# The Usage of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Underwater Archeology
## 4 Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies in Underwater Archeology  
### Application Areas  
Currently, VR and AR have found applications in many fields, both for entertainment purposes and as a tool supporting scientific research or specialized work [58; 59; 60]. These applications include medicine [61; 60], construction and architecture [62; 63; 64], the machinery industry [65; 66], production management [67] or education [68; 69; 16], and even sports training [70; 71] and religious education [72]. The chapter discusses several exemplary applications of VR and AR, which, on the one hand, show the spectrum of its possibilities and, on the other hand, are directly related to the subject of underwater archeology. The main areas of application of VR/AR in underwater archeology are presented in Figure 4.  
VR, or, if we are talking about applications in the field of history and archaeology, increasingly mixed reality, is used as an educational and entertainment method. The use of mixed reality most often involves spatial visualization of the environment using VR, which allows users to move around three-dimensional space as if they were playing a game. AR, in turn, is used to add computer-generated information to physical places and objects [73]. When applied to historical or archaeological sites, mixed reality applications usually fulfill many functions. First of all, they are intended to teach, but at the same time, they also have entertainment value; at the same time they constitute a research area with an increased amount of information for interactive development [3; 12]. It is also worth noting that VR can be used as a pedagogical tool supporting so-called historical empathy,i.e., for various types of activities that allow us to better understand the motives behind the actions of people from the past, even if they now seem unreasonable to someone in the present [73]. Emotional immersion is achieved through the user's contact with content, e.g., archaeological content, through the convergence of technologies [12]. In particular, it is possible to use VR tools for detailed and realistic visualizations and the discovery of historical and archaeological spaces, which in turn allows the study of its details in historically significant periods, as well as a reflection on how this space has changed over time [73; 74; 75]. It is worth noting, however, that most applications using VR or AR and offering visualizations of archaeological objects are dedicated to increasing interest in tourism in a given area, and the analyses carried out show that this type of activity gives positive results [76; 77]. An example of one of the first applications of this type is \"Archegougide\", which offers personalized tours of archaeological sites in AR [1; 78]. The application uses the location of the mobile device, 3D visualization, and AR techniques to make the presentation of archaeological information more attractive by enabling the viewing of a virtual reconstruction of a given object [1; 78]. Other systems also work on a similar principle, i.e., \"KorfuAR\", which works based on AR and in historically significant tourist attractions, where information about the sites is presented. This system also provides personalized recommendations about further monuments worth seeing in the region [1; 79]. A project involving an AR system in the city of Chania in Crete, Greece took this a step further, where it is possible not only to obtain information and watch the reconstruction of monuments, but the so-called element of \"gamification\" was also implemented, i.e., the intentional implementation of game features in contexts that are not usually associated with games [80]. A similar idea has been proposed for the partially submerged fortifications of the Halai acropolis in eastern Lokris, Greece [10].