Urban parks are important recreational spaces of environmental interest for citizens and city visitors. Targeted and attractive promotion of these areas can help develop alternative forms of “green tourism” and increase environmental awareness among citizens, which is particularly important and vital for the future of the planet. New technologies are a key tool for improving the experience of touring urban parks, as they can make the tour much more attractive by highlighting interesting information about the flora and fauna of the park, as well as various other points of interest. This paper presents an integrated system based on augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and data analytics methodologies, comprising both mobile and web applications, focusing on urban parks touring and management, respectively. Through the mobile app for the park visitors, an attractive, interactive touring environment is created which highlights the environmental and historical interest of those areas. At the same time, the web applications for the park managers receive and analyze visitor data to help improve the visitor experience and the overall quality of the park. Finally, the developed integrated system is evaluated to ensure that it meets all user requirements and that its usability and functional components satisfy both groups of potential users, i.e., park visitors and park managers.

Open laboratories (OpenLabs) in Cultural Heritage institutions are an effective way to provide visibility into the behind-the-scenes processes and promote documentation data collected and produced by domain specialists. However, presenting these processes without proper explanation or communication with specialists may cause issues in terms of visitors’ understanding. To support OpenLabs and disseminate information, digital media and efficient data management can be utilized. The CAnTi (Conservation of Ancient Tiryns) project seeks to design and implement virtual and mixed reality applications that visualize conservation and restoration data, supporting OpenLab operations at the Acropolis of Ancient Tiryns. Semantic Web technologies will be used to model the digital content, facilitating organization and interoperability with external sources in the future. These applications will be part of the OpenLab activities on the site, enhancing visitors’ experiences and understanding of current and past conservation and restoration practices.

The key questions of this article concern the extent to which digital documentation, 3D scanning technologies, and VR/AR technologies contribute to the preservation, enhancement, and sustainability of cultural heritage. The purpose of this research is to present an innovative methodology through which a platform for the diagnosis, management, and documentation of findings, progress, and reports and projections of rescue excavations in the area of Euboea, Greece was implemented. A holistic approach is proposed with a comprehensive system of archaeological documentation and visualization, which integrates the use of digital technologies in all steps of the archaeological process, enhances the tools of the scientific community, and provides immersive experiences for both researchers and the public. The results of the method include (1) a complex toolbox of innovative technologies that allow archaeologists to plan and execute a rescue excavation in an efficient and concise manner and (2) a VR installation at the Diachronic Museum of Chalkida “Arethousa”, which allows the public to participate in virtual rescue excavations and explore archaeological sites that are no longer accessible. Through this project, the impact of new technologies on cultural heritage and, in particular, on issues of sustainability, accessibility, education, and visitor participation is highlighted.

This study presents the application of Constructivist Grounded Theory in the design of extended reality applications within the Digicult project aimed at enhancing the visibility and accessibility of Aitoloakarnania's unique fortifications. The project developed three primary applications: virtual tours, a virtual reality, and an augmented reality application. Requirements’ analysis was conducted using an adapted version of Grounded Theory, leading to well-defined, user-centric requirements and clear user stories. These user stories facilitated the development of technologically advanced, functional, and engaging applications. Simultaneously, the Virtual Street Museum project, sharing the same core development team, aimed to develop an interactive mobile application that provides personalised cultural tourist routes using augmented reality to enhance the user's visiting experience. Unlike Digicult, Virtual Street Museum did not use the adapted version of Grounded Theory. Both projects followed a hybrid Agile/Stage-Gate development methodology, supporting iterative cycles and external collaborations. This study focuses on the initial phases of the development methodology, specifically the requirements analysis, and how Constructivist Grounded Theory can support the procedure and add reliability and quality to the main requirements of a project, as tested in the Digicult–Aitoloakarnania research project. The implications of this study are also discussed.