WebOn World: Geo-coded Video and Spatial Audio in Vehicles

Existing driver-vehicle interfaces do not support communication of geo-spatial relationships within the environment for navigation or information interaction. Instead, they rely on distracting maps, overabundant text, and often confusing audio. Acquiring and maintaining situation awareness in a moving vehicle in a 3D environment requires more natural spatial cues. A rich source of directional information can be provided via three-dimensional geo-coded visual and auditory cues. This paper describes an in-vehicle system called WebOnWorld for the use of geo-coded visual and auditory information, with special emphasis on the system implementation of the first in-vehicle geo-coded multi-channel, spatial audio. Supplied with a geographically coded audio/video database, WebOnWorld renders spoken information, guidance, and situation awareness for infotainment, navigation, and vehicle/driver safety to the driver, enabling improved situation awareness. We describe video-based cueing, audio-based cueing, use of the video and audio databases as a user accessible whiteboard, and driver and system performance issues.