[ Update! Here's a link to MIT's own video showing their 'mapping monster' in action... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY7rScDd5h8&feature=g-all-lik ]
It's amazing to me just how mapping technology has moved forwards over recent years. It wasn't long ago that technology like 'GoogleEarth/Maps' would have been considered as spying...
Now look - not only can we can view almost anywhere around the world from from space whilst in our own homes but it's overlaid with multiple layers of information. From terrain mapping to your local coffee shop... it's amazing, yet this is where we are now. What about in '10' years time?
Today it's reported that MIT have 'bolted together some' tech to allow a wearable 3D scanning mapping device. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19716723 Whilst much of the tech is quite basic combining it and making it portable opens up a whole new box of magic.
There have/are projects that combine photographs taken by mobile phones in giant global database of location based imagery. Other companies collate information to present within mapping systems, but what would (will?) happen if MIT's device one day gets miniaturised and placed inside mobile phones or a pair of Augmented Glasses? [or in the very least driven around like one of Google's photo mapping cars].
Picture if everyone way able to create a 3d model/scan of where they go - Then picture that information being collated into a giant database... A Real World Detailed 3D model of the world! Every city, street, office block, building and even the rooms inside... Even the items in the rooms!!
This would truely be revolutionary. Who would own such information? How would it be used?
If this sounds to far fetched then go back 30 years - look at the progression of the Internet, mobile devices, mapping - consider the rate of change in computing power. Consider the change between a paperback map book and our ability now, to view street photos on GoogleMaps tracked in realtime to your position... Perhaps then this will not seem a question of if, but when.
3D Maps and our connection to them is only just starting... ;-)
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