Using Augmented Reality to Make School Atlases More User-Friendly for Schoolchildren

4 KiG No. 36, Vol. 20, 2021 https://doi.org/1 0.32909/kg.20.36.1 Abstract. Augmented reality (AR) technology allows cartographers to make cartographic products more attractive and more understandable for their users. In our research experiment we applied new AR technology onto a paper version school geography atlas for grade 8 (1 5-year-olds). The experiment that we did was carried out with grade 3 students (1 0year-olds). The challenge we had was to see how small children would understand the complicated geographic information presented by the atlas using AR. The results show that students deal with the information and understand maps correctly with the help of the newly presented information. The children were very interested and asked to continue lessons. They were even interested in how the atlas was created using AR technology. I t is evident that the presented new technology provides us with possibil ities of explaining difficult geographic topics to students of different ages.


Introduction
Nowadays children use computer technology every day and all the time. Cartographers should provoke their creativity and help them to study geography and history by using maps and atlases, which can be accessed/opened on their electronic devices. Maps for children should provide their users with the newest, updated information in the form of drawings and pictorial images of various subjects and phenomena as well as create a correct view of the world's geography and history. The goal of this research is to identify the difficulties in cartographical education and remedy them using new technologies.
This would lead to improved education through the use of software and high-tech devices that make it more effective. However, students and teachers in schools and universities still encounter different types of difficulties. Many factors lead to distraction and loss of attention during class, a problem that students face and that can reduce their knowledge acquisition, skills and results. In addition, students attend classes with a lack ofinterest and excitement in the classroom taught. Some students also find visualising the explication of the lessons quite difficult. Therefore, dangerous mistakes can be made in laboratories that require practical implementation. For instance, some chemical interactions and errors in electrical experiments can lead to serious injuries in chemistry or physics classes. An experiment on attention problems at school shows that students expect teachers to use a variety of teaching methods in accordance with the students' level (Cicekci, Sadik 2019). Another fact is that not all schools and universities cannot afford expensive experimental materials. In addition, it is difficult to provide tools and equipment all the time for visualizing the material Sažetak. Tehnologija proširene stvarnosti (AR) daje kartografima moć da svojim korisnicima naprave atraktivnije i razumljivije kartografske proizvode. U našem smo istraživačkom eksperimentu primijenili tu novu tehnologiju na temelju papirnate verzije školskog atlasa iz geografije za 8. razred (1 5-godišnjaci). Eksperiment je proveden s učenicima 3. razreda (1 0 godina). Izazov je bio kako će mala djeca razumjeti komplicirane geografske informacije predstavljene u atlasu koristeći AR. Rezultati pokazuju da se učenici na ispravan način nose s informacijama i razumiju karte uz pomoć novopredočenih informacija. Interes djece je vrlo velik -traži se nastavak učenja i pokazuje interes prema načinu izrade atlasa AR tehnologijom. Evidentno je da nam predstavljena nova tehnologija omogućuje da učenicima različite dobi objasnimo teške geografske teme.
To find a solution for our research topic we plan to use augmented reality (AR) as a technology which enhances reality with two-or three-dimensional computer-generated images (CGI), objects, and/or information, allowing the users to interact with them (Azuma 1997, Carmigniani et al 2010. AR can be interpreted "as a view of a physical, real world whose elements are integrated with a computer-generated sensory input" (Freina, Ott 2015). The goal is to "see and experience the real world mixed with different virtual objects without losing the sense of reality" (Persefoni, Tsinakos 2015). AR is a variation ofvirtual environment (VE) or virtual reality (VR). Ideally, VE technology immerses consumers in the virtual world without exposing them to the real world, while AR deals with both environments, and the user is able to see and display both the virtual and the real environment (Azuma 1997). In 1994, Milgram and Kishino defined the continuum ofAR and VR. AR is located between the recommended and the virtual environment and the as-is state in the neighbourhood, called "mixed reality" (Milgram, Kishino 1994). Mixed reality integrates digital information into the relevant environment. In addition to what Azuma (1997) says, AR provides both types ofobjects in 2D or 3D, resulting in real-time interaction that reflects the mixed reality in the AR continuum of Milgram and Kishino (1994). Users will begin to experience a virtual surround environment when the point moves to the right, resulting in a virtual environment. Real objects are added to virtual ones within the virtual environment, which complements the background. Unlike the dot on the left, AR offers a range of digital objects such as audio, video, haptic touch and / or images that can be imposed on the real environment.
