Abstract
Post-pandemic anxiety and potential new outbreaks of this and other diseases could be a push, started long ago with the explosion of low-cost mobile devices, for immersive technologies, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality, to assert themselves as credible solutions in contrast to traditional ways of knowing the world. Effectively, these technologies already offer safe alternative ways to “travel” through continuous and uninterrupted interactive experiences for travelers who do not want to give up their own private space, safety, and health. However, this possibility brings with it new questions and challenges, mainly in terms of the development of these experiences, more specifically in the academic and pedagogical field. The authors analyze a project that articulates, in a transdisciplinary way, contents of several curricular units attended by Erasmus students around a VR experience of one of the most emblematic places in the region, the famous Castro of Monte Mozinho.
TopIntroduction
Immersive technologies, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR), are increasingly asserting themselves as credible alternatives to traditional ways of knowing the world. Post-pandemic anxiety (Covid-19) and potential new outbreaks of this and other diseases have contributed to an increase in this tendency, in a process that started long ago, with the explosion of low-cost mobile devices. Effectively, these technologies already offer safe substitutes to “travel”, through continuous and uninterrupted interactive experiences for travelers who do not want to give up their personal space, safety, and health. However, this possibility carries with it new questions and challenges, mainly in terms of the development of these experiences, more specifically, in the academic field. Old and new design principles need to be articulated to create a digital travel experience in VR, AR or MR that represents a positive perception of a tourism destination.
In the context of the course on Production of Interactive Content and Multimedia at the Higher Institute of Educational Sciences of Douro – Penafiel (ISCE Douro), articulating with the research objectives of the Multimedia and Arts Research Group (NIAM – renamed recently to CI-ISCE) of the Department of Arts and Multimedia (DAM) in partnership with the Institute for Research in Design, Media and Culture (ID+), the authors seek precisely to explore, develop and stimulate tourism projects in VR, AR and MR in three axes:
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Local (i.e. Castro of Monte Mozinho – Penafiel – focusing research on the development of 360 degrees VR films, writing, game design, digital design, 3D modelling, augmented reality and a variety of social art and multimedia design practices, along interdisciplinary collaborations linked to aspects of science, technology and archaeology);
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Regional / National (i.e. Rabelo boats, focusing research on the construction of a VR and AR digital archive around it’s build - the Rabelo boat is a Portuguese vessel – typical of the Douro River – which traditionally carried wine barrels from Alto Douro, where the vineyards are located, to Vila Nova de Gaia – Porto, where the wine is stored and later marketed and shipped to other countries);
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International (International VR tours in partnership with external institutions, such as the Federal University of Ceará – Quixadá, among others).
In this chapter the authors will focus on the first axis, specifically, on a project which is currently in progress (TPRV - Tourism and Heritage in Virtual Reality). Its transdisciplinary articulation regards contents from several of the curricular units attended by Erasmus students and takes form in a VR experience for one of the most emblematic landmarks of the northern region, the famous Castro of Monte Mozinho. It is a Roman Castro village that though founded in the 1st century AD, has a wide chronology of occupation, reaching as far as the 5th century.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Photogrammetry: The use of photography in surveying and mapping to ascertain measurements between objects.
Tourism: Social, cultural, and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes.
Augmented Reality: A technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user's view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.
Heritage: Full range of our inherited traditions, monuments, objects, and culture. Most important, it is the range of contemporary activities, meanings, and behaviors that we draw from them. Heritage includes, but is much more than preserving, excavating, displaying, or restoring a collection of old things.
Mixed Reality: Blend of physical and digital worlds, unlocking natural and intuitive 3D human, computer, and environmental interactions. This new reality is based on advancements in computer vision, graphical processing, display technologies, input systems, and cloud computing.
Cyberspace: The notional environment in which communication over computer networks occurs.
Virtual Reality: A computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors.