Augmented Reality Farm MAPPER Development: Lessons Learned from an App Designed to Improve Rural Emergency Response

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Safety
• Emergency Response Technology
• Geographic Information Systems

Background:

• Fire departments lack pre-emptive mapping access for private farms, unlike commercial sites.
• Emergency responders face critical delays locating farm resources and hazards during emergencies.
• Existing methods do not provide real-time, on-site hazard information for agricultural operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for providing emergency responders with up-to-date on-farm hazard information.
• To enhance the safety and efficiency of emergency response activities on private agricultural operations.
• To adapt the Farm MAPPER system for mobile platforms addressing connectivity limitations.

Main Methods:

• Development of the original Farm MAPPER project (2013) for hazard data dissemination.
• Creation of an augmented reality (AR) version of Farm MAPPER (2017).
• Integration of GIS data with a heads-up display and graphical hazard overlays in the AR prototype.
• Testing of an iOS- and Android-ready prototype.

Main Results:

• The Farm MAPPER project successfully created a system for sharing farm hazard information.
• The AR version enhanced data visualization by superimposing hazard imagery and icons.
• Development identified key lessons for mobile apps in rural areas with inconsistent internet.
• The prototype demonstrated feasibility for improving emergency response on farms.

Conclusions:

• Farm MAPPER provides crucial pre-incident intelligence for farm emergencies.
• Augmented reality integration offers a promising approach for visualizing farm hazards.
• Lessons learned are vital for developing robust mobile solutions for agricultural and rural populations.
• Addressing mobile connectivity challenges is essential for effective technology deployment in these settings.