What do people think about 3D geosite models?

Geoheritage and geotourism are dynamically evolving fields, and much scientific research tries to establish their scientific communication and economic potential at the international level. Geotourism aims to present geoscience to the public through inanimate natural formations of geoscientific importance. Virtual and GIS-based solutions have been applied for years in evaluation, identification, and presentation too. In our case, a web-based platform where visitors can explore geosites through 3D models was designed to expand the scientific toolbox. For this purpose, 12 geosites were selected from the Bakony–Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark. With the web environment, geotourists can get a virtual view of sites when planning their hikes. It also provides information to those who cannot visit the geosites because of physical limitations. It can also be used as a new, interactive element in education. But is it enough to create a platform without asking people what they need?

 After the creation of the basic interface, a questionnaire was created to assess user opinions. Before filling it, it is recommended to look at least at one model, as the questions are related to it. The questionnaire contains several answer possibilities: multiple choice, rating scale, and open-ended questions are included. The first inquiry is about the structure of the website and its accessibility. This is followed by the quality of the models and their texture. One of the most important parts is where we ask about the usability of the models. At the end of the questionnaire, there was an opportunity to give personal views and opinions.

We have received 128 answers in the 3-month time of investigation. It was important to get responses from non-expert tourists and professionals too. We also tried to work with a wide age range. Only half of the respondents were satisfied with the quality of the models, the other half thought that the quality could be improved in terms of detailedness. Most votes were for "interesting", followed by "education research" on the question of model use possibilities. At the end of the questionnaire, many people chose to give their opinions and suggestions in text form. People missed pictures and annotations. The negative side of the models was sometimes confusing. Among the constructive suggestions was the idea of an overview map, where the user can spatially locate where the geosites are. The basic geological background knowledge about the sites was also missed.

The models were shared in a Sketchfab platform, and we tried to implement the proposed changes in it. The annotation of the models was easily done, providing them with the names of the geological formations and images of the information boards on the field. The view angle was also restricted to hide the negative side of the models. The website was given an overview map with the models shown as red symbols. Furthermore, the website contains a short geological description of each location and a link to read more interesting information.