# SemanticMarker — IoT Optical Vision Marker App > IoT Optical Vision Marker App (iPhone/iPad app by Scott Moody.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/semanticmarker/id6443887496 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Scott Moody](https://appshunter.io/developer/1121777566) - Category: Productivity, Education - Price: $9.99 - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.6 · 281 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2024-04-25 - Data updated: 2026-07-22 - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/semanticmarker/id6443887496/reviews.md ## What is SemanticMarker? For summer 2026, we have added NFC functionality. You can write an NFC tag with your guest feeding URL. Anyone with a smart phone can then scan the tag and run your guest feeding site. The Bluetooth BLE discovery has been cleaned up to you won't see 2 names for the same device - after you have renamed one of your feeders or clickers. This is a limitation of iPhone where the bluetooth remembers a device the first time you "discover" it. So if you change its name (through our messages or BLE) the iPhone still thinks it's the old name. But the advertisement has the new name. So I figured out how to cache the new name and use it instead of the old (remembered) name. Hopefully this cleans up things. Support for 26.3. 2026 is the year of IoT control for my #Abilities users. Kona Currents, LLC offers a unique Remote Education and IoT processing app for creation, collection, processing, search, and messaging of optical visual markers we call Semantic Marker (R). An innovative text and optical search engine is included, along with an API for processing optical labels, barcodes and two-dimensional codes. These optical image and data files are downloadable for internal and external use. This app interacts through published API's with Cloud Computing services. The app will communicate via MQTT messaging among a suite of IoT devices, as well as using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) directly to devices, which is especially useful to set credentials such as WIFI passwords for the IoT devices (ie. ESP 32 devices). See SemanticMarker.org for more on the abilities use. - We have one user using Eye Tracking to send messages to reward his service dog over our IoT framework! #Ability Now for Summer 2025, is the support for Space and Time of your Semantic Marker(R). This includes GPS and Time that is extracted from the meta-data of your markers. The Map will now show the markers in their geospatial location. See the map above where the optical visual markers, which represent music artifacts, are placed at where the concert was recorded. The date of the events are also tagged - and stored in the photo for sharing outside the Semantic Marker(R) framework. Now think of real-estate or other location based artifacts: tag with a Semantic Marker(R) and the marker is much more valuable. https://semanticmarker.org/users/common/MusicMatrixSM.png ## Chart rankings - #196 in Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store) ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 8.9 — 2026-07-02 This improvement support full NFC tags. You can write any Semantic Marker(R) as an NFC tag, and read them as well. When reading them, you have options just like in the SMART Matrix - that being send a DOCFOLLOW message (so others can follow along), invoke the web page version, or invoke the actual SMART Button by your SMART Agent. In addition since Apple doesn't support the WIFI syntax in a NFC tag (but does with QR codes), there is a new web service called createSM that wraps the WIFI ssid info so scanning the NFC will bring up a web page. The user then clicks the QR code or scans with another phone to join that WIFI network. Play with different browsers if it's not working. Example: https://semanticmarker.org/createSM/?base64=V0lGSSUzQVMlM0F5b3VTU0lEJTNCVCUzQVdQQSUyRldQQTIlM0JQJTNBeW91UGFzc3dvcmQlM0JIJTNBJTNC Finally there is a new capability of combining more than a single Semantic Marker(R) into an executable set. When run from an NFC tag or a QR Code, the runtime engine will invoke the set in sequence. This currently won't work in a web page version as these are messages over MQTT and require user credentials (which you entered when you logged into the app). As always, please contact me if you are a new user - as user accounts are manually created for now. Also if you want a demo let me know. The entire KnowledgeShark.me remote education portion is a hidden gem and is expandable with your own content - in what we call Waves of knowledge. ### 8.5 — 2026-05-25 For summer 2026, we have added NFC functionality. You can write an NFC tag with your guest feeding URL. Anyone with a smart phone can then scan the tag and run your guest feeding site. The Bluetooth BLE discovery has been cleaned up to you won't see 2 names for the same device - after you have renamed one of your feeders or clickers. This is a limitation of iPhone where the bluetooth remembers a device the first time you "discover" it. So if you change its name (through our messages or BLE) the iPhone still thinks it's the old name. But the advertisement has the new name. So I figured out how to cache the new name and use it instead of the old (remembered) name. Hopefully this cleans up things. ### 8.2 — 2026-04-11 This is incrementally improved but the best new feature is better support for the user manual of the future. This will be like the printed manuals you get for your products, but now they will have a Semantic Marker(R) - a QRCode - that will be able to invoke the same operations that the app would do. This means the scanner app needs to add the right parameters to make a messaging to the final devices. An example is shown here: https://SemanticMarkers.com/docs/ManualQRCode.png The power is that the manual is printed for everyone. The QR codes are not specific to a user. Instead, the Semantic Marker(R) wraps a message (like MQTT) and adds to user Credentials (username, password). Thus when you scan the QR shown, it runs your device, but when I do it, it controls my devices. In addition, a new Augmented Reality overlay will show the current values, and let the same QR code set, increase or decrease the values. A new syntax like ++ or -- will support this by converting to JSON. I'm also working on exporting some of this code, and the node-red part, for a Dynamic QRCode Federated Factory. This will be open source at: https://github.com/konacurrents/DynamicQRCodes. The plan is that anyone with a static IP address and a powerful server, could host their own QRCode Factory. These will be Dynamic, which means the QRcode handed out will "indirectly" go through your server. This way you can create 1000's of QR codes and have them all work in the future. And this factory will be connected and registered as a GOOD QR Code factory (akin to a SSL DNS address). A DynamicQR Code is one where the QR code address isn't the final address, but rather an address to a tool that can re-direct to the final. These are what I call Tier-II Semantic Marker(R) since they don't have the full SMART Agent Backend processing and storage. ACCESSABILITY * Some of the new Accessibility features include the ability to SPEAK the matrix numbers 1 through 9, and that button will "run". In addition, MQTT now supports messages to run the same button numbers. So the ESP32 devices, and their smart buttons, can send a message to the iPhone (your app) - and invoke the same button as if talking. This just adds more abilities for users. * Speech out is also supported, both in the TRON Memory Stamps (a special Semantic Marker(R)) - which when scanned will speak the JSON specified in the Semantic Marker(R). * BRAILLE - we are still exploring how braille can be use to help the sight impaired find the right set of Semantic Marker(R)s. We have used color in the braile to help them know which set they have, but also give them agency to be able to tell sighted people - "Dad, grab the green set of QR Codes, those turn on the xmas tree lights". The SMART Music is also specialized for Archive.org music, as well as your own music. Again, let me know if you need specific help in testing. I can create accounts for you to use the tool. thanks, scott moody ### 8.0 — 2026-02-16 Other than some menu cleanup for 26.3, this version adds an even more exciting "dynamic binding" mechanism that is tied to the ESP32 Chain SMART Buttons. As mentioned, the SMART Buttons encompass all of computer science - as defining the button, and running the button are everything. It's one thing to hard code the definition of the button, but it's another thing totally to make that definition changeable and dynamic. (see https://SemanticMarker.org/images/SMARTButtons2026.jpg) This new version supports 2 new messages: "getSmartDefn, uuid.flownum", and "smartDefn" passing the button definition as "uuid.flownum(set,val,dev)". This is translated to the MQTT messaging which can be retrieved from Semantic Marker(R) SMART button definition (currently in the 'future' field). (The tuple of set, val, dev - are for defining MQTT parameters, or dynamic parameters). These are defined in the https://Github.com/konacurrents API manual. Two types of SMART Button definitions are supported, with one being dynamically changed through the DOCFOLLOW message. Kind 1: The first is a straight SMART definition using the uuid.flownum. The getSmartDefn is then sent out to anyone listening, and the Semantic Marker (R) app hears and returns results (if known). The reply is the smartDefn call. Clicking on the button (single press, double press, or long press) will invoke that MQTT message. Kind 2: The second is a DOCFOLLOW (or DC) definition. This awaits a DOCFOLLOW (or Semantic Marker) message from the Semantic Marker remote education features. The current DOCFOLLOW leader automatically sends a message when a new Semantic Marker(R) is found. Then when the ESP32 hears that type of message, it looks for any DOCFOLLOW SMART Button definitions awaiting definitions. These are then turned into SMART definitions, and Kind 