Show HN: Point your camera at a landscape to learn about its geology
152 points by headsupernova 4 days ago | 38 comments
I've been working on a fun little app that paints geologic maps over landscapes using augmented reality. You can use it to identify what the mapped rocks are, read descriptions about them, and view the earth as it looked when they formed by turning back the continent positions. It spun out of some augmented reality work I was doing on my other side project app - Flyover Country, which tells you about the view from the airplane window.
I'm in Minnesota, so i haven't had a chance to test it on a huge amount of terrain (the best I've found is the Mississippi River gorge in the twin cities... I need a trip up north), so anyone that's somewhere with some more bumps: please help!).
It's stuck in the Apple review queue, but it's up on testflight for anyone interested. Google approved it quickly and it's fully out on android (links to both on the marketing site).
edit: got a report that testflight was asking for an install code. Seems like a testflight app issue, but dismissing it and installing as normal seems to work!
StepWeiwu 9 minutes ago
Super cool, congrats! I've played around with the android app, works great and it's really interesting!
replynaftalibeder 13 hours ago
Very well done. The animation of plate movements give me a real sense of vertigo! Earth is old. o__O
replyFor me at least, it would feel more intuitive to have the distant past on the left and the current date on the right. I'd also love an option to keep the current location centered while manually dragging the slider.
EDIT: Also, could optionally overlay lat/lon lines to help anchor the globe as it rotates? It's hard to understand the plate movements relative to the Earth.
headsupernova 11 hours ago
oh interesting yeah I was trying to keep the time direction consistent with the squiggle graphic in the main sheet, but I can see how it would read backwards! Maybe I should flip them in both spots.
replynsilvestri 7 hours ago
Very cool. Does this mean any chance AR features are coming to Flyover Country? I've used that app for years, but matching what I see onto the map is the trickiest part.
replyheadsupernova 7 hours ago
They're in there already (as of a month or so ago)! I'm really excited about AR in Flyover. Especially interested to hear your feedback on the new version having used it for so long!
replygus_massa 3 days ago
Is there a web version? I don't like to install apps if avoidable.
replyWhen the page loads, it shows a blinking animation [1]. I didn't realize it was a loading an interactive background example. Perhaps load a default photo of the grand canyons and add a clock or something until the full version loads.
[1] In my phone in the subway, not a very good WiFi nearby.
headsupernova 10 hours ago
been thinking of trying a web version! the AR stuff might be tough (I'm relying on ARcore/ARKit a lot) but I think all the pieces are there to make it possible. Good call on the image fallback! The 3d demos are probably heavier than they should be for a landing page hero...
replyhsparikh 9 hours ago
This is timely. I am on my way to the Grand Canyon today. Will install and give it a go with my son. I think he will be excited.
replyheadsupernova 7 hours ago
oh man a screenshot of the live view on the Canyon would make my day!! please send one over (shane @t flyovercountry.app). Fingers crossed it works for you!
replytimothevs 12 hours ago
This is really well done! My 9-year-old and I have been going down the rabbit hole for the last 2 hours. We simply love the ‘Where it formed’ feature. Great job!
replythingfyi 6 hours ago
Very cool project! I also wonder if a web version is plausible. Are there any specific native app features in it?
replyheadsupernova 4 hours ago
the AR stuff leans heavily on ARkit and ARCore APIs but I think similar things are possible with web apis.
replytectonic 10 hours ago
This is very cool! Great use of augmented reality. Now have a narration mode that gives you LLM-based Roadside Geology explanations of what you’re seeing as you drive.
replyheadsupernova 9 hours ago
Somebody else is working on exactly that! check out Backseat Geologist
replyballen 10 hours ago
Very cool. Really like having the soils and quaternary layers for those us in the Midwest without a lot of bedrock exposure.
replyheadsupernova 9 hours ago
there are so many cool glacial stories (and more!) in the midwest! I'm trying to sort out how to better tell them in the app based on the available data.
replyassimpleaspossi 11 hours ago
I don't see it on the Play Store for my Pixel 11. There are two marked "Outcrop" but not by these people.
replyheadsupernova 11 hours ago
bummer that it's not coming up in search for you. Here's a link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rocks.outcrop....
replychamomeal 13 hours ago
No WAY I have wanted this exact thing all for years!!! I am so stoked to try this out later. This is so sick.
replyGot the test flight version installed no problem!
RobotToaster 14 hours ago
Whenever I try live view I get "tracking did not start. Try again" on android
replyheadsupernova 11 hours ago
oof sorry, thanks for reporting! I've got a limited set of phones to test on so this is super helpful. What is your device/android version?
replyRobotToaster 10 hours ago
It's a old Doogee v31gt running android 13
replyEdit: It looks to be my phone, I just tried it again and it says "This phone can't do the motion tracking Live needs"
lightedman 12 hours ago
This would be insanely awesome if I could add a data layer or two atop the geologic unit map. This combined with processed ASTER and LANDAST data overlaying the geologic units would make surficial mineralogy so much more exciting when you're out in the field.
replyheadsupernova 11 hours ago
hadn't seen ASTER data before this! looks like some really cool data! I'll look into adding it for sure
replyhailwood1965 4 hours ago
I hope to one day try it. I'm an hour south of Mpls. It would be interesting to use it on one of those super-deep gravel pits in rural Goodhue where one can see ten stories of earth. Good luck.
replyheadsupernova 9 hours ago
Shameless other project plug: if you have a flight coming up and are a window seat fan please try out https://flyovercountry.app ! it has a similar augmented reality view so you can figure out what you're seeing out the airplane window (and a bunch of other fun features)
replytamimio 10 hours ago
This is very interesting!! I just pointed at a landscape from a high ground and it said this river was formed around 460million years ago! Which it seems is that old in earth’s life!
replyheadsupernova 9 hours ago
it's more that the rocks underlying the river are that old! I wonder how I can make this distinction more clear.
replyAeroi 9 hours ago
atleast re-write your subheading "each rock named" most ai smelling shite ever.
replyseabass 4 hours ago
It's always so disappointing. This looks genuinely cool, soured by all the little ai artifacts that get hard to look past, like "the circle names what it rests on".
replyheadsupernova 3 hours ago
please keep listing these examples out it's genuinely helpful to hear what rings poorly to people. I've been focused on the app build in my spare time and don't have a ton of experience with marketing so the copy is def a relative afterthought and leans sloppy for sure.
reply