Wikitude AR Browser Embraces Crowd Sourcing

There’s quite a battle brewing in the world of augmented reality for the prize of becoming the preferred AR browser.

Wikitude was one of the first such apps, however it was limited to displaying information from Wikipedia and Qype. Then along came Layar. With an API allowing commercial companies to provide different augmentation “layers” it claimed to be the first true AR browser.

Now Wikitude is fighting back. Makers Mobilizy have announced that they’re opening up the database.

Newly launched wikitude.me is:

a community of mobile augmented reality users and shapers, empowered with a powerful tool to embed unique points of interest (POI) and location-specific, hyperlinked media content which can be viewed on the WIKITUDE World Browser

This gives Wikitude a massive potential in terms of the amount of data it has available – but also the consequential problems of dealing with spam and spurious “joke” entries.

Wikitude vs Layar looks like becoming an interesting fight between “totally open” and “open but controlled”. In today’s world, “closed” doesn’t get a look in.