# The Usage of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Underwater Archeology
## 4 Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies in Underwater Archeology
### Application Areas
As part of the idea of \"Smart Cultural Heritage\" services (SCHaaS), a system was designed that would use AR on mobile devices to create a coastal path that would allow users to obtain various pieces of information about archaeological sites in this area [10]. Tourism applications also include virtual systems enabling visits to a created aquatic environment, promoting both touristic and ecological aspects [81; 82; 83]. Figure 4: VR/AR and their application in underwater archaeology. An equally important area of application of VR and AR is education in the field of archeology and other useful skills in this field, such as photogrammetry [1,2,51]. In this regard, the use of virtual technologies in the area of virtualization of cultural heritage and its renovation is worth mentioning. An exemplary system was developed by Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, where the combination of new technologies and management methods, i.e., Lean Construction (LC) and Building Information Modeling (BIM), with VR was used to plan structural interventions in cultural heritage sites [84]. The first step in the creation of AR was the use of drones to record the spatial image of real objects and their measurements, including the use of laser measurement. The next step was digital and computer processing (using photogrammetric methods). The correctly processed image could be seen both on the monitor screen and through special goggles [84]. The system enables spatial observation of a historical object and conducting simulations. The system is currently used for both research and educating students, in particular in master's and doctoral studies. Examples of objects on which work was carried out using this methodology include St. Jerome Hall in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine, and the baroque church of [PERSON] of Andahuayillas in Peru [84,85]. It is worth noting that some VR solutions cannot be clearly classified into only one field. For example, the theoretical model being developed, the so-called \"smart ticket\", is a combination of audiovisual learning and archeology with user interactions, for cultural heritage dedicated to both tourism and educational purposes. Additionally, the system provides the user with the ability to interact with 3D animation information using interactive buttons and games, which further introduces a ludic element [12]. A similar approach in educational games created on the basis of archaeological sites combines entertainment elements and educational, including in the field of underwater archeology [31]. In the entertainment and educational aspects, it should be noted that computer games using VR are becoming more and more popular [75]. The trends in this area are different--they include both the use of archaeological reconstructions as elements of popular games and the creation of the so-called \"serious games\" that are based on archaeological realities. The plot in these games is only an addition that is intended to make education more interesting and effective through user involvement or the previously mentioned introduction of gamification elements to virtual applications [75,86]. In the first case, an example is the previously mentioned Play Station game \"Treasures of the Deep\", which featured unrealistic representations of wrecks [31,86]. However, there are many such games. Among the most popular, it is worth mentioning \"Discovery Tour of Origins\" and \"Odyssey\", chapters of the \"Assassin's Creed\" saga produced by Ubisoft Entertainment, which carefully recreated historical places in consultation with historians and archaeologists. Additionally, \"Discovery Tour of Origins\" is a game mode focused on education. This game mode allows users to interact with recreated historical sites [75]. In the second case, the so-called \"serious game\" VR applications are characterized by an accurate historical background and a confirmed 3D reconstruction based on archaeological research [75,87]. An exemplary solution in the field of \"serious games\" is described by [PERSON] et al. [75].