Geodiversity and Geoheritage to Promote Geotourism Using Augmented Reality and 3D Virtual Flights in the Arosa Estuary (NW Spain)

Abstract

Geoheritage constitutes a natural resource that promotes sustainable rural tourism by creating employment and activities that allow population settlement in unpopulated areas with great natural heritage. The objective of this work is to value the singularity and variety of the geosites, which show a wide geodiversity, with lithological, geomorphological, tectonic and natural process diversity (fluvial, coastal, sedimentary, etc.). In the “Arosa estuary” (Galicia, Spain), seven Geosites have been identified, described and valued, determining their scientific, educational and tourist-recreational potential and obtaining values between 565 and 660 points. The state of conservation and risk of degradation is analyzed in order to proceed with their geoconservation, promoting sustainable geo-tourism. The values of degradation susceptibility range between 0.03 and 3 points, and anthropic degradation between 0.33 and 1.73 points. A 3D virtual itinerary is made using Google Earth, implementing descriptive sheets, interpreted diagrams and photographs, and analysis of the geological processes. An interactive virtual flight is presented for academic and tourist purposes to promote geotourism. The virtual tour also has geomatic didactic elements: geoapp and georeferenced thematic cartographies. These resources are helpful for the unknown geoheritage of the population that lives or visits the “Arosa estuary”, favoring sustainable development and fostering attitudes and skills of respect for nature.

Towards Enhanced Understanding and Experience of Landforms, Geohazards, and Geoheritage through Virtual Reality Technologies in Education: Lessons from the GeoVT Project

“…Second, a collection of VFTs is presented, covering various themes related to geomorphological processes and landforms, hazardous surface processes, and geoheritage issues. They add to the growing number of virtual experiences made available in recent years due to rapid technological developments [7,8,15,[18][19][20][21]100,101,154]. Moreover, all themes have practical applications for sustainable land management, understanding the effects of climate change at different temporal and spatial scales, and conservation of sites of considerable scientific value facing increasing pressure from tourism and related infrastructural development.…”

“…Various contexts and process domains have been explored, such as landslide terrains [12], coastal cliffs [13], volcanoes [14,15], and even extraterrestrial settings such as Mars [16]. VR is also increasingly used to explore geoheritage sites [17], allowing for virtual contact with both localities too far or too complicated to reach [18][19][20], or unsuitable to be developed for large groups of visitors for conservation purposes [21]. In the last few years, a new unforeseen application field for VR in teaching and outreach emerged related to the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and related closure of field sites and transformation of teaching and outdoor education into online experiences [22].…”

Landscape Analysis and Coastal Planning: Ría de Arosa (Pontevedra, Spain)

“…They allow documenting the history and culture of a region (historical-cultural heritage) or show natural singularities that must be preserved due to their condition as "irreplaceable heritage" (natural heritage). Geological heritage assesses "geosites" described in the area with a weight of 10 over the rest (value 0) [29]. In the case of natural and ecological heritage, special protection areas are considered as follows: Protected Natural Spaces have a value of 6; Protected Wetlands and Special Protection Areas for Birds (ZEPA) have a value of 4; finally, Areas of Community Interest are valued at 2.…”

Non-Uniform Distribution of Geoheritage Resources in Geoparks—Problems, Challenges and Opportunities

“…As another promising way forward in geoeducation, opportunities offered by modern technologies (e.g., virtual tours and virtual geosites based on UAV surveys, 3D models and dedicated WebGIS platforms; augmented reality) [74][75][76] should be further explored, particularly in respect to inaccessible and poorly accessible places such as the interiors of historical buildings or working quarries. Virtual flights over larger territories, supported by relevant commentaries highlighting relationships between nature and humans, may in turn be an attractive means to become acquainted with areas which lack singular spectacular sites.…”