How-to guide

How to Create Geospatial AR

Geospatial AR in ARLOOPA Studio begins with one important branching decision. After you click the `Create experience` button and choose `Geospatial AR`, Studio asks you to choose the provider path: `Google Geospatial` or `Immersal VPS`. Both routes are place-based, but they do not work the same way operationally. Once the provider is chosen, you select the content type, prepare the location data, and test the experience on site. This guide explains the overall geospatial flow first, then shows where the Google and Immersal routes diverge.

Best for

Location-aware experiences tied to landmarks, venues, outdoor destinations, tourism routes, cultural sites, and place-based events.

Watch out for

Geospatial AR depends on location logic and field testing. Teams that skip on-site validation usually misunderstand how precise the final user experience will feel.

ARLOOPA fit

ARLOOPA Studio makes geospatial creation usable for no-code teams by putting provider choice, content setup, and publishing in one guided builder.

Tutorials

Video tutorial for this workflow

Watch the matching Studio walkthrough before you build so the setup, asset choices, and publishing steps are easier to follow.

Geospatial (VPS) AR

Bring your creations to life by placing them on real buildings and landmarks with Geospatial (VPS) AR.

Use case fit

When geospatial AR is the right create flow

Choose geospatial AR when the content should belong to a place rather than to a printed image or a freely chosen surface. This is the right route when the experience must feel connected to a landmark, site, venue, or geographic point in a way that the audience discovers on location.

It is usually the wrong route for everyday print activation or simple product placement. Geospatial AR creates the most value when the location itself is part of the story, the campaign, or the educational outcome.

•Use it when the place is part of the experience, not just the backdrop.
•Choose it for tourism, culture, events, education, and landmark-linked storytelling.
•Avoid it when a marker or a free surface placement would solve the same problem more simply.

Studio steps

How to create geospatial AR in ARLOOPA Studio

Geospatial AR starts with one extra decision: the provider. Studio asks you to choose that before you continue, so take that step slowly and pick the route that matches your project.

After the provider is chosen, the rest of the workflow is simple: choose the content, set the place, review everything in Studio, publish, and then check it on site.

The on-site phone check happens after publishing, not before.

1Click `Create experience` in Studio.
2Choose `Geospatial AR` on the first screen.
3Choose the provider path: `Google Geospatial` or `Immersal VPS`.
4Pick the content type you want to attach to the place.
5Upload or generate the asset and complete the location setup for the provider you chose.
6Review the setup in Studio and make sure the asset, place, and provider settings are correct.
7Click `Publish` to generate the live experience.
8Go to the real place and open the published experience on a phone in the same conditions your audience will use.

Preparation

What to prepare before starting a geospatial project

The most important preparation step is deciding what kind of place linkage you actually need. Some projects need GPS-like placement around a location. Others need a more VPS-specific workflow tied to mapped spaces. Studio supports both, but teams should choose the provider route based on the intended precision and the practical launch conditions.

You should also plan the site visit early. Geospatial projects almost always benefit from seeing the real environment before sign-off, even if the content itself is already ready.

•Choose the provider route before building the asset package.
•Define the exact site or landmark the audience should discover.
•Plan field testing with realistic devices, lighting, and movement patterns.
•Keep the place-based story simple enough for users to understand quickly on site.

Launch guidance

Where geospatial AR usually performs best

Geospatial AR is strongest when being at the site changes the meaning of the content. That makes it useful for tourism, art and culture, education, event overlays, city storytelling, and destination-linked brand experiences. It is also useful when the business wants the location itself to act as the entry point.

The format is less about low-friction reach and more about location value. If the audience is not expected to visit the place, geospatial AR is usually not the right first choice.

•Travel and tourism activations tied to destinations.
•Museums, public art, and cultural storytelling linked to sites.
•Educational experiences anchored to real places.
•Events or landmarks where the place itself is the hook.

FAQ

How to Create Geospatial AR FAQ

What is the main branching choice in the geospatial flow?

After selecting Geospatial AR, Studio asks you to choose between Google Geospatial and Immersal VPS.

Do both provider routes use the same content-type selection?

Yes. The provider changes the location setup path, but the content-type selection still happens inside the same Studio create flow.

When should I use geospatial AR instead of location-based AR?

Use geospatial AR when the experience needs a stronger place-anchored logic tied to provider-based mapping or VPS-style behavior. Use location-based AR when a simpler map-linked experience is enough.

What is the biggest mistake in geospatial projects?

The biggest mistake is skipping site validation. A geospatial experience should be tested where the audience will actually encounter it.

Next step

Need help turning a how-to guide into a launch plan?

Use pricing and a live demo to validate the workflow, publishing path, and rollout scope before you build at full scale.

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