Authors:
Liliana Santos
1
;
Nuno Silva
1
;
Rui Nóbrega
2
;
3
;
Rubim Almeida
4
and
António Coelho
1
;
2
Affiliations:
1
Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
;
2
INESC TEC - The Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, Porto, Portugal
;
3
NOVA-LINCS, DI, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
;
4
Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Augmented Reality, Serious Games, Location-based Games, Nature Parks, Interactive Applications, Mobile Games.
Abstract:
Park visitors and tourists, in general, seek new experiences, leading to a growing search for ways to create more memorable experiences. Some technological solutions, such as Augmented Reality, have proved that they can be useful to create more immersive and interactive experiences, both in entertainment and education. An application with Augmented Reality, using location-based services in a gamified way, can create pleasant and entertaining outdoor experiences without losing its pedagogical ability, making it a promising fit for a nature park. We propose a conceptual framework for creating these mobile applications for nature parks. From which, a mobile application was prototyped with location-based services and augmented reality interactive experiences, with the purpose of disseminating scientific knowledge about the fauna and flora of a nature park. Gaming elements are also introduced in the application’s design to try and improve the engagement and involvement in the various acti
vities of the application and its contents. User tests were performed during the development of the prototype and with the final version. The results allow us to conclude that this type of applications can improve the visitors’ experience while at the same time, improve the dissemination of scientific knowledge.
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