Out there

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The ancient city of Bagan was once the political, economic and cultural centre of Myanmar, with 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries dotting the landscape. But the city lies in an active earthquake zone, and today, just over 2,000 of those buildings remain. Thanks to a new project called Open Heritage, you can use your smartphone, tablet, desktop computer or VR headset to fly over or wander through Bagan and explore its archaeological sites and ancient art. CyArk, a digital preservation non-profit, has collected 3D laser scans and photographic data in over 100 historically significant sites. They’ve partnered with Google Arts and Culture to create a platform to open source that info, and create models that anyone can experience, starting with Bagan. Over the page, we talk to the man responsible for capturing it.