Multiplatform mobile augmented reality for markerless visualization of urban environmental and green city concepts using 3D trees

Authors

  • Mufaddal Al Baqir Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesia
    ID Indonesia
  • Muhammad Kunta Biddinika Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesia
    ID Indonesia
  • Herman Herman Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesia
    ID Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62672/joease.v4i3.261

Keywords:

AR foundation, Green city, Markerless AR, Tree growth, Urban planning

Abstract

This study developed a markerless Augmented Reality (AR) application for visualizing dynamic 3D tree growth to support Green City planning and environmental education. The system simulates the development of five urban tree species based on morphological parameters, including height, trunk diameter, and crown width, using ecological datasets processed through polynomial interpolation. The application was built using Unity AR Foundation and operates on both ARCore and ARKit platforms, achieving stable outdoor visualization with response times of 140–245 ms and ecological simulation errors below 8%. A multiplatform implementation is provided to support smartphones, tablets, and wearable devices. System validation was conducted using black-box testing to evaluate functional correctness, system behavior, and interaction outcomes without examining internal implementation details. The testing process focused on core features such as plane detection, object placement, tree growth visualization, and species selection. The results show that all primary functionalities perform as expected across multiple device types, with stable operation and no critical functional errors identified during testing. The developed application supports urban planners in evaluating canopy expansion, shading effects, and spatial interactions between trees and urban infrastructure, while providing educators with an interactive tool for teaching Green City concepts, urban ecology, and long-term tree growth dynamics. Future work will focus on improving plane detection under low-light conditions, optimizing rendering performance across heterogeneous mobile devices, and incorporating advanced sensing technologies to enhance tracking stability and deployment reliability. Unlike existing AR-based environmental visualization systems that primarily present static 3D objects, the proposed system integrates ecological growth parameters into markerless AR to simulate dynamic tree development and long-term canopy expansion in real-world urban environments.

References

Abdeen, F. N., Gunatilaka, R. N., Sepasgozar, S. M. E., & Edwards, D. J. (2024). The usability of a novel mobile augmented reality application for excavation process considering safety and productivity in construction. Construction Innovation, 24(4), 892–911. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-07-2022-0168

Amado, M. L., & Andrade-Arenas, L. (2024). Mobile Application for Children with Asperger’s Syndrome that Improves Social Interaction with Augmented Reality. International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology, 72(3), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.14445/22315381/IJETT-V72I3P106

Cahyana, U., Lestari, I., Irwanto, I., & Suroso, J. (2024). Development of a mobile learning network for science with augmented reality and its impact on students’ literacy and numeracy. International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies, 7(2), 576–586. https://doi.org/10.53894/ijirss.v7i2.2685

Criollo-C, S., Guerrero-Arias, A., Guaña-Moya, J., Samala, A., & Luján-Mora, S. (2024). Towards Sustainable Education with the Use of Mobile Augmented Reality in Early Childhood and Primary Education: A Systematic Mapping. Sustainability, 16(3), 1192. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031192

Du Wenjia, Y. Z. (2023). Application and development of augmented reality in the medical field. International Journal of Frontiers in Medicine, 5(6). https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFM.2023.050611

Erwis, F., Jixiong, C., Rahayu, N., Raharja, A. R., & Zebua, R. S. Y. (2024). Use of Augmented Reality (AR) in Mobile Learning for Natural Science Lessons. Journal of Social Science Utilizing Technology, 2(1), 376–386. https://doi.org/10.70177/jssut.v2i1.784

Eves, J., Sudarsanam, A., Shalhoub, J., & Amiras, D. (2022). Augmented Reality in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery: Scoping Review. JMIR Serious Games, 10(3), e34501. https://doi.org/10.2196/34501

Haris, V., Alias, S. N., & Ayop, S. K. (2024). Integrating Augmented Reality Technology in Magnetic Field Learning: A Systematic Literature Review. JIPF (Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Fisika), 9(2), 161. https://doi.org/10.26737/jipf.v9i2.5159

Ishak, N. H., Nang, M. A. H. M., Zaini, H., Mangshor, N. N. A., & Zulkifli, Z. A. (2024). Implementation of augmented reality in a mobile application for in-flight emergency equipment and evacuation procedure. J. Advanced Res. Appl. Sci. and Eng. Tech, 46(2), 108-123. https://doi.org/10.37934/araset.46.2.108123

