Now