Case Study. Pilot of Augmented Reality in Empuries Archeological Site

Empúries + Augmented Reality App

Empúries Case Study

Situation

Empúries constitutes a privileged site for understanding the evolution of urban Greek in the western Mediterranean, a key site to understand our history: gateway for the Greek and Roman cultures in the Iberian Peninsula, starting point for the peninsula Romanisation.

The archaeological site of Empúries is:

• Excepcionality: The only archaeological site in the Iberian Peninsula which preserves bot the remains of a Greek city (Emporion colony enclave) and the remains of a Roman city founded in the early 1st century BC.

• Museum: Halfway to the itinerary, visitors can access to its Museum, where are preserved many objects, tools and ancient artistic works discovered during the excavations, such as the emblematic statue of Asclepius.

Pilot main objectives

• To research the usability of AR technology applied to cultural heritage and its capability to support and enhance visitors’ knowledge of archaeological sites, both in educational and leisure contexts.

• To provide all users with an ICT supported tour of Catalonia’s Greek and Roman past explained through its living heritage evoking a bygone era, whilst discovering the ruins with 3D reconstructions in an unique immersive experience.

App’s main functionalities

Relevant information related to the Empúries site and its historical and artistic heritage from various sources of direct and indirect observation (images, videos, sounds and other graphic documents)

Audiovisual content: privileged access to unique videos and virtual visits featuring 3D reconstructions of the main temples and close-ups of the main archaeological findings in the site

Multiple language options: the app offers content in Catalan, Spanish and English.

Interactive map: an overview map of both polis (the Greek and the Roman) and the location of each POI featuring the user's real time location

Audio guide: locutions in Catalan, Spanish and English of each text and descriptions

• An Augmented Reality tour with 12 POIs (Points of Interest).

• 3D restitutions of the most emblematic buildings in both Roman and Greek sites, high resolution models superposed with the surroundings in real time.

Visualization examples on site, real scenario

3D models integration with the natural landscape in Empúries:

Visualisation of the temple of Asklepeion, Greek site Video: visualization of the Amphitheatre, Roman site.

Technologies

Main application

ProcessFrom ruins to 3D models

After the models where build we had more than 1M polygons in some models.

We had to reduce this number to a maximum of 50K

64 faces * 30 columns *3 (parts of the column)= 576012 faces * 30 columns *3 (parts of the column)= 1080

Same appearance

Issues detected

Climate factors:

• The sun and its impact: a negative effect on the user experience and the proper display of images, videos and RA device.

• Current markers not optimal: the glass surface of the markers creates a "mirror effect" that adversely affects its detection by the device. The place where they are located also limited the full potential of performance of the app.

• Lack of shady areas: the site’s landscape is a vast open area with barely trees. During periods of extremely hot weather and abundant sunshine (specially summer) the visit experience can become unpleasant, making difficult a correct visualization of the mobile device’s screen.

Visitor’s behavior

• Due to the characteristics of the site, its surroundings and the current markers located in the place, the devices and its features do not support large user groups or satisfactory collective experiences of more than 3-4 people.

Image markers

Raw approach

Off-colour images

Poor contrast

Real state

Poor performance

No action is required

Contrast and obturation

Hard shadows

Reflections

Damages

Occlusions

Hardware, screen reflections

Marker’s position

Some solutions

Real state

Good color and contrast

A lot of features

Very good performance

Action in site is required

New marker

Board-New image design-No reflections-No protections

Reflections

HardwareSamsung galaxy tab s 8.4

Marker’s position

Thank you!

Case Study. Pilot of Augmented Reality in Empuries Archeological Site

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