Enterprise software powerhouse SAP is working on a system that could put the latest big thing in mobile apps – augmented reality (AR) – firmly on the map for business. The AR concept, where users point their smartphone camera at an object and the on-screen image is overlaid with location-specific information in real time, already features in consumer apps for everything from amateur astronomy to finding information on shops, restaurants and properties.

Augmented Reality Explorer is a prototype iPhone/iPad app developed by SAP’s BusinessObjects Innovation Center, due for launch shortly. Users can integrate their own or third-party datasets to create location-aware mobile business apps. For example, a regional manager could point a device at the front of a branch to instantly see its sales figures or other essential information.

In future, such technology might become even more specific and give information on certain pieces of equipment in factories or goods in a warehouse. On his blog, SAP’s senior director of strategic marketing, Timo Elliott, who has been championing the initiative, says his initial proof of concept sparked lots of conversations with customers about potential uses of the technology. These included an oil company interested in getting details about equipment in refineries and a car manufacturer that wanted to provide information to dealership managers.

So should more CIOs be getting interested, or is this just another case of industry hype overtaking reality? AR has been criticised by some as being little more than a gimmick. Current mapping technologies such as GPS and triangulation are not, for instance, accurate enough to pinpoint small objects in an indoor setting.

However, as datasets become richer and mapping technologies are enhanced with on-the-fly image recognition technology (and apps like Google Goggles are already pointing the way here), AR is likely to prove a compelling way of accessing and contextualising complex, multiple datasets quickly without the need for extensive user training.