Integrated ZooEduGuide with multimedia and AR from the largest living classrooms to wildlife conservation awareness

Abstract

Dissemination of information in today's digital lifestyle has grown beyond prints, multimedia contents are no longer luxurious elements but necessary components. Combined with an advanced navigation system on Android-based mobile devices and augmented reality technology, we achieve a context-aware self-guided application that not only assists users navigating an unknown territory but also delivers facts about places they are visiting as well as living and non-living things they are encountering. Applying such a system to zoos, the largest living classrooms in existance, while incorporating cartoon-like kids' friendly interfaces and games, we have developed a portable educational gadget. Our application, named ZooEduGuide, is designed to effectively attract and motivate young children and teenagers to learn about animals and wildlife along with ecological footprints. It encourages their love for animals and raises their awareness for environmental conservation as today, more than ever before, there is an urgent need to actively protect wildlife at a global scale. Enhancing zoo experience with ZooEduGuide, a planned field-trip at the zoo could be personalized. Furthermore, the flexibility and generalizability of our system allows local zoos to customize their maps and to dynamically schedule show events. At the same time, many zoos across the country can share common information and news through a centralized on-board database managed by the national zoo organization.