AR Wetlands

Posted on by Steven McDermott

Team Name

AR Wetland Watchers

Timeline

Summer 2025 – Fall 2025

Students

  • Mauricio Mendoza-Silos – Computer Science
  • Adrian Macias – Computer Science
  • Mohamad Nabih Alkhateeb – Computer Science
  • Nooraldeen Alsmady – Computer Science
  • Yahia Elsaad – Software Engineering

Sponsor

Jason Knight [USACE]

Abstract

This project is sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in partnership with UTA and is intended to be used in outreach and educational settings. The purpose of the Interactive AR Table is to provide an immersive and accessible way to educate the public about the environmental consequences of human activity, especially in relation to water pollution and civil infrastructure.

Background

The Interactive AR Table is an educational system that uses augmented reality to display 3D models and visual content on a physical tabletop. The tabletop provides a guided experience that includes animations, voiceover narration, and timed visual sequences. The main goal of the system is to raise awareness and help users better understand important topics related to civil engineering, water systems, and environmental impact. One of the key focuses of this project is highlighting how human activities such as construction and runoff contribute to water pollution, helping viewers understand the long-term effects of these actions. By combining animations, 3D scenes, and audio narration, the experience helps communicate complex ideas such as stormwater runoff, erosion, and development impact in a way that is easy to follow. It is especially useful in settings where interactive demonstrations are limited, and visual context can enhance understanding. This product is designed for a wide range of users, including students, community members, government officials, and professionals in training. The primary audience includes individuals who may not have a strong technical background but need to understand the environmental and civil consequences of certain actions. For example, the AR Table may help explain to a community how urban development increases runoff and affects nearby water sources. It also will serve as a visual aid during briefings or demonstrations hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or other educational institutions.

Project Requirements

  • Educational Scenario Playback (displays animated AR scenes showcasing water pollution)
  • Marker-Based AR Scene Activation
  • Voice Narration for Educational awareness
  • Downloadable AR Application for Android
  • Offline Operation
  • App Startup Time (must be no more than 10s to open app and get started)
  • AR Surface Detection Speed (should be within a couple of seconds to keep the experience engaging)
  • No User Login Credentials
  • Ask User for Camera Access
  • Include a Privacy Policy

Design Constraints

  • Accessibility: The system is constrained to ensure usability for individuals with visual impairments or younger users. This includes the requirement to provide audio narration synchronized with educational prompts when a user interacts with a trigger. Additionally, the visual elements must adhere to ADA guidelines regarding contrast and text legibility.
  • Aesthetics: The aesthetic design is constrained by the hardware capabilities of mid-range mobile devices. The 3D objects must maintain a “moderate” level of visual quality, sufficient to distinguish features like pollutants, without using excessive polygon counts or texture resolutions that would cause lag or crashes on lower-end hardware
  • Constructability/manufacturability (Software Size): The software build process is constrained by distribution size limits. The final Android Package (APK) size must remain below 500 MB to ensure ease of distribution and side-loading. This limits the number of high-resolution textures and complex audio files that can be included in the bundle.
  • Functionality: The application is constrained to function entirely without an internet connection. This ensures the product remains functional in outreach settings, such as schools or field events, where Wi-Fi access may be unreliable or unavailable. Consequently, all AR assets, data, and scenes must be embedded directly within the application package rather than streamed.
  • Interoperability (Device & OS Requirements): The project is constrained by specific hardware and software requirements. The application requires Android 10 (API level 29) or newer to function. Additionally, it relies heavily on specific device hardware, requiring a functional camera feed for marker detection and gyroscope/orientation sensors to properly render the augmented scenes.
  • Legal Considerations: The system is strictly constrained to avoid collecting User or Personally Identifiable Information (PII). The application must operate without any back-end authentication or user login credentials. This constraint ensures compliance with privacy expectations for public/educational tools and avoids the legal complexities of storing user data.
  • Usability: The software faces strict usability constraints regarding performance. The application is required to fully launch and be ready for AR scanning within 10 seconds to maintain user engagement. Furthermore, it must be capable of operating entirely offline without an internet connection for use in field events.

Engineering Standards

  • Unity AR Development & Best Practices: The project utilizes the Unity AR Foundation rendering pipeline and Unity Audio Manager scripting best practices to ensure optimized 3D rendering and synchronized audio narration.
  • Mobile Security & Authentication: The application aligns with OWASP Mobile Top 10 (M2: Insecure Authentication) and NIST SP 800-124r2 by requiring no user login credentials and strictly avoiding the collection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
  • Privacy & Data Protection: The project complies with NIST SP 800-53 privacy controls (PR.PO-1) and GDPR/CCPA transparency principles by including an in-app privacy policy and requesting explicit consent for camera usage.
  • Accessibility: The system meets ADA visual accessibility guidelines by ensuring high contrast and text legibility in AR labels to support users with visual impairments.
  • Android Platform Compliance: The application adheres to Android Developer Documentation and Google Play Policy standards regarding runtime permissions (camera access) and data privacy, ensuring the software meets professional eligibility requirements for secure mobile deployment.

System Overview

In this project, we propose a high-level system that uses Augmented Reality (AR) to visualize the environmental impact of human behavior on water systems. The goal is to raise awareness about how everyday actions, such as littering, can influence water flow and ultimately affect the quality of the water we consume. The system will simulate water runoff in various environments and demonstrate how pollutants travel through drainage systems into natural water bodies. The AR experience will be presented on a physical roughly 2.0 x 2.0 feet demonstration table, enabling users to interact with a dynamic, visual representation of water flow and pollution spread. Users will interact with the system via a device (Phone, Tablet) above the table. The interface will allow them to see virtual trash on the landscape, simulate rainfall or flooding, and observe how contaminants flow downstream-ultimately making the connection to real-world water sources.

Results

We successfully developed a standalone Android application that utilizes augmented reality to detect physical markers and overlay 3D simulations of environmental concepts like stormwater runoff and erosion. The application functions entirely offline and requires no user authentication, ensuring it meets strict privacy standards and is accessible for field outreach events without internet access. By integrating synchronized audio narration with visual animations, the system effectively delivers an immersive educational experience that demonstrates the impact of human activity on water systems.

Future Work

  • Implement captions for the narration that plays per scene to deliver another delivery format in getting the message across.
  • Enhance scenes with more lively animations and dedicated sounds to each scene.
  • Add iOS support to reach a broader audience

Project Files

Project Charter
System Requirements Specification
Architectural Design Specification
Detailed Design Specification
Poster

References

Steven McDermott

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