PalmitoAR: The Last Battle of the U.S. Civil War Reenacted Using Augmented Reality Various efforts are used to preserve American history including relying on formal education, distributing information (text, video or visual aids) on social channels, displaying artifacts in historical centers or more recently, virtual reality applications posted on a shared medium. However, many of the newly developed applications are designed specifically for dedicated hardware rather than for a broad audience, thus creating a barrier for disseminating cultural values. In this paper, we propose a webbased Augmented Reality (AR) application, namely PalmitoAR, which provides an intuitive way of observing one of the most significant historical Civil War battlefields, Palmito Ranch Battlefield located in Cameron County, Texas. The proposed AR application is designed to resurrect a series of events through (i) a printed map of Palmito Ranch with embedded markers that enables viewers to experience the battle without being present at the site, (ii) a mobile device with a WebGL supported browser that allows 3D contents to be rendered, and (iii) an AR library (AFrame.io) that enables enthusiasts to recreate similar work. Our methodology strongly relies on the benefits of a simple, robust algorithm for AR marker recognition to position 3D models in a specific context and time. As a result, the proposed AR application is complementary to existing work and provides a seamless experience for a wide range of viewers. We evaluated and improved the application with the help of twentysix users to gather perspectives on the specific benefits of employing AR in learning about battlefields and reenactment. The technology acceptance model was adapted to access an individualxe2x80x99s acceptance of information technology.

Augmented reality for cultural heritage education In the past few years, it is noticed a fast adoption and increase of mobile devices that are able to retrieve information quickly, regardless of the userxe2x80x99s physical environment. Thus, application developers have leveraged it by developing a variety of applications using mobile Augmented Reality (AR) in domains such as cultural heritage education, shopping, gaming, and more. AR technology overlays a virtual object into the real world that enables users to have virtual and realworld experience at the same time. During a visit to a cultural heritage site such as a museum or an art gallery, the learning experience and enjoyment is necessary for a visitor and AR introduces new opportunities to improve them. We propose an ARbased framework for cultural heritage education. We aim to promote cultural heritage education by enriching userxe2x80x99s experience and at the same time to offer the knowledge with the most enjoyable way. In order to evaluate our framework, we have developed a server application and an ARbased smartphone application.