A taxonomy for augmented reality use cases in the AECO industry
Abstract
Purpose
A significant challenge arises from the inconsistent terminology used to describe augmented reality (AR) technology, leading to confusion and hindered communication. The purpose of this paper is to address the absence of a comprehensive taxonomy to define AR use cases in the architecture, engineering, construction and operation (AECO) domain and present a structured approach to developing one.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was conducted to identify AR use cases and use case taxonomies in the AECO and other industry domains in the Compendex database. This review resulted in the identification of 315 AR use cases. From the identified taxonomies, one was selected based on its comprehensiveness, relevance and applicability to the AECO industry. Leveraging this taxonomy from the manufacturing domain, this study validated, refined and added classes to the taxonomy through a content analysis of the existing AECO AR use cases. Additional critical categories were identified from existing taxonomies to enhance the taxonomy. A subset of 63 use cases was then used to validate the refined taxonomy.
Findings
The resulting taxonomy comprises two main dimensions: context-related and technology-related. The context-related dimension encompasses six classes, including the field of application, effect level, manual action category, context awareness capability, collaboration mode and interaction functions. The technology-related dimension encompasses the aim of augmentation, proximity to reality, hardware, location, content positioning, time and scale.
Originality/value
The taxonomy provides a comprehensive framework for categorizing and understanding AR use cases in the AECO industry using the domain language. By providing a structured framework for exploring AR applications, the proposed taxonomy may not only facilitate standardized communication but also foster creativity when designing an AR use case.
Keywords
Citation
Ghorbani, Z., Ayer, S.K. and Messner, J.I. (2025), "A taxonomy for augmented reality use cases in the AECO industry", Construction Innovation, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-07-2024-0211
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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