The invention is a method for displaying otherwise unseen objects and other data
using augmented reality (the mixing of real view with computer generated imagery).
The method uses image parameters (such as field of view, focus, aperture, and shading)
that affect the real world view as captured by a camera. The camera may have a
motorized camera mount that can report the position of a camera on that mount back
to a computer. With knowledge of where the camera is looking and the additional
image parameters, the computer can precisely overlay computer-generated imagery
onto the video image produced by the camera such that the appearance of computer-generated
imagery is consistent with the image of the real world. The method may be used
to present to a user such items as existing weather conditions, hazards, or other
data, and presents this information to the user by combining the computer generated
images with the user's real environment. These images are presented in such a way
as to display relevant location and properties of the computer-generated imagery
to the system user. The primary intended applications are as tools for training
and monitoring of surveillance systems, disaster command and control response training
and operations, and any application in which it is desired to have realistic imagery
that corresponds to the real world.