Augmented Reality Fund Tracking: Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in Educational Institutions

Augmented Reality Fund Tracking: Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in Educational Institutions

Ms Shreya K Shet

Dept. of Computer Applications,

St. Joseph Engineering College, Mangaluru, India

Murari B K,

Dept. of Computer Applications,

St. Joseph Engineering College, Mangaluru, India

Abstract – Trust in educational institutions depends on how transparently and responsibly funds are managed. Yet, tools such as transparency boards or printed finance bulletins usually lag, leaving users with stale, hard-to-read data about where money goes. To bridge this gap, Fund Track AR was developed the Fund Track AR system, which allows users to access live, 3D visualizations of fund activity by clicking on a specific event link. Using mobile phones and a Firebase back-end, it transforms static data into immersive visuals, helping students, teachers, and donors better understand how event funds are collected and used in real time.

Index Terms – Augmented Reality, Fund Tracking, Financial Transparency, Educational Institutions, Firebase, AR.js

1. INTRODUCTION

   Trust and accountability in any school or college rely on accurate and honest financial reporting. Updates pinned to notice boards and their counterparts, printed spreadsheets, are characterized by delays spanning days or weeks. Lagging information inevitably leads to suffering communication and declining confidence in management. Fund Track AR ad- dresses all of these problems at once using live interactive augmented reality powered by AR.js and Firebase to show in real-time where funds originate from and how they are utilized. The system is tailored for students, staff, and administrators, granting them access to simple, dependable, and timely finan- cial data whenever they need it.

   In the running of educational institutions finances, we see great value in what it does for transparency and trust between students, faculty, and donors. But many institutions still use static notice boards, printed reports, or basic digital spreadsheets. These outdated tools are often delayed, not in- teractive, and not student-friendly, especially for those outside of the admin process. This lack of real-time info on what is happening with event funds, which are collected, allocated, and used, can cause confusion or loss of trust within the student community. With the growth of digital tech, there is a present chance to close this communication gap through the use of engaging, real-time tools.

   Identify applicable funding agency here. If none, delete this.

   Fund Track AR leverages the power of web-based aug- mented reality to enable real-time visual tracking of fund expenditures on mobile devices. Every activity is associated with a distinct link that allows interested parties to engage in interactive visualization of fund tracking with no required background technical knowledge. The system is meant to be affordable and scalable while providing an intuitive interface, aligning with the primary aim of easing the accessibility of financial transparency.

2. LITERATURE SURVEY

   Akc¸ayr and Akc¸ayr [4], and Chytas et al. [5] both point out how AR can seriously boost learning. these studies look into how AR changes the way we see and get stuff in college classes. turns out AR is great for keeping students interested and helps them remember complicated stuff, which is super handy for things like money reports and analysis

   In STEM learning, Iba´nez and Delgado-Kloos [6] dis- covered that using AR helps students get better at learning and understanding stuff in a more hands-on way. their study shows AR isnt just for science stuff, its cool for things like keeping an eye on school money, making it way more fun and believable to follow along.

   Akc¸ayr et al. [7] mentioned some real-world issues with AR, like not everyone having the gear and folks needing to learn how to use it. these issues are super important for getting Fund Track AR set up in schools and other learning spots, where not everyones got the same gadgets or tech skills.

   Kompalli et al. [1] and Talikan [2] both checked out how blockchain and transparency boards could help people trust where their money goes. even though these ways are clear and open, they dont really give you that hands-on feel and user- friendly vibe that AR apps like Fund Track AR do.these studies lay a solid foundation for using AR in school finance talks Fund Track AR is like a cool app that makes keeping an eye on your money easier and clearer.

   SUMMARY OF RELATED L

   TABLE I

   AR AND TRANSPARENCY

   link is generated and distributed to students.

   ITERATURE ON

   Author(s)	Topic	Findings
   Sari et al. [3]	AR in accounting ethics education	Improved student understanding and engagement
   Akc¸ayr & Akc¸ayr [4]	AR in education (re- view)	Boosts visual learning; needs usability design
   Chytas et al. [5]	AR in higher educa- tion (20002023)	Effective in visualizing complex data
   Iba´nez & Delgado- Kloos [6]	AR for STEM learn- ing	Improved interactivity and knowledge transfer
   Kompalli et al. [1]	Blockchain for fund transparency	High integrity but low accessibility

3. METHODOLOGY

   Fund Track AR utilizes a React.js framework for the front end, while Firebase serves as the backend infrastructure. Secure logins are managed by Firebase Authentication, which also classifies users as either admins or students. The Cloud Firestore database contains all records related to funds, and Firebase Storage safely keeps uploaded payment receipts. For the augmented reality (AR) experience, marker-based AR scenes are streamed using AR.js, enabling mobile access for users.

   The entire system is managed solely by the administrator, who controls event creation, expense modifications, and main- tains transparency concerning the funds. Firestore real-time listeners guarantee instant updates to the AR dashboards the moment the admin modifies any data.

   Without the need to log in, students are able to scan or click a specific event link to access live 3D visualizations and summaries of fund usage on their phones. The system is built using a modular design, which makes it simple to add new features or upgrades in the future.

   Some of the difficulties encountered during development include:

   • Ensuring optimal AR performance across a broad range of mobile devices.

   • Implementing reliable, secure role-based access control.

   • Maintaining an intuitive user experience for non-technical users.

   The architecture of Fund Track AR follows a modular and event-driven approach. Below is the functional flow of the system:

   1. Admin Authentication: The dashboard provides secure login via Firebase Authentication for administrators.

   2. Fund Event Creation: The admin creates an event by entering details such as event name, description, total target amount, and per-student contribution.

   3. Expense Upload: The admin uploads expenses with cat- egory, date, description, and optionally attaches receipt images (stored via Firebase or Cloudinary).

   4. QR Link Generation: A unique QR code or direct event

   5. Student Access: Students scan or click the lik to view a Web AR dashboard with interactive 3D bar and pie charts showing funds collected, spent, and remaining.

   6. Live Updates: Firestore real-time listeners ensure that any changes made by the admin are instantly reflected in the AR dashboard.

   7. Read-Only Student Access: Students have read-only access, which ensures data safety and transparency with- out allowing any modifications.

      Fig. 1. Software architecture Diagram

      Figure 1 represents a three-tier software architecture. The Presentation Layer is responsible for user interface and interaction, the Business Logic Layer handles the core func- tionality and processing, and the Data Access Layer manages data storage and retrieval.

      The part of the system that users interact with, such as the QR code generator, the React interface, and the chart visualizations, falls under the Presentation Layer.

      The Business Logic Layer acts as a mediator between the view and the backend, managing role-based control and conditional rendering using real-time data from Firebase.

      The Business Logic Layer acts as the mediator between the view and data, managing role-based control and conditional rendering using real-time data from Firebase.

4. RESULT

   Fig. 2. Admin Dashboard Interface Fund Track AR

   The Fund Track AR system was mainly assessed through functionality and usability tests carried out in a mock campus setting.

   Figure 2 is like a sneak peek at the Admin Dashboard page for the Fund Track AR system. This page shows a bunch of stuff the admin made, like thursday, dance. For every event, there are three action buttons: View, Chart, and Delete. View lets the admin peek into the event and check out stuff like the budget, what was spent, and whos involved. Chart opens up the events money flow charts to see where the cash went. Delete removes the event from the system if its no

   longer needed.

   At the top, theres a menu with links to the Dashboard, make a new Event, check out Event Payments, peek at Charts, and hit Logout. This setup is super easy to use and quick, so admins can keep tabs on events and monitor the cash flow without a hitch.

   1. Functional Accuracy:

      Events set up by the administrator, along with details of money raised, spent, and still available, were logged and then checked against what appeared in the AR dashboard. For every entry, the AR charts matched the admin records exactly and updated immediately. This shows the system processes numbers correctly and shows them through the AR layer without delay.

   2. User Accessibility:

      To see how well students could reach and read the AR views, a simple user study was run. Testers scanned the printed markers or QR codes, and the funds were rendered as interactive 3D charts. Almost everyone found the control straightforward and could quickly tell how much money was in each account. Many stated that seeing the figures in 3D made the whole process feel more open. Performance and Sync

   3. Performance and Sync:

   The AR view has confirmed administrative updates in real

   time over stable connections, but still needs to be assessed in the wild. That means its time to test if multiple student viewers can see the AR view under mixed network conditions, which is what were going to do next.

   Fig. 3. Live Event Summary and Expense Breakdown Visualization

   Figure 3 shows the live event summary and how the costs are split up in the Fund Track AR system. It displays the money- related data for each event, including the Event ID, the planned budget, the amount collected, and what has been spent so far. The interface includes a visual warning that lights up when the spending goes over the planned budget, helping users actively monitor and control their financial limits.

   The lower section features an interactive pie chart that breaks down expenses, making it easy to understand where the money is going. The Capture Snapshot option lets users save the current chart view, which is useful for generating reports or sharing progress with relevant stakeholders. This feature plays a key role in keeping the process transparent and provides a quick financial overview for both event organizers and contributors.

   TABLE II TEST CASE VALIDATION

   RESULTS

   mersive, real-time fund visualization. A successful execution of it might help to create more room for such initiatives to be

   Test Case	Input	Expected Output	Actual Output
   Event Creation Validation	Created a new event with full details using the admin panel.	Event should be saved in Firestore and QR code auto- generated.	Event saved suc- cessfully; QR gen- erated instantly.
   AR View Load Test	Opened the event link on a mobile phone to view the AR dashboard.	3D charts and fund data should appear via AR.	AR view loaded correctly on multi- ple phones.
   Real-time Data Sync	Added a new expense and checked the AR dashboard.	Dashboard should auto-refresh within 2 seconds.	Update reflected live in under 2 seconds.
   Role- Based Access Control	Tried to access the admin area using a student account.	Admin controls should be blocked; student sees read-only.	Student access was restricted as expected.
   Low-End Device Compati- bility	Tested the system on a 2GB RAM Android phone.	AR experience should load with minor lag at worst.	Slight delay observed, but it worked fine.

   TABLE III

   COMPARISON BETWEEN TRADITIONAL FUND SYSTEMS AND FUND TRACK AR

   Aspect	Traditional System	Fund Track AR
   Transparency	Delayed via notice boards	Real-time via AR dashboard
   Accessibility	On-campus only	Accessible from mo- bile anywhere
   Interactivity	Static	3D interactive charts
   Update Fre- quency	Manual and delayed	Automatic, real-time via Firestore
   User Engagement	Low	High due to immer- sive AR
   Tamper Pre- vention	Limited	Admin-only edit ac- cess, secure

5. DISCUSSION

   The pilot for the Fund Track AR system shows it could really help with making money stuff clearer, getting data instantly, and getting students more involved in school.

   when they put this 3D visual fund tracking thing into action, using bar and pie charts in AR, it really helped students see how much cash they had, spent, and still had for each event. all the admins tweaks showed up instantly, proving the live sync with Firestore listeners was smooth sailing.

   the usability tests showed that most students found the interface pretty easy to use and get the hang of Even if youre not into AR, you can still make sense of the info. They said that seeing the fund usage in 3D made them feel more clued in and confident about how the money was being spent.

   Even though its got some great points, there are still a few things holding it back. when they tried AR on cheaper phones, there were a few small hiccups in the smoothness also, if youre in a spot with a shaky internet connection, you might notice the updates or AR stuff taking a bit longer to load.But, if we go with a more straightforward methd, it could make things clearer later on.

   its pretty neat how having only the admins handle things made the whole setup way more secure and easier to keep on top of.

   So, for the app, we used Cloudinary and Firebase Storage for uploading receipts, and Razorpay for tracking payments.

6. CONCLUSION

Fund Track AR shows how AR can be used to revolutionise fund management for education. The platform drives better engagement, transparency, and accountability by offering im-

leveraged in educational and non-profit environments so that a culture of financial transparency and digital fluency can slowly permeate the system. Other venues like NGOs, community organizations, or public schools could also consider such a system, where fund transparency is of paramount importance. Naturally, this might find several other uses that require a low- cost setup and operate on mobile-first technology while providing a user-friendly interactive interface. On the whole, Fund Track AR fosters trust amongst the parties and in turn, affords a meaningful technology-based experience for students.

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