Google unveils Fused Orientation Provider for Android, Maps

Google launched a new Fused Orientation Provider API in Play Services. It will help developers bring consistent device orientation to devices from various segments. It joins the current orientation methods available including Live View and your camera for VPS.

The company notes in its press release that developers consider orientation challenging to get right. In addition, a maps app should show the correct direction to walk towards when a user is navigating to an exciting restaurant in a foreign city!

Device orientation, or attitude, is used as an input signal for many use cases: virtual or augmented reality, gesture detection, or compass and navigation – any time the app needs the orientation of a device in relation to its surroundings.

The environment around the device usually includes materials that distort the geomagnetic field, and user behavior can vary widely. To deal with this, the FOP performs several tasks in order to provide a robust and accurate orientation:

• Synchronize sensors running on different clocks and delays;
• Compensate for the hard iron offset (magnetometer bias);
• Fuse accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer measurements to determine the orientation of the device in the world;
• Compensate for gyro drift (gyro bias) while moving;
• Produce a realistic estimate of the compass heading accuracy.

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