Jacobe, J., Jacobo, L., Salinas, K., Castaneda, P., & Moggiano, N. (2021). Mobile Application Based on Augmented Reality to Encourage Tourism at the Wari Willka Museum. 2021 International Conference on Information Systems and Advanced Technologies (ICISAT), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICISAT54145.2021.9678465

Kaewrat, C., Khundam, C., & Thu, M. (2024). Enhancing Exercise Monitoring and Guidance Through Mobile Augmented Reality: A Comparative Study of RGB and LiDAR. IEEE Access, 12, 95447–95460. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3425163

Khang, S., Park, T., Lee, J., Kim, K. W., Song, H., & Lee, J. (2022). Computer-Aided Breast Surgery Framework Using a Markerless Augmented Reality Method. Diagnostics, 12(12), 3123. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12123123

Koutromanos, G., Mikropoulos, A. T., Mavridis, D., & Christogiannis, C. (2024). The mobile augmented reality acceptance model for teachers and future teachers. Education and Information Technologies, 29(7), 7855–7893. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12116-6

Lin, K.-Y., & Huang, T. K. (2024). Shopping in the digital world: How augmented reality mobile applications trigger customer engagement. Technology in Society, 77, 102540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102540

Lu, Y., Rigolon, A., Carver, S., & Wu, J. (2024). Data augmented planning: A data-driven approach to measuring-understanding-optimizing green justice across 263 Chinese cities. Sustainable Cities and Society, 117, 105981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105981

Mehta, P. D., Karanth, H., Yang, H., Slesnick, T. C., Shaw, F., & Chau, D. H. (2024). ARCollab: Towards Multi-User Interactive Cardiovascular Surgical Planning in Mobile Augmented Reality. Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613905.3651091

Munkberg, J., Chen, W., Hasselgren, J., Evans, A., Shen, T., Muller, T., Gao, J., & Fidler, S. (2022). Extracting Triangular 3D Models, Materials, and Lighting From Images. 2022 IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), 8270–8280. https://doi.org/10.1109/CVPR52688.2022.00810

Oyewole, A. T., Adeoye, O. B., Addy, W. A., Okoye, C. C., Ofodile, O. C., & Ugochukwu, C. E. (2024). Augmented and virtual reality in financial services: A review of emerging applications. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 21(3), 551-567. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.21.3.0623

Samala, A. D., & Amanda, M. (2023). Immersive Learning Experience Design (ILXD): Augmented Reality Mobile Application for Placing and Interacting with 3D Learning Objects in Engineering Education. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (IJIM), 17(05), 22–35. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v17i05.37067

Solehatin, S., Aslamiyah, S., Pertiwi, D. A. A., & Santosa, K. (2023). Augmented reality development using multimedia development life cycle (MDLC) method in learning media. Journal of Soft Computing Exploration, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.52465/joscex.v4i1.118

Solmaz, R., & Pekerşen, Y. (2024). Evaluation of Augmented Reality and Consumer Perceptions in Traditional Dishes. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, 22(3), 512–532. https://doi.org/10.1080/15428052.2022.2060889

Stavropoulos, P., Papacharalampopoulos, A., Siatras, V., & Mourtzis, D. (2021). An AR based Digital Twin for Laser based manufacturing process monitoring. Procedia CIRP, 102, 258–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2021.09.044

Sundaram, S. N. S., & Gurusamy, M. (2023). Augmented Reality Based Training Module for IC Engine Assembly and Disassembly. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2601(1), 012010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2601/1/012010

Wongklang, P., & Wipatsopakron, J. (2024). Development of Problem-Based Mobile Augmented Reality Application to Enhance Creative Problem-Solving Skills for Undergraduate Students. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (IJIM), 18(07), 53–67. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v18i07.42261

Downloads

Published

22-08-2026

How to Cite

Baqir, M. A., Biddinika, M. K., & Herman, H. (2026). Multiplatform mobile augmented reality for markerless visualization of urban environmental and green city concepts using 3D trees. Journal of Environment and Sustainability Education, 4(3), 582–596. https://doi.org/10.62672/joease.v4i3.261

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Environment and Sustainability Education

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.