Abstract
Augmented reality (AR) technology is an effective way to transmit and protect tangible and intangible cultural heritage. It is crucial to research the connections between these two aspects and associated problems to support the preservation and sustainable development of cultural assets. This chapter aims to examine the evolution of the application of augmented reality to cultural heritage. It intends to comprehend these tendencies worldwide and offer suggestions for their expansion and development. The objectives were accomplished using a quantitative approach incorporating bibliometric analysis using Biblioshiny and CiteSpace. The findings of this research include an overview of the institutions, nations/regions, journals, and authors who have produced the most in the area. The significance of the study can be observed in its contribution to a deeper comprehension of the global development of cultural heritage.
Top1. Introduction
Cultural heritage is a multidisciplinary field that has attracted the attention of an increasing number of researchers in the last few decades. According to Kuutma (2009), cultural heritage provides humanity with the potential to acquire social and political assets while also providing a path for economic development and playing an essential role in the politics of different countries. It is also the most powerful record and evidence of human development.
The term “heritage” dates to the 1970s in Europe and refers specifically to things inherited from ancestors. In earlier times, heritage mainly referred to tangible, historical, and human sites (Prentice, 1993). By the 1980s, it was recognised that heritage included not only tangible cultural heritage but also intangible cultural heritage. The concept of cultural heritage first appeared in the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which focuses on tangible cultural heritage (Gruber, 2017). The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO (2003), provides additional clarification of the concept of cultural heritage. The concept of “intangible cultural heritage” has since been standardised.
With the development of science and technology, scholars have gradually noticed the application of digital technology to tangible and intangible cultural heritage (Mendoza et al., 2023). The integration of information technology with tangible and intangible cultural heritage has reshaped the historical appearance and presentation modes of cultural sites, and technology has become a major driving factor in the management of cultural organisations, the innovation of cultural industries, and the stimulation of interest.
In recent years, emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), AR/VR, and Big Data have driven the development of cultural heritage research and expanded the horizons of human cognition (Mendoza et al., 2023). AR (Augmented Reality) is a technology under this background demand, and its core idea is to superimpose virtual information in three-dimensional physical space, integrate time and space, and then enhance the user's real-time interactive experience (McLean & Wilson, 2019). Especially given the incompleteness of the original physical structure of the cultural heritage and the implicitness of the display of historical information, the use of AR technology to reconstruct historical buildings and show historical and cultural connotations has become an important focus and breakthrough to promote the promotion and development of the cultural industry (De Paolis et al., 2023). In a study conducted by De Paolis et al. (2023), the researchers investigated the relationship between mental effort, usability, and user experience in augmented reality-based digital storytelling. Their specific case study is the use of augmented reality combined with digital storytelling to guide and interpret murals in ancient building interiors. Tian et al. (2023) conducted a study on learning traditional poetry of the heritage site by using AR. Specifically, the researchers developed a preliminary prototype of PoeticAR and combined it with the natural scenery of the heritage site to present poetry. They found that PoeticAR can significantly stimulate tourists' interest in learning poetry while visiting heritage sites by comparing and analyzing the presentation methods of AR and video.
Research on the application of augmented reality to tangible and intangible cultural heritage plays a crucial role in promoting the sustainable development of cultural heritage. According to Vargas et al. (2020), combining technologies such as augmented reality with tangible and intangible cultural heritage can enhance the public's learning experience of the culture, play a catalytic role in transmitting and preserving cultural heritage, and contribute to promoting the culture. The integration of tangible and intangible cultural heritage preservation and education, together with the convergence of digital technologies, can lead to new approaches to preservation that can keep culture alive and ensure the promotion and dissemination of cultural heritage.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Augmented Reality (AR): AR is a technology that superimposes virtual information into the real world, providing users with an enhanced sensory experience through computer-generated images, sounds, animations, etc.
Bibliometric: Bibliometric is a method of studying quantitative literature information, which applies mathematical and statistical methods to analyse characteristics such as quantity, quality, distribution, and citation of literature in order to reveal patterns in scientific research trends, academic impact, knowledge dissemination, and partnerships.
Scientific Knowledge Mapping: Scientific knowledge mapping is a commonly used presentation method in bibliometric study and is a cross-disciplinary field of applied mathematics, information science, and computer science. The purpose of scientific knowledge mapping analysis is to analyse a large amount of published literature for scientific statistics and present the development of the literature, collaborative networks, citation analysis and other information in the form of data visualisation ( C. Chen, 2013 ).
Biblioshiny: BiblioShiny is a visual analysis tool based on the R language Bibliometrix package. It can help users quickly scan scientific research fields and analyse the authors, documents, conceptual structures, knowledge structures, social networks and other contents of imported documents through a friendly graphical interface. BiblioShiny is an optimised version of Bibliometrix. It is a web data analysis framework that allows users to perform relevant quantitative and visual analysis on the web interface.
Cultural Heritage: Cultural heritage refers to tangible and intangible heritage created by humans in history that has cultural, historical, artistic or social value and reflects the unique traditions and identity of a specific culture and community. This includes ancient architecture, traditional arts, oral traditions, customs and traditional skills.
Citespace: CiteSpace is a software tool for scientific literature analysis and visualisation, which can help researchers discover research trends, hotspots and key findings in the academic field. The software was developed by a team led by Dr. Chen Chaomei. CiteSpace provides users with tools to gain in-depth insight into the academic field through functions such as time series analysis, co-citation network, and keyword analysis.
Research Frontier: The concept of research frontier refers to the boundaries and limits of current research in a certain field. Research frontiers usually represent the latest and most advanced knowledge and research directions in a field, and they mark the forefront of scientific and technological development. In bibliometrics, research frontier usually refers to the latest and most forward-looking research directions and topics in a certain subject field. Bibliometrics is often used to analyse and identify research frontiers in specific subject areas. According to C. Chen(2006) , the frontier of research demonstrates the formation of theoretical tendencies and novel topics.