HypAR: Situated Mineralogy Exploration in Augmented Reality

Hyperspectral imaging, as a fast and cost effective method of mapping the composition of geological materials in context, is a key enabler for scientific discoveries in the geosciences. Being able to do this in-situ in real world context, possibly in real time, would have profound implications for geology and minerals exploration. This work addresses this important issue by developing an augmented reality application called HypAR that enables in-situ, interactive exploration of mineralogy spatially co-located and embedded with rock surfaces. User centred design is deployed to assure the utility and validity of the system. We describe the requirements analysis and design process for HypAR. We present a prototype using the Microsoft HoloLens that was implemented for a rock wall containing a wide range of minerals and materials from significant geological localities of Western Australia. We briefly discuss several use cases for which HypAR and extensions thereof may prove useful to geoscientists and other end users who have to make effective, informed decisions about the mineralogy of rock surfaces.