Overview
ISO/IEC 23000-13:2017 - Augmented Reality Application Format (ARAF) is an international standard in the MPEG-A family that specifies data formats and scene-description mechanisms for Augmented Reality (AR) content. ARAF defines how AR scenes (MAR scenes) are packaged and consumed by an ARAF browser to produce a Mixed and Augmented Reality (MAR) experience on end-user devices. It focuses on content formats and scene description rather than client/server procedures, enabling consistent integration of 2D/3D multimedia, sensors, actuators and remote resources.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scene description elements: ARAF relies on a subset of MPEG‑4 BIFS nodes (and VRML97 heritage) to represent 2D/3D graphics, text, materials and animation for AR scenes. Examples include ImageTexture, MovieTexture, Shape, IndexedFaceSet, Text, and Graphics nodes.
- Sensor & actuator interfaces: Mechanisms to connect to local and remote sensors and actuators (e.g., InputSensor, OutputActuator, Script nodes) and to integrate live camera feeds and other input sources.
- Compressed media integration: Support for embedding and referencing compressed image, audio, video and graphics media within AR scenes, plus communication and compression considerations for efficient delivery.
- Remote resource access: Mechanisms to connect to external resources such as maps, remote media, and processing servers (e.g., for image recognition or tracking).
- Programming & interactivity: Script and programming constructs for user interactivity, time sensors, touch/plane/sphere sensors and dynamic/animated scene control.
- Scene relationships & runtime: Spatial and temporal relationship specification, pose matrices for recognized target resources, and rules for dynamic composition and calibration.
- Conformance & reference implementations: Specification includes guidance on reference software, implementation details, utility software and conformance testing.
Practical applications
- Mobile AR apps that overlay 2D/3D content onto live camera feeds (e.g., retail visualization, industrial maintenance guides).
- Marker-based and markerless recognition workflows where target resources are detected locally or via remote processing servers.
- Geo‑referenced AR with map overlays and remote content retrieval for navigation, tourism and field operations.
- Multimedia-rich experiences combining prerecorded video, live streams and interactive 3D graphics for education, advertising and entertainment.
- IoT and actuator-driven AR scenarios where AR scenes respond to sensor inputs or trigger external actuators.
Who should use this standard
- AR application developers and content creators (MAREC authors)
- Device and platform vendors building ARAF‑compliant browsers
- Middleware and SDK providers (image recognition, tracking libraries)
- System integrators combining mapping, media streaming and sensor data
- Standards implementers and QA teams validating conformance
Related standards
Keywords: ISO/IEC 23000-13:2017, ARAF, Augmented Reality, MPEG-A, scene description, sensors, actuators, compressed media, MAR scene, ARAF browser.
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