Augmented Reality apps for tourism storytelling are evolving, covering diverse topics and objectives. This research defines a fast and effective methodology for developing AR applications for smartphones and tablets by directly using digital survey output. The approach relies on two key concepts: first, employing acquired digital data directly to bypass laborious raw data processing and modelling; second, using a flexible AR system that requires no targets (targetless), images (image tracking), or GPS (geo-positioned AR), making it effective even in complex indoor spaces. The study tests the Immersal SDK System with a mobile mapping system (Leica Geosystem BLK2GO) to establish a digital survey reference for AR positioning. Immersal’s Visual Positioning System (VPS) matches real-time camera images with a spatial map of visual features from a mobile mapping dataset. By identifying key points in real-time images and comparing them with pre-collected data, devices can determine their position and orientation, effectively using the environment as a marker. This solution enables seamless integration of digital content with the real world. The Unity game engine is used to build and customise the AR application. The Milan Cathedral serves as the case study, with designed itineraries tailored to different tourist experiences: a “quick journey” with general cathedral information, an “artistic journey” exploring architecture and art, and a “treasure hunt”. This study highlights AR’s potential to enhance cultural education, engage tourists, and improve heritage management, demonstrating its role in enriching architectural and cultural assets.
A Point Cloud-Based Multi-Platform Application to Support the Conservation Project of Medieval Stone Architecture
The paper presents a multi-platform application based on point cloud data to support the conservation and dissemination of a medieval stone village. The workflow integrates 3D survey techniques—laser scanning, mobile mapping, and photogrammetry—to generate temporal datasets documenting different stages of restoration. Instead of relying on mesh-based reconstruction, the study proposes the direct use of point clouds as rendering primitives within interactive environments developed in Unity. The application is designed for multiple platforms (mobile AR, PC/web, and VR), each tailored to specific user needs and hardware constraints, enabling both professional access to detailed documentation and public engagement through immersive storytelling. The system incorporates interactive features such as time-travel navigation, point cloud visualization control, and narrative content layers, positioning the project as a hybrid tool for conservation support, education, and virtual heritage exploration.
VR and Holographic Information System for the Conservation Project
This paper presents an advanced digital workflow that integrates virtual reality and holographic visualization systems to support conservation planning and heritage management. The research addresses a common limitation in heritage digitization: although laser scanning and photogrammetry produce accurate 3D datasets, these models are often reduced to traditional 2D drawings, losing spatial richness and informational potential. To overcome this issue, the authors propose the direct use of point clouds enriched with semantic data, linked to a PostgreSQL database and visualized through immersive and collaborative environments. A VR application developed in Unity enables first-person exploration of the surveyed site, hotspot creation, and on-site compilation of conservation factsheets. In parallel, a Euclideon Hologram Table allows multiple users to inspect the same three-dimensional dataset simultaneously, facilitating collective analysis and project discussion. The methodology demonstrates how point clouds can become operative information systems rather than passive survey outputs. The study highlights the educational and professional value of combining accurate survey data, shared interfaces, and interactive visualization tools for heritage preservation, diagnosis, and reuse strategies.
Enhanced Interaction Experience for Holographic Visualization
Nowadays, holographic visualization pushes further the limits in exploring tri-dimensional digital con-tent. 3D models typically displayed through a computer screen now enter the real world as holograms. The Hologram Table allows users to visualize and manipulate huge 3D models as if they were in the space in front of them. Its use has already proved helpful for the virtual fruition and presentation of complex cultural heritage buildings and their design interventions, but it surely can do more. The work aims at exploring the possibility of expanding the capabilities of the Hologram Table interaction by developing a custom-designed experience to interact with 3D point cloud data coming from survey activity. The test case was the interesting building of the Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy) basilica. Initial results are encouraging and show that the point model can be enriched with associated informa-tion and additional content (images and texts) available for holographic visualization.