In a broader context, AR is an experience for students and engineers to provide invisible interfaces and improve user interaction with the real world. Instead ofinterfaces available on computers, a graphical user interface (GUI) could be provided and there is a clear differentiation between digital screens of the domains and real physical worlds.
Virtual implementation is a different approach from AR, where the user wears a display mounted on the head and the real world is completely replaced by the virtual environment. The user is completely isolated in the display and isolated from the real world. This is the biggest difference between the virtual and the augmented reality (Billinghurst et al 2015).

Virtual and augmented reality in cartographical education
Technology is reaching new peaks on a daily basis and we are very familiar with 3D cartoons, movies, games. Almost everyone enjoys the 3D world of entertainment, as it feels more realistic than its 2D equivalent and provides more detail and information than 2D, such as shadows, depth of field, object structure and more. In the same way, the 3D approach can be applied for educational purposes, which ultimately help to increase the speed of learning and to easily understand difficult concepts in a short period oftime. Educational systems cannot be limited to context and pictures and must focus on digitalization. Digital applications in education make it more interesting, engaging and helps to understand, memorize and learn complex topics. Chemistry is an interesting subject, but it is usually difficult for some students to understand it and its various concepts. For instance, it can be difficult for the student to understand the atomic structure, the molecular structure and how the bond is formed as an ionic bond, a covalent bond, a coordinate covalent and a polar bond. In the same way, students struggle in understanding different forms of compounds and different complex experiments (Alam at al. 2020). An AR app is a better way to learn and understand the real environment. Teachers can easily explain difficult concepts by designing advanced experiments and describing the concept with a voice that supports all three types of learning styles (visual, auditory and kinaesthetic). Orator.bg (2021) shows in its study that "about 40% of people perceive information visually, 40% -kinaesthetically, and the remaining 20% -auditory and tactile." There are many factors in improving the quality of education. These include the ability and motivation of individual students to learn at their own pace, as well as approaches to learning, including mutual education. In order to improve the technologies applied in the learning and teaching experience, fieldspecific, pedagogical and psychological aspects must be considered (Markwell 2003). AR on mobile devices is still relatively new and therefore lacks research neke škole i sveučilišta ne mogu osigurati skupe eksperimentalne materijale. Osim toga, teško je osigurati alate i opremu za vizualizaciju gradiva koje se stalno uči u školama. Konačno, nedostatak resursa igra veliku ulogu u smanjenju obrazovne razine učenika s teškoćama, budući da je nekima od njih teško komunicirati i lako izvoditi eksperimente zbog njihovih posebnih potreba. Stoga, kako bi se eliminirali svi ti obrazovni problemi i izgradilo obrazovanije društvo, tehnologija se mora integrirati u obrazovanje. Naš je zadatak prezentirati djeci geoinformacije na zanimljiv, inovativan i moderan način koristeći sve dostupne edukativne materijale.
AR environments of mobile devices are evolving and offer great potential in terms of education and learning. AR has been shown to be a tool that can enhance learning motivation (Balog, Costin 2010). In pedagogy, it is important to enhance/increase student satisfaction through their involvement in learning activities with significant material that generates positive interest, learning time and place of choice and individual pace oflearning (Piccoli et al 2001).
AR has the potential to revolutionize the place, judgment and effectiveness of education by combining new and additional ways of learning (Antonioli et al 2014). Dunleavy and Dede (2014) found that AR applications in education are increasingly related to teamwork skills (thus preserving the social dimension), but cognitive overload and concrete performance remain a challenge. Di Serio et al (2013) recruited 69 average students to perform a set of AR-based learning activities, finding that their motivation increased more than in the control group. Introducing the Zspace, Noor and Aras (2015) argue that AR can trigger multimodal and multi-user learning.
