Augmented Reality and Digital Documentation in Urban Heritage Preservation: Current Trends, Challenges, and Future Directions

Abstract

This paper explores the innovative potential of Augmented Reality (AR) in the context of urban heritage conservation. The text further presents an exposition of prevailing trends in contemporary augmented reality heritage applications, in conjunction with the challenges and prospects that are currently being experienced in this field. The utilisation of augmented reality (AR) as a mechanism for the conservation, documentation and display of heritage assets to the public has been identified as a potential successful tool. The user is situated within this immersive environment, which has been determined to be situated within a quotidian location, with a view to rendering the historical context more compelling and easier to comprehend. In this environment, digital information becomes integrated into physical space with which we are largely unacquainted. The research encompasses a comprehensive range of augmented reality (AR) applications, including virtual restoration and real-time analytics. The text goes on to inquire into cost-related obstacles, the technical expertise necessary in the handling of digital media procedures, and the cultural implications that arise when different places are highlighted by means of the object. The core of the paper centred on the concepts of user-centred design (UCD) and sustainability in the context of AR heritage applications. The study also indicates a requirement for further research, including the decoupling of augmented reality (AR) from multi-layered historical accounts and the establishment of a template for the evolution of AR-based methods in the cultural heritage sector. The findings of this study indicate that augmented reality (AR) has the potential to play a substantial role in the conservation of cultural heritage and the creation of novel interactive educational environments within the context of the developing information society.