New Map Snapper Technology for Cell Phones

Permalink: New Map Snapper Technology for Cell Phones

Researchers at Southampton University have developed a cell phone which incorporates a system called Map Snapper, allowing users to find local points of interest on a map.

Map Snapper processes a photo of a printed map, captured on camera phone, and forwards an interactive version of the same map back to the handset.

Points of interest such as restaurants, hotels and festivals are pinpointed with symbols and images, contact details and web links are also provided.

According to Paul Lewis, who developed the system with his colleague Jonathan Hare, “If someone is out walking and reaches a town, they’ll be able to simply point their phone at the map and find out places they could go for lunch, or other information not on the map.”

Map Snapper would be used in ordinary camera phones, as it would not be necessary in cell phones fitted with GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers. The software sends a photo of a section of map to a central server via GPRS.

The server uses the image to produce a unique signature for that area of the map. It then finds matches for the signature generated in a database of signatures for all Ordnance Survey maps published.

Lewis and Hare developed the Map Snapper in cooperation with Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency of Great Britain.