Activating Museums and Historic Sites with

Augmented Reality (AR) Technology

Dr. Rozhen Kamal Mohammed-Amin

Director of DCH
Co-Director of the Nahrein Network
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o86U3jf-jmM
https://www.arch2o.com/steel-structures-changed-architecture/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/04/05/why-everyone-must-get-ready-for-4th-industrial-revolution/#18e9039c3f90
“Architecture is no longer simply the play of
masses in light. It now embraces the play of
digital information in space.”

Mitchell, William J. (1999). e-topia:" Urban life, Jim—but not as we know it". MIT press.
Spatial design Experience design
Augmented Reality (AR)
Superimposes computer-generated entities on
top of a user’s perception of the real world in
real time (Gervautz & Schmalstieg, 2012).
Augmenting the world and making invisible,
visible when and where needed.
• Head-attached displays

• Hand-held displays

• Spatially aligned displays

How can AR technology activate
Museums and Historic Sites?
Virtual restoration/reconstruction
(On-site visualization)
Augmented Reality-Based Cultural Heritage On-Site Guide
(ARCHEOGUIDE)
Rebirth of the Buddha of Bamiyan, Afganistan
 CityViewAR
(HITLabNZ, New Zealand)
 CityViewAR
(HITLabNZ, New Zealand)
Arbela Layers Uncovered (ALU)
Virtual restoration/reconstruction
(Off-site visualization)
Christchurch Cathedral
 Christchurch Cathedral
(HITLabNZ, New Zealand)
Geo-tagging & delivering
contextual information
London Street Museum (the Museum of London)
Arbela Layers Uncovered (ALU)
Bringing life into historic collections,
spaces, and buildings
(interactivity)
“The Ultimate Dinosaurs” app
How does AR impact museums &
historic site visiting experience?
PhD research
Augmented Experiences: What Can Mobile
Augmented Reality Offer Museums and Historic

(Mohammed-Amin, 2015)
Mobile AR at Heritage Park Historical Village
Calgary, Canada
 Two experimental studies

• Design and co-development of two mobile

AR prototypes

• Rigorous user-based evaluations

• Control and randomization

• Actual context (an outdoor living history

museum)
• GPS tracking

• Pre-visit survey

• Post-tour interview/questionnaire

• Interface interaction logging

• Gift purchase (intensification)

Heritage Park Portal (HP²)

• The HP² Navigator

• The HP² Storyteller

 HP² Navigator study

Without the HP² Navigator With the HP² Navigator

 HP² Storyteller study

Without the HP² Storyteller With the HP² Storyteller

What did I find?
Mobile AR can effectively enhance
visiting experience in museums
and historic sites.
How?
Making outdoor museum exploration
more informed, selective, and efficient.

With the HP² Navigator Without the HP² Navigator

Increasing learning & memorability.
I feel I learned some new information …
(perceived learning)
P < 0.001

4.76 3.65

With the HP² Storyteller Without the HP² Storyteller

Increasing enjoyment, interest, and
curiosity.
I have developed an increased interest in
knowing more…
P = 0.023

4.47 3.76

With the HP² Storyteller Without the HP² Storyteller

Increasing “holding power” and
enjoyment even in under-furnished
and under-interpreted exhibitions.
Which exhibition(s) did you enjoy?
P = 0.005
76.47 % 23.53 %

With the HP² Storyteller Without the HP² Storyteller

Increasing intensification and gift
purchases in museum gift shops.
 Gift purchase

70.6 % 35.3 %
P = 0.005

With the HP² Storyteller Without the HP² Storyteller

Content and stories greatly matter.

94.12 %
 And much more findings…
http://theses.ucalgary.ca/jspui/handle/11023/2450
Summary
 museum museum
1. OUTSIDE ICT 4. DISCRETE
(1950s – 1960s) ICT (1990s)
gallery Web
gallery

museum museum
2. SELECTIVELY 5. INTEGRATED
INSIDE ICT (today)
gallery Web gallery
(1970s)

museum museum
3. CONTAINED 6. INNATE
ICT
(1980s – 1990s) (emerging)
gallery On-line On-site
Web

Parry, R., & Sawyer, A. (2005). Space and the machine: Adaptive museums, pervasive technology and the new
gallery environment. In S. Macleod (Ed.), Reshaping museum space: : Architecture, design, exhibitions (pp. 39-52).
New York, NY: Routledge.
• New hybrid spaces

• New perceptions

• New Interactions
 Thank you!
rozhen.mohammed@spu.edu.iq

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