The last few years have seen problems with AR in terms of equipment, development costs, maintenance, and conflicts with emerging technologies. Currently, this shortcoming is solved in one way or another, but according to Billinghurst and Dünser (2012) this technology is still lacking due to a shortage of non-specialists with high skills to develop the subject content. High skills in 3D modelling, programming knowledge and detailed understanding of the subject of content development are required (Dünser et al 2012). Therefore, researchers believe that more research and development in the field ofAR is needed to be able to apply it in education.

Creation of AR content
Choosing the type of Augmented Reality is one of the first steps in creating an AR application. Markerbased AR is the most suitable type of AR to add to a school atlas. It requires a special visual object which can be anything from a printed Quick Response (QR) code to special signs. Marker-based applications use a camera on the device to distinguish a marker from any other real-world object and it overlays information on top of this marker. Markers are labels that contain a coloured or black and white pattern recognized by the AR application through the camera ofthe device. The AR device in some cases also calculates the position and orientation of a marker to position the content. The different pages of the school atlas are used as different markers in this project (Figure 1a, b).
The AR content is the augmented information which will be used together with the basic information, in our case -a paper version school geography atlas. The augmented information can be anything from 2D and 3D models to animation and video. In this project two 3D models with complex animations and 3D game-like interactions and two videos are augmented using Vuforia in combination with Unity ( Figure 2).
The first AR content is a 3D model of the planet Earth and it is added to the cover ofthe atlas to catch the attention of the kids at first sight ( Figure 3).
On the next selected page, a 3D model ofthe Earth structure (Figure 4) is added for better visualization and understanding of the graphic presented in the atlas along with a short video ( Figure 5) supplementing a diagram for the shape of the continents, showing the plate tectonic and paleogeographic evolution of the Earth dating back to 540 million years.
The final selected page from the atlas used in this project shows the earthquake zones on land, under water and the ocean ridges. Here the augmented information is a short video lesson showing what causes earthquakes and their consequences ( Figure 6).
These final work steps are followed in creating the end product AR mobile application: Comparison of all elements; Choice of projection, scale, scene and range; Additional effects and animations; Rendering.
4 Difficulties applying AR to the school atlas The pages of the paper atlas are well recognized, and the tracking of the camera's movements is effective, so the added information is presented almost immediately on the tablet. However, digital visualizations begin to flicker when the angle between the camera and the paper map becomes too sharp. This problem is mentioned in the Vuforia developer portal, but no solution is recommended (Vuforia 2021).
Distorted printed atlas sheets are another problem, as they cause incorrect positioning ofthe added content. This is due to the assumption offlatness for the purpose ofthe image, which is not possible when maps are spread over two pages. The virtual objects appear to be placed on the largest recognized portion of the map by the Vuforia Engine. In the case of double-sided maps, positioning works well on one page, while there is an error in height and scale on the other. Other authors (Schnürer et al 2020) have discovered the same problem. Overlap of map elements may occur when the distance between the tablet and the printed map increases. Applying generalization depending on the viewing distance can reduce the congestion ofthese elements on the map.
Knowing the problems, we try to avoid the disadvantages ofAR technology and present the content to students in an attractive and understandable way. Because of this we have made an experiment to gauge their understanding of new information presented in such an innovative way.
5 Survey with students on their understanding of augmented reality school atlas topics In order to study how the school atlas with AR is perceived by the students, a class was conducted with 30 children, aged 9-10 years, from Grade 3 from the 125th school in Sofia. The aim was to investigate how students most easily and effectively perceive new information by measuring several variables such as motivation, commitment, perception and effectiveness oflearning. The specific focus was the potential use of Augmented Reality in the school system in Bulgaria.
An approach was sought for presenting complex and additional information from the Grade 8 Atlas to Grade 3 students. The aim was to understand whether students would be able to handle complex material with the help of AR, which would help read and facilitate understanding the information in the atlas. The method of presenting information for higher grade lessons to younger students is not a new one. Jirout and Newcombe (2014) use scaled maps as an opportunity to develop spatial thinking in 4-5-year-olds. Nunez and Szabo (2011) support education on a website about maps for children and regularly update its content.