1 is then run (calling the app and getting replies back). To run the DOCOLLOW, the knowledge shark subsection can be used. ### 7.50 — 2026-01-08 For 2026 a year year, a large focus will be on accessing our suite of IoT devices especially for my #Ability users. To that end, I've added more Speech input and Spoken Output. The Matrix can be spoken out so my sight impaired users can decide which SMART Buttons to touch. And with Speech Input - they can now say "cell 5" to fire off that button (defined through a Semantic Marker(R)). When wrapped in 3d printing things come alive (even just Braille to find the right SMART Buttons to press - eg. scan) Also for 2026, a renewed focus on the Remote Education potential. The DOCFOLLOW model lets users take control of a remote users content through "optical" recognition of a Semantic Marker(R) and sending messages around to other users in say a classroom. Instead of the ZOOM paradigm of sharing all the bits of a users display, this version is light weight (bandwidth) where only the meta-data representing the Semantic Marker(R) are shared. The recipients can then have their displays updated to the page with the same optical visual marker - a Semantic Marker(R). Note this also works if playing back class notes while NOT synchronized in a ZOOM setting. Instead the notes are triggered by what I call the "Vision Linker". Also, with an Inheritance concepts, the Semantic Marker(R) might be your version for homework assignment 5, so your content takes over. Finally, the Semantic Marker(R) is being morphed into the "sync" end of our LinkAndSync.me concept. Typically a Semantic Marker(R) is a pointer, hypertext, hyperlink to other resources. I use it to point to a web link of cool stuff, a pointer to social media content, or a pointer to my on-line photo albums. Here the "link" will point to that resource, and through the indirection of that link can change to a different end-point. But how does that get updated? For 2026 I've add the "Sync" concept were an offline program would run on your server (where your sync artifacts exist) - and will automatically traverse your artifacts looking for markers (and especially sync versions - then end points). This will then update the indirect link database so your previously handed out optical visual marker - will always be up-to-date. This leverages the "Vision Linker" at a whole new level. It really extends the DOCFOLLOW model described above. As mentioned, 2026 is the year of IoT especially for my #Ability users - those that have troubles with existing computer interfaces, even the tactile button click of an iPhone button isn't easy. I have Kevin using Eye-Tracking to click on those matrix buttons. Others can use the scanner to find optical markers - even having them speak out to help the sight impaired users know if they are on the right set of Buttons (This is the TRON feature). The M5Stack suite of IoT devices are being extended with more physical "Buttons" that will map to the various SMART buttons in the virtual space. Let me know any special needs you think I can help with and we can morph the Semantic Marker(R) to your needs. Contact me for access to the IoT suite of devices possible. Look at SmartAnimalTraining.com which is designed for compatible with this app. Oh, almost forgot, a Semantic Marker(R) can be created that takes the user to a specific point in an audio resource - a podcast. Now you can point to hour/min/sec 2hr, 36min, 22 sec in a podcast (or any mp3 resource). Try doing that without button clicks etc - what we are trying to avoid for #Ability. I'm also trying to get IR and RF remotes to work so you can scan a QR code and the TV turns to the weather channel (no matter where you are, so the devices learn you location and those various TV removes). Stay tuned .. or if you can help let me know. ## Apps similar to SemanticMarker | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Scan to Sheets - QR & Barcode](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-to-sheets-qr-and-barcode/id1451554624) | 4.4 (205) | Free | Productivity | | [Permobil QuickConfig](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/permobil-quickconfig/id1505538524) | 2.3 (22) | Free | Productivity | | [Checklist: Tasks & Routines](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checklist-tasks-and-routines/id878612832) | 3.6 (105) | Free | Productivity | | [iConvert Military Time](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iconvert-military-time/id1400085300) | 4.0 (24) | Free | Productivity | | [Scan to Excel](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-to-excel/id1605484591) | 3.4 (7) | Free | Productivity | | [Big Keys Keyboard](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-keys-keyboard/id1187555128) | 3.6 (950) | Free | Productivity | ## More apps by Scott Moody - [KikahaPhotos](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kikahaphotos/id1121777567) All apps by Scott Moody: https://appshunter.io/developer/1121777566 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-22.*