Taxosearch: a location based augmented reality game for improving plant identification skills

Tbilisi declaration defines environmental education (EE) as a learning process to gain knowledge on environment and its challenges, to develop the skills to address those chal- lenges and impart behavioral change towards informed decision and responsible action. Inspired from nature observation and appreciation of the functioning of environment, EE has always necessitated the need of field observational skills and analytical thought processing for comprehending the intricate mechanism and complex interaction of envi- ronment and its associative challenges. This makes the field observation and hands on practical learning as major components in environmental education. So any enhance- ments in these two components would significantly improve the efficacy and goal of EE. In par with objective of the National council for Science and Technology communica- tion, Rajat Jayanti Vigyan Sancharak Fellowship, the current project is of application oriented education technology development research. The aim of the project is to ex- plore the role of new generation tools such as location based augmented reality games, participatory sensing and simulation as applications for Environmental Education. The prime objective of the project is to develop a location based augmented reality games as an environmental education tool to be field tested in the thorny forests of 55 acre SACON campus. The main research question is related with how far the game can augment the environmental education and current practices in nature education trails. What design part attributes to the better playability and learning experience in ARG. In this line, we developed a location based augmented reality game named ‘Taxosearch’. Its main aim is to impart encouragement and learning to improvise plant identification skills among users. It has the functionality of location based quizzes in hand held tablet computers augmented with environmental observation and search queries. In partici- patory sensing domain, a activity module named ‘Nudge’ was developed focusing on developing functionality in hand held tablet computers with low cost dust monitoring sensors. This can address the need of tools for field activity in learning about particu- late matter pollution and other environmental pollution problems in urban spaces. For participatory simulation domain, a virtual globe based simulation game ‘Chipko wet- lands’ was designed and presented in a on-line community forum for further review and development