The European 5G-EVE project (5g-eve.eu) aims to create a horizontal validation platform for extensive testing of 5G standards. The project develops and connects the infrastructure of various European sites (in Greece, Spain, France, and Italy) to create a single end-to-end service.
As part of the 5G-EVE project, FULL Polito is developing a vertical application of the platform, focusing on the “Smart Tourism” use case. FULL’s research therefore aims to study the potential of the infrastructure to promote new methods of accessing cultural information, based on real-time interaction with physical space—within buildings, sites, or parts of cities. This approach is based on the use of augmented reality (AR) and micro-localization technologies and aims to enrich the user experience by providing contextual information accurately related to the perceived space, on both an architectural and urban scale.
2019 was the year of extensive development of 5G technology, capable of guaranteeing access to large amounts of data at higher speeds, opening the field to new developments and possibilities. This is the context for the European 5G-EVE project (5g-eve.eu), funded by the European Community as part of the public-private partnership of H2020 projects, with the aim of creating a horizontal validation platform for extensive testing of 5th generation cellular network (5G) standards. The project develops and connects the infrastructure of various European sites (in Greece, Spain, France, and Italy) to create a single end-to-end service.
As part of the 5G-EVE project, FULL Polito is developing a vertical application of the platform, focusing on the “Smart Tourism” use case. FULL’s research therefore aims to study the potential of the infrastructure to promote new methods of accessing cultural information, based on real-time interaction with physical space—within buildings, sites, or parts of cities. This approach is based on the use of augmented reality (AR) and micro-localization technologies and aims to enrich the user experience by providing contextual information accurately related to the perceived space, on both an architectural and urban scale.
The trials are taking place in a section of Turin’s Spina 2 district that is already equipped with 5G infrastructure, specifically between the Officine Grandi Riparazioni (OGR) events center and Turin Porta Susa station.
The work involves developing a mobile app capable of requesting and receiving data from a server via the 5G network. The transmission range is exploited to obtain spatial models and large amounts of multimedia information. In addition, the edge computing capabilities of the infrastructure are used to keep the data received by the device up to date, based on the user’s location and activities, defined using GPS, AR, and other location-supporting technologies.
An initial prototype validated the app’s general features. The tool is divided into two parts relating to the two scales of information granularity: architectural and urban. The first part aims to display information about services and landmarks in the context in AR, by superimposing labels on images in open areas. At the architectural scale, and also in closed environments, the second component of the prototype uses AR to display more detailed information (theses, images and videos, structured data).
These functions were tested within the OGR area, where the AR experience was activated through the recognition of works of art. In addition, it is possible to activate a navigable 3D map with information on the services available within the facility.
Starting from this prototype, work is underway to extend the area of application to the various sites covered by the validation infrastructure (Sanpaolo Skyscraper, Porta Susa Station, Le Nuove Prison, and OGR) and to introduce additional functions. These include indoor AR navigation functions – for example, for accessing train platforms at the station – AR functions based on the tracking of three-dimensional objects through point cloud scans, virtual tour experiences with spherical images – particularly at the Le Nuove Prison museum – and access to geospatial and historical information about the urban fabric of Spina 2.
The system under construction is based on a structure with two virtual machines, the first of which enables geo-query web services that filter data and functions according to the buffer area in which the user is located, while the second hosts the geospatial database containing the files to be sent to the devices and the related metadata. The system allows the development of “lightweight” applications that, at the local level, i.e., on the physical memory of the device, maintain the minimum amount of data necessary, leaving it to the 5G structure to quickly update or stream information and ensure a smooth and rich user experience.
Finally, an automated testing system was set up to detect the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) of the developed architecture without requiring the use of the app in the field, but using an emulator of the app itself, which reproduces its queries and receives the requested content from the server.
