W3C Launches Points of Interest Working Group

W3C has launched a Points of Interest Working Group, whose mission is to develop technical specifications for the representation of "Points of Interest" information on the Web. For the purposes of this Working Group, a "Point of Interest" is defined simply as an entity at a physical location about which information is available. For example, the Taj Mahal in India is a point of interest, located at 27.174799° N, 78.042111°E (in the WGS84 geodetic system). Additional information could be associated with it, such as: it was completed around 1653, has a particular shape, and that it is open to visitors during specific hours. Points of Interest information is used in a wide variety of applications such as: augmented reality ("AR"), mapping and navigation systems, geocaching, etc. This group will primarily focus on POI use within AR applications but will strive to ensure reusability across applications. The group will also explore how the AR industry could best use, influence and contribute to Web standards. More information is available in the Working Group Charter. W3C launches this group as the result of discussion at the W3C Workshop on Augmented Reality on the Web. Learn more about the Ubiquitous Web Applications Activity.