# The Usage of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Underwater Archeology
## 5 Use of Augmented and Virtual Reality in Underwater Archeology--Example Solutions
### Melckmeyt Shipwreck  
An unusual VR project is the reconstruction of the Melckmeyt wreck. This Dutch ship sank in 1659 off the coast of Iceland, near Flatey Island in Breioafjorour [26]. It was discovered in 1992 by local divers [PERSON] and [PERSON] [26]. Currently, the wreck is at a depth of 12 m. The Melckmeyta wreck survey was carried out between 2016 and 2019 and was financed mainly by the Government of Iceland, with additional funding from the Netherlands (including the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Canberra, Australia) [26].  
The goal of the project was to create an immersive and realistic virtual experience from diving the wreck, and at the same time use the possibilities of 3D modeling to provide  
Figure 5: VISAS project (selected shots from promotional materials): (**a**) use of virtual reality—a stand allowing a “visit” to Cala Minola, (**b**) use of augmented reality underwater.  
as much archaeological information as possible in a short time [26]. This was due to the preparation of the virtual application for exhibition purposes, which forced the duration of the virtual experience to be limited to a maximum of several minutes. The authors of the application assumed that an interactive game that was too long would be impractical for use in public places, and that additional extensive functions could be difficult for people with less computer knowledge [26]. The application created in this way was described as 2.5D VR, which means that it has only certain VR functions, and its essential part is an animated 360\({}^{\circ}\) panoramic film [26]. In this solution, the user has limited interactivity with the scene and can only control the viewing direction [26]. This approach also has other advantages beyond ease of use. This type of virtual experience can be more easily directed by developers who are confident that key archaeological information will be communicated in a timely manner. Additionally, the technology itself does not focus the user's attention, so he or she can focus on the content being conveyed [26]. A \"guided tour\" causes the user to follow subsequent parts of the wreck, while at the same time limiting the user's involvement time--this is particularly important for use in cultural institutions, where it allows more people to participate in the experience [26].  
The entire application consists of two parts of similar duration. In the first part, the user sails over a wreck mapped on the basis of data from photogrammetric measurements, where the most important objects and elements of the wreck are marked and additional information about them is included (Figure 5(a)). In this part, the seabed and environmental background are also visualized, including seaweed and jellyfish, as well as a diving partner, which also promotes elements of good diving practices [26; 120]. In the second part of the virtual experience, the user explores the wreck and is exposed to its hypothetical reconstruction (Figure 5(b)). Contemporary models of a similar type of ship were used to create an authentic reconstruction [26].  
The created virtual experience was originally presented at the Maritime Museum in Reykjavik, Iceland (June 2018-December 2019) at the exhibition entitled \"Melckmeyt 1659\". For this purpose, the museum purchased ten VR sets--\"Samsung Gear\" [26].