The children were divided into two groups of 15. With the help ofa student atlas, a short lesson was given Slike 7a,b. Djeca ispunjavaju test i jedan od njihovih odgovora (na bugarskom). Fig. 7a,b Children fill in the test and one of their answers (in Bulgarian).
on the changing shape of the continents during the different stages ofthe Earth's history, the reasons for these changes and the reason for the occurrence of earthquakes. Then, with the help of the created mobile application for augmented reality, additional information was added to the school atlas. The mobile application was installed on a tablet, through which the added information was visualized -two 3D models, a short video, supplementing the diagram in the school atlas for the shape ofthe continents and a short video tutorial showing what causes earthquakes and their consequences. The children were acquainted with this new technology, it was explained to them how it works, and the lesson was enriched. A short test was created, with questions tailored to the students' age and their previous knowledge.
The first question "Do you use maps in 'Man and Society' lessons?" aims to draw children's attention to something familiar, namely 'Man and Society' lessons. The second question, "List the continents ofthe world" is to assess the students' current knowledge. Question 3, "Was the shape ofthe continents different millions ofyears ago?" is the first main question. When we receive the correct answer to question 3, it will consider the data from question 4, "How did you know that the shape ofthe continents has changed?" Here three possible answers are available ("From the diagram in the atlas", "from the teacher's lesson" and "from the video on the tablet"). The student can choose all three answers. Question 5, "What is the cause of earthquakes?" is the second main question and with a correct answer the results of the last question 6 are considered, where again the student can choose all three answers.
The purpose of this test was to assess the acquired new knowledge and in particular the way in which students learned: whether they find learning with this new technology really interesting; whether it complements the knowledge of the standard lesson; and, finally, its future integration into the curriculum. After getting acquainted with the lesson and with additional information using the new augmented reality technology, all children from both groups complete the test on their own (Figure 7).
The results are processed and presented in the figures below. To the first basic question, "Was the shape of the continents different millions of years ago?", all students answered in the affirmative, and 97% ofthem (29 children out of 30) said they learned this thanks to the new technology -the added video visualised on the tablet. 43% of them (13 children) cite the teacher's explanations as the reason and 13% (4 children) choose the atlas scheme as their answer (Figure 8).
To the second main question "What is the cause of earthquakes?", 97% of all students answer positively. 90% ofthem (27 children out of30) say they learned this thanks to the new technology -the added video, visualized via the tablet. 50% of them (15 children) cite the teacher's explanations as the reason, and only 3% (1 child) choose the atlas scheme as the answer (Figure 9).
In our research we combined specific questions for easy understanding of complicated information. The results show the positive result of this approach. Some authors, such as Bartz (1971), proposed an approach to designing maps for children, in which the visual elements are related to intellectually presented spatial information associated with specific tasks for using the map. Nowadays this is not that difficult to achieve by using AR technology. The achievement in this experiment shows how cartographers can use new technologies and improve traditional school cartography. This is an answer to Nunez's (2020) question as to how we can help children to better understand maps and incite their interest in them while increasing the students' learning ability like in other atlas use experiments (Bugdayci, Silvi 2021).

Conclusions
Creating an AR application is an extremely complex and time-consuming process. AR has extensive application and can be ofbenefit for many different users. The challenges in creating and adding augmented reality to school atlases still include not only data collection, modelling, design and visualization, but the use ofAR as well in a useful way from an educational point ofview to become a tool to increase motivation for learning, a tool for quality teaching and learning. The results of the experiment show that children need information to be presented in an interesting and more understandable way, to motivate them and to attract their attention, and this new technology in combination with accepted teaching methods is a perfect way to accomplish this.
This project provided evidence that students could understand correctly very difficult geographical topics. Another benefit is that students wanted to learn more and look for additional information on the given topic. Moreover, they had an interest in the technology we used to present the information to them. Their curiosity increased towards acquiring new knowledge, as well as towards practical skills for the development and use of new technologies.