Augmented fossil tour, an AR application for exploring and studying fossils

paper-38549.pdf
Published: Nov 5, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/bgsg.38549
Keywords:
Geological heritage fossils augmented reality photogrammetry Aegina Rafina
Dionysia Liakopoulou
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Christina Giamali
The Goulandris Natural History Museum, Levidou 13, 14562 Kifissia, Greece
Emmanuel Galanopoulos
inDigital S.A., Dirfis 31, 152 35, Vrilissia, Greece
Panagiotis Kaddas
inDigital S.A., Dirfis 31, 152 35, Vrilissia, Greece
Nikolaos Karydas
inDigital S.A., Dirfis 31, 152 35, Vrilissia, Greece
Alexandros Iakovidis
inDigital S.A., Dirfis 31, 152 35, Vrilissia, Greece
Konstantinos Paraskevopoulos
inDigital S.A., Dirfis 31, 152 35, Vrilissia, Greece
George Kontakiotis
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, School of Earth Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15784 Athens, Greece
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9371-6726
George Lyras
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Evangelia Besiou
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Elisavet Skampa
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Ioannis P. Panagiotopoulos
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Leonidas Moforis
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Vassiliki Alexoudi
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Alexia Grambas
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Anna Vaptisma
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Assimina Antonarakou
Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Abstract

Fossils constitute a significant part of Earth's biodiversity, holding considerable heritage value. With an aim of improving and enhancing dissemination of knowledge and by integrating augmented reality technologies, this paper presents an AR application to identify fossils in two fossil sites, that of Agia Marina (Aegina Island) and Rafina (Attiki peninsula). An application compatible to mobile devices that enables the user to identify the fossils in situ, promoting learning through interactive experiences. It offers virtual tours that transport users back in time to the paleo environments where these fossils were originally found. This application seeks to make science, and especially paleontology, accessible and engaging to a wide range of people. To achieve this, we employed advanced photogrammetry techniques. By utilizing these methods, we were able to create detailed and accurate 3D models of marine fossils and environments. This approach not only enhances the visual representation of these paleo-environments but also provides precise data for scientific analysis and educational purposes. The AFT project allows us to capture the intricacies of invertebrate species and their habitats, ensuring that their importance within the marine ecosystem is effectively communicated and appreciated by a wider audience.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Palaeontology, Stratigraphy and Sedimentology
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Almeida, G.C., Zanotta, D.C., Guimaraes, T.T., Marques, A., Horodyski, R.S., Gonzaga, L., Veronez, M.R., and Souza, V.C., 2023. Immersive Paleontological Experience Through Virtual and Augmented Reality Representation. International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), 2023-July, 2297–2300. https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS52108.2023.10282777
Ávila, S.P., Ramalho, R.S., Habermann, J.M., Quartau, R., Kroh, A., Berning, B., Johnson, M., Kirby, M.X., Zanon, V., Titschack, J., Goss, A., Rebelo, A.C., Melo, C., Madeira, P., Cordeiro, R., Meireles, R., Bagaço, L., Hipólito, A., Uchman, A., da Silva, C.M., Cachão, M., Madeira, J., 2015. Palaeoecology, taphonomy, and preservation of a lower Pliocene shell bed (coquina) from a volcanic oceanic island (Santa Maria Island, Azores). Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology. 430, 57-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.04.015
Coletti, G., Bosio, G., Collareta, A., 2021. Lower Pliocene Barnacle Facies of Western Liguria (NW Italy): a peek into a warm past and a glimpse of our incoming future. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, 127, 103-131. https://doi.org/10.13130/2039-4942/15202
Cunningham, J.A., 2021. The use of photogrammetric fossil models in palaeontology education. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 14 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-020-00140-w
Dermitzakis, M.D., Radwanska, U., Radwanski, A., and Drinia, H., 2009. Lower Pliocene (Zanclean) regressive sequence of Rafina near Pikermi in Attica, Greece: A spectacular locality of mass-aggregated giant balanid cirripedes. Hellenic Journal of Geosciences, 44, 9–20.
Falkingham, P.L., 2011. Acquisition of high resolution three-dimensional models using free, open-source, photogrammetric software. Palaeontologia Electronica, 15 (1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.26879/264
Fytikas, M., Innocenti, F., Kolios, N., Manetti, P., Mazzuoli, R., 1987. The Plio-Quaternary volcanism of Saronikos area (western part of the active Aegean volcanic arc). Hellenic Journal of Geosciences, 33, 23-45.
