fail because they were not designed to withstand today’s more intense forces of Mother Nature.
Natural disasters like earthquakes, floods cannot be regulated by human intervention, but the areas and cities that are prone to such disasters can be built in such a way that their buildings can withstand these vibrations and shocks coming from under the surface. Architects all around the world are working on designing and constructing buildings that are shockproof and built in such a way that they will not crumble even under the influence of large scale earthquakes. However, to accomplish this task, heavy processing on softwares like AutoDesk is required.
On a grand scale, the creation of virtual city-wide 3D models can help owners, builders, architects, engineers and even the public understand how and where to prioritize restoration efforts in the wake of a disaster so repairs can be made as quickly as possible.
Going a step further, it is possible to simulate real-life disasters on the 3D model and visualize how a particular structure would respond to the disaster effects. Such simulation enables greater learning of the environment to create a suitable maintenance plan, or in the event of an actual disaster, it allows emergency responders to be more prepared and be able to deal rapidly and effectively with emergency situations.
Our aim is to use the new wealth of data and almost infinite computing power of cloud to bring the capability to generate virtual 3D models of buildings using AR, areas and even cities in the hands of architects using their phones/tablets. Using augmented reality and cloud computation, it is possible to simplify designing such models on the move.
Furthermore, the final designs can then be circulated in apartments, offices and communities to educate people about their surrounding infrastructure and safety facilities using real-life 3D models. People can even use these augmented 3D models in times of emergency in their own mobiles.
We are also planning to give people live directions using their mobile camera to quickly find their way out of huge buildings where people are usually not familiar with the emergency exits. They can follow the arrows showing directions out of the disaster site on their phone screens which is now possible with AR.
- Mobile application that uses AR for architects to design 3D models of disaster-resistant buildings
- Same application circulated to public who can view and understand the structure of homes, offices etc and be aware
- Additional feature to show path using arrows on live camera to exit buildings/move towards relief area in time of disasters