Augmented Reality-Based Outdoor Navigation System for Urban Firefighting: A Case of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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Date
2025-08-11
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Indian Society for Education and Environment (iSee)
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to develop an Augmented Reality (AR) based
system for outdoor navigation to aid fire truck drivers in reaching incident areas
during emergency response in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It involved developing
three modules: an emergency incident reporting mobile application to improve
incident localization, a route planning module to enable the visualization of
routes and their conditions, and the AR navigation module to deliver real-time
AR-based navigation instructions. Methods: Web AR technologies, specifically
WebXR and Three.js, were employed to render AR navigation instructions
based on a preselected route from the route planning module, which was
developed using the Google Maps JavaScript, Places, and Routes APIs, and
complemented with an added layer of house data by leveraging QGIS. Ionic
Framework was used to develop the emergency incident reporting platform.
The system’s effectiveness was evaluated through User Acceptance Testing
(UAT) with 45 Dar es Salaam civilians and 5 fire brigade officers. Findings: The
developed system improves incident localization through automatic location
sharing via the emergency incident reporting platform and searchable address
data via the custom geospatial dataset. It also improves the clarity of navigation
instructions through its AR navigation module and routing decisions with its
route planning module. During system validation, 91% of the participating
civilians completed the emergency incident reporting task without prior
training. Furthermore, all the participating officers reported clearer navigation
instructions for the AR component, with particular appreciation for the route
planning module. Although no direct comparison with existing methods was
conducted, validation results revealed the system’s potential in improving
emergency response in Dar es Salaam. Novelty: This study presents a context-
aware AR navigation system integrated with a custom geospatial dataset
that lacks in most previous studies and existing solutions. This integration
enhances incident localization, route planning, and navigation, essential factors
in improving emergency response.
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG-11:Sustainable Cities and Communities Enhances emergency response in urban areas
SDG- 9:Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure Uses AR and GIS for innovative infrastructure
SDG-3:Good Health and Well-being Improves emergency health response times and effectiveness
SDG-13:Climate Action (indirect) Supports climate-related emergency preparedness
SDG-17:Partnerships for the Goals Encourages multi-sector collaboration
Keywords
Emergency Response, Outdoor Navigation, WebXR, Augmented Reality, Urban Fires