Category Archives: SpatialIn

GIS Visions 2045

I gave a presentation where GIS might evolve in 20 years from now as part of the GIS Ostrava 2025 conference on 5.3. 2025. it was great to see again colleagues ! get eye-contact with audience and not just virtual applause. Also nobody was showing physically thumbs-up or red heart (in that case I would call emergency), rather real spoken (I mean real sound wave based ) comments, real talk and smiles. That was the main topic of the talk – Spatial Interactive – with people, tech, discoveries. Step out of the ‘glass-illusion’ trap.

Spatial Interactive

Stanislav Sumbera, GIS Vision 2024, 5.3. 2025,GIS Ostrava 2025

  • What happens here is more important than what happens now.
  • Space is naturally interactive, enabling collaboration and sharing.
  • The computer is not behind a 2D glass screen but understands 3D space and interactions within it.
  • People learn through observation, collaboration, and play.
  • Community Computer
  • Projective Augmented Reality (Projective AR)
  • Bret Victor – Dynamicland

image sources:https://gislab.utk.edu/tag/ar-sandbox/ , Dyamicland.org, Lightform

  • HMD / Head-Mounted Displays – Apple Vision Pro
  • Spatial Computing
  • Control through advanced gestures
  • “Super persistence” of objects – digital objects remain anchored as if truly part of the physical world
  • Pseudo-haptic feedback – realism in rendering creates the illusion of tactile response
  • Currently at the “UNIX Workstation” stage of the 1980s – showcasing possibilities that will later become accessible to everyone.
  • Also bloged here

2. Web, Open Source, and Technology Accessibility

  • From Google Maps → OpenLayers → Leaflet → MapBoxGL → MapLibreGL → ?
  • Each step represents greater availability, democratization, and accessibility of mapping technology, pushing development forward.
  • How difficult was it to render an image in 1993? How difficult was it to share that image with others? And today?
  • What is difficult, expensive, yet possible today that will become commonplace in 20+ years?

3. Lifespan of Data vs. Lifespan of Technology

  • WMS – Simple for visualization
  • Vector tiles – More complex to render (OGC API Tiles, MapBox Tiles, MapLibre Tiles – MLT)
  • 3D tiles – OGC 3D Tiles, evolving standards for spatial data
  • More aesthetics, smoothness, and artistic expression in maps
  • Real-time rendering techniques, such as Gaussian Splat, for next-generation visualization

from Book: Eneterpise SOA by Krafzig, Banke, Slama

4. Scanning Spaces and Objects

  • 3D scanning is accessible to everyone
  • Spatial Video, Spatial Photo
  • 3D scanning is as simple as taking a photo
  • Photorealistic scanning

5.Precise Geolocation ~2-10 cm

  • VPS (Visual Positioning System) – accuracy < 10 cm
  • 5G geolocation
  • Affordable high-precision GNSS + RTK/PPP (< 10 cm)
  • Accessible VPS from panoramic images, Mapy.cz?

6. AI – Welcome to the Jungle

  • NPCs have become “thinking machines” (are we, on other side, turning into NPCs ourselves? aka Jumanji 2 )

Image from Jumanji 2,driver – Mason Pike ?

  • The Chinese Room paradox – an English speaker perfectly assembles answers in Chinese following instructions without understanding the Chinese language and symbols meaning.
  • AI cannot create true originality but excels at combining and compiling existing inputs – a “super plagiarist” or “super puzzle resolver” ?
  • Might replace a significant amount of human (intellectual + routine) labor – in GIS (georeferencing, recognition/classification), programming/syntax, and more
  • “Hard work for machines, thinking for people” (Tomáš Baťa) is evolving into “(Pre)thinking* for machines, creativity/ideas for people” (in Czech Language : pre-mýšlení)
  • AI model marketplace – grow (cultivate) your unique “thought twin” that integrates into an open AI network.
  • Developer Twin: Blog post

Apple Vision Pro: Enabling Spatial Interaction

We have various terms for AR – like Mixed Reality, Metaverse, Spatial-ware, XR. Among these, Apple’s term “Spatial Computing” stands out for its emphasis on integrating physical space and digital interactivity. This resonates with me, as the concept of “Spatial” reflects how we model and interact with space in meaningful ways. Years ago, I made up a new term “SpatialIn”—an open-ended label where “In” simply means Spatial is “in.” Later, with advancements like ARKit, I extended this idea into “Spatial Interactive,” emphasizing the interactive potential of space around us behaving like a dynamic canvas. Vision Pro aligns perfectly with this vision. After testing Vision Pro , here are my key observations:

  1. Hands-Free Interaction

Vision Pro’s hands-free interaction feels intuitive. Manipulating virtual objects with gestures or gaze eliminates barriers and enhances usability. Fluent hand movements remind me of my Tai-Chi classes from years ago.

  1. From VR to True Mixed Reality Immersion

Unlike VR, Vision Pro allows safer navigation in real spaces while engaging with virtual elements. It maintains spatial awareness and visual contact with reality, making it both practical and immersive.

  1. Unmatched Persistence

Vision Pro’s capability to retain virtual object placement across sessions is impressive. This feature is critical for practical applications such as architectural design, where models need to stay precisely where placed for accurate spatial referencing, or in education, where persistent virtual setups can create consistent and engaging learning environments. I found a model I placed earlier in the day still standing on the lower floor of the building—exactly where I left it. This happens without explicit relocalization notification for the user, as the virtual model sticks to the physical space even across different floors. A must for advanced spatial computing design as virtual space must keep integrity similar to physical one.

  1. Feeling Rendering on My Hands – sort of

The wide field of view and detailed lighting ensure a natural integration of digital and physical environments. Soft shadows and consistency make virtual elements feel tangible. Fidelity is so high that it creates the illusion of tactile sensation when interacting with virtual models. While purely subjective, this visual illusion convincingly engages my sense of touch, making the experience feel remarkably real to me. This visual-feel integration adds a layer of immersion that goes beyond sight and sound, engaging the sense of presence in a way that feels almost instinctive.

Here is a little example – while using only flat browser with WebGL powered MapLibreGL there:

As there is no 3D map from Apple to test on the device by default, I had to convert a gltf to USDZ and send it to device for QuickLook to get experience of how 3D city would look like there.Here it goes: