The Augmented Reality Team (ART) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) is committed to serving as:

1) A collaborative research platform for UNCC faculty to advance Augmented Reality (AR) and its associated immersive visualization technologies as a tool for promoting and studying sustainable community design and inclusive civic engagement.

2) A partner for local communities interested in data-driven methods to promote mutual understanding and better learning of the context of their communities.

3) A research laboratory for UNCC students to learn about cutting-edge immersive visualization technologies and urban design methods through engaged community planning/design projects.

Digital visualization technologies are powerful tools to facilitate the use of participatory approaches in community planning and design and to empower citizens in the process of changing their communities. As a visualization apparatus, Augmented Reality (AR) goes beyond the dichotomy of passive methods of engagement, and their one-way communications with the public, and the slight dialogue with lay citizens offered by active methods. AR offers an interactive method to expand both non-computerized and computerized visualization techniques in community planning and design. Moreover, AR increases public engagement by providing comprehensible information to lay citizens and assisting them to express their preferences in a very intuitive way. The UNCC AR - Eastland app helps you to visualize and interact with 3D GIS data.