Henriques, M.H. and Pena dos Reis, R., 2015. Framing the Palaeontological Heritage Within the Geological Heritage: An Integrative Vision. Geoheritage, 7 (3), 249–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-014-0141-9
Jiménez, A.P., Aguirre, J., and Rivas, P., 2009. Taxonomic study of scallops (Pectinidae: Mollusca, Bivalvia) from pliocene deposits (almería, Se Spain). Revista Espanola de Paleontologia, 24 (1), 1–30. https://dx.doi.org/10.7203/sjp.24.1.20338
Katsikatsos, G., Mercier, J.L., Vergely, P., 1976. La fenêtre d’Attique-Cyclades et les fenêtres métamorphiques des Hellénides internes (Grèce). C.R. Acad.Sci. Paris, 283, 1613-1616.
Katsikatsos, G., Migiros, G., Triantaphyllis, M., Mettos, A., 1986. Geological structure of internal Hellenides (E. Thessaly-SW Macedonia. Euboea-Attica-Northern Cyclades Islands and Lesvos). IGME, Geol. and Geoph. Res., Special Issue, 191-212.
Kontakiotis, G., Giamali, C., Lyras, G., Skampa, E., Liakopoulou, D., Panagiotopoulos, I.P., Besiou, E., Moforis, L., Alexoudi, V., Grambas, A., and Antonarakou, A., 2023. Pliocene mollusc fauna from Aegina Island, Greece: Palaeoecological and depositional insights from Agia Marina section. In Proceedings of the Mediterranean Geosciences Union, Istanbul, Turkey 26-30 November 2023.
Konstantakis, M., Trichopoulos, G., Aliprantis, J., Michalakis, K., Caridakis, G., Thanou, A., Zafeiropoulos, A., Sklavounou, S., Psarras, C., Papavassiliou, S., et al. 2023. An Enhanced Methodology for Creating Digital Twins within a Paleontological Museum Using Photogrammetry and Laser Scanning Techniques. Heritage, 6 (9), 5967–5980. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6090314
Koskeridou, E., Giamali, C., Antonarakou, A., Kontakiotis, G., Karakitsios, V., 2017. Early Pliocene gastropod assemblages from the eastern Mediterranean (SW Peloponnese, Greece) and their palaeobiogeographic implications. Geobios 50, 267-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2017.06.003
Lepsius, R., 1893. Geologie von Attika. Ein Beitrag zur Lehre von Metamorphismus der Gesteine. Zeitschr f. partkt. Geol., 4, 196 s., Berlin.
Lowenthal, D., Olwig, K., 2013. (Eds.) The Nature of Cultural Heritage, and the Culture of Natural Heritage. Routledge: London, UK.
Mallison, H.,Wings, O., 2014. Photogrammetry in paleontology—A practical guide. Journal of Paleontological Techniques, 12 (12), 1–31.
Minaroviech, J., 2017. Digitization of the Cultural Heritage of Slovakia. Combining of Lidar Data and Photogrammetry. Studies in Digital Heritage, 1(2), 590–606. https://doi.org/10.14434/sdh.v1i2.23286
Mitzopoulos, M.K., 1948. Das Pliozän von Raphina (Attika). Praktika tes Akademias Athenon. 23, pp 295-301. [In Greek].
Morris, A., 2000. Magnetic fabric and palaeomagnetic analyses of the Plio-Quaternary calc-alkaline series of Aegina Island, South Aegean volcanic arc, Greece. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 176 (1), 91–105.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(99)00318-0
Mune, C.D., 2022. Supporting 3D: Potential practices for the creation and preservation of 3D/VR in libraries. Public Services Quarterly, 18(3), 209–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2022.2062522
Müller, P., Kreuzer, H., Lenz, H., Harre, W., 1979. Radiometric dating of two extrusives from a Lower Pliocene marine section on Aegina Island, Greece. Newsletters on Stratigraphy 8(1),70-78. https://doi.org/10.1127/nos/8/1979/70
Radwanska, U., Radwanski, A., 2008. Eco-taphonomy of mass-aggregated giant balanids Concavus (Concavus) concavus (DARWIN, 1854) from the Lower Pliocene (Zanclean) of Rafina near Pikermi (Attica, Greece). Acta Geologica Polonica, 58(1), 87–103.
Souza, A.M. de C., Aureliano, T., Ghilardi, A.M., Ramos, E.A., Bessa, O.F.M., and Rennó-Costa, C., 2023. DinosaurVR: Using Virtual Reality to Enhance a Museum Exhibition. Journal on Interactive Systems, 14 (1), 363–370. https://doi.org/10.5753/jis.2023.3464
Wilson, R.J., 2017. Natural History: Heritage, Place and Politics, Routledge: London, UK.