Topic Proposed: Photo Earth Live

A application showing selected photos in a certain area or from all over the world according to their geographic location taken in a certain time period. (Photo to be uploaded by users of iPhone)

1. Uploading photos taken from iPhone with GPS information.
2. Displaying interesting photos uploaded from all over the world in a planet or world map view.
3. Displaying interesting photos in particular direction from the user
4. Grouping users' photo by geographic location for the ease of searching.
5. Showing event happen around user at the time and the past on map or on the direction
6. Grouping taken photos by the event on the iPhone.

1. City guides(showing current promotion of shops and event) combined in the application
2. Travel trails of a user (showing the path of a users traveling by looking into the GPS information of the photos)
3. Guessing game: guess where the photos are taken by the users in the same geographic location.
4. Allowing comment from other users
5. Other features to attract active user (still brainstorming)

1. Auto-focus camera
2. Connectivity to internet
3. Motion sensor / accelerator
4. Multi-touch and big screen
5. Compass
6. GPS
7. High configuration smart phone
8. Graphic rendering power on iPhone

Why this is an iPhone application but not on other mobile device?

Because on the current mobile device market, only iPhone equipped with the above mentioned technologies and with a smooth running platform.

Why users use our proposed application?

There are three main reasons for that.

(1) User can find out the photo they want according to the period of time and the places taken. E.g. user may want to find out if he/she has photo of Ho Sin Hang Engineering Building(SHB) to send to other by using our application and look for SHB.

(2) User may want to view photos taken in certain events, e.g. WWDC of Apple Inc..

(3) User is bored and want to see if any interesting photos are taken in surrounding.

How to select photos to display as there are a large number of photos be taken in the world if they uploaded to our application?

We proposed to required the user to rate a photos (not photos taken inside an event when starting the application. Even more, we can have other website for rating photos, e.g. facebook application to doing that.

When the application is first start or the iPhone is placed on level position, there are 2 views can be chosen: (1) Planet/Earth view, (2) map view. Both showing photos according to geographic locations of the photos selected and changed periodically.

When the iPhone is placed vertically, camera will be started and shown as the background. Images will be shown according to the direction the iPhone 3GS's compass. Enlarge the photo by standard multi-touch method on iPhone or Macbook series. Scroll horizontal to view the photos in the same set of distance and scroll vertical to change the distance set(e.g. show photos only within 100m) showing in the direction.

And when the iPhone is placed vertically, we provide a button to freeze the compass. This to allow user to view the photos and sharing with his/her friends and view photos surrounding the particular position.

Main direction: Application with social networking feature

- Photo Earth Live

By letting users to upload photo into the server. Showing the photos with animation according to time and location. (showing the worldwide map with display of day-time and night-time areas)

1. Cooking Reminder(similar to road netvigation)
2. Portable Server(server which serve for the area around it)
3. Forming Big Screen from iPhone OS devices
4. Media/data Broadcasting Using iPhone OS
5. Water-coloring
6. Sketch with handwriting recognition
7. The memorable view (showing the image in the past at the same location) with the story/history of the place when viewing
8. Virtual reality on iPhone showing decoration product