GeoVector® - Click on the Real World®

GeoVector Corporation (originally known as Criticom Corporation) began conducting research into augmented reality in early 1990s. The company, co-founded by John Ellenby who also founded laptop and mobile computing pioneer GRiD Systems Corporation, devised a method to use sensors in a device to associate relevant digital information with places on earth.

The basic concept around which most of GeoVector's R&D has concentrated is that knowing the position and orientation of the device allows the application to provide digital information associated with a place in the real world. Position and direction data can be used to create a virtual vector which intersects with objects indexed in databases by their latitude and longitude coordinates.

GeoVector's first patent in this domain was filed September 10, 1993. The company originally held the trademark for "Augmented Reality" (issued in 1995) but abandoned it as the term was generally adopted to describe this technique along with many others.

Early GeoVector work focused on providing vertical solutions. One GeoVector augmented reality design used compass equipped binoculars along with GPS to superimpose nautical maps on the visual horizon thus improving the safety of navigation.

A video showing early Augmented Reality concepts from GeoVector can be seen here