Geoheritage and immersive technologies: bibliometric analysis and literature review

Abstract

The use of immersive technologies to promote geoheritage is an increasingly common practice that has resulted from digital development and the need to find new ways to disseminate, promote, and conserve geological assets. This paper sheds light on the evolution of this field and future research directions based on a bibliometric analysis and a literature review. A total of 167 documents published between 2004 and 2020 were retrieved from the Scopus database using a search equation. Different indicators of quantity, quality, and structure of the documents were evaluated, and a hermeneutic analysis was conducted to delve into the topics and trends examined in the papers. The results indicate that European countries have made the greatest advances in this field; most studies are concentrated in a group of specialized journals; and the most commonly used technologies are 3D visualizations and virtual and augmented reality, which are implemented through mobile apps and web platforms. It can be concluded that immersive technologies have been increasingly used to promote geoheritage, these technologies enable users to have an immersive experience in the sites of interest by providing them with elements that cannot be easily identified in such sites because of their particular conditions.