# Augmented Reality in Cultural Heritage: An Overview of the Last Decade of Applications
## 4 Conclusions  
The main goal of this study was to identify and overview the most significant topics from the last decade in the field of augmented reality and cultural heritage. We conductedan advanced search on the Scopus and WOS databases and performed a scientometric analysis on a large article dataset (\(n=1201\)) using ScinetoPy and VOS software. In summary, the findings showed that there is a growing interest in applications of AR in many CH contexts, from 3D reconstructions to intangible cultural heritage. The growing tendency for each topic was highlighted using trend analysis indicators AGR, ADY, and PDLY. The 3D reconstruction of cultural heritage objects is a complex task. Over the last decade, several techniques for 3D reconstruction such as photogrammetry, laser scanning, lidar, and structural light were successfully used for many CH artifacts. While these techniques provide the raw data, other techniques derived from AI such as deep learning and ontology at the same time enrich and filter the information to be used by different types of users such as researchers, museographers, or tourists. In this regard, as in the Europeana platform mentioned, a cultural heritage cloud is prepared to be densely populated and largely disseminated all around the world [159]. AR is a very effective solution for showcasing 3D reconstructed artifacts. It can also be used to identify the most appropriate restoration approach to produce a realistic replica, which reduces costs and speeds up the restoration process. Aspects as data quality, available metadata, and multi-layered information related to the real artifacts are some essential aspects that have to be considered in order to ensure a self-sustainable AR-based CH application. For many CH artifacts, 3D reconstruction combined with AR produced practical solutions, but there are still many difficulties and unresolved issues. Future research in this area may focus on real-time digitization techniques that are more computationally efficient. Digital heritage benefits extensively from AR technologies, whose recent widespread adoption makes them a major challenge to the way we understand and study the past. The development of AR has led to important research with the aim of addressing the needs of museums, archives, and heritage institutions. Developed applications demonstrate that AR can improve several tasks in digital heritage, namely visualization of reconstructed artifacts, documentation, and contextual understanding. In addition, using AR technology, digital heritage combines creative industries' production with the digitization of CH artifacts in order to augment the visitor experience with animated digital archives, mixing real-world remnants with digital media. It is of real importance that tourists have the opportunity not only to touch the past through 3D printed replicas of pieces that transcend ancient history but also to experiment with and thus be culturally immersed in interactive setups involved in inter-human lost activities. AR virtual museums enable a deeper level of involvement and connection between museums and their visitors. AR has been used to make the museum contents more interesting and attractive to the users. To create AR experiences, a variety of techniques are used in order to render a vast amount of information about artifacts, mainly using a mobile device. In this way, AR technologies have the potential to increase access to and interchanging of information that describes the CH artifacts in a dynamic way. At the same time, AR is beginning to be largely used for offering new audiences in museums through multi-dimensional environments that transpose visitors from physical to digital multimodal experiences. However, the usage of AR technologies is still constrained by a few issues, most of which are related to the complex technical skills needed to develop these applications. Available AR technology's potential has been proved in CH both from economic and social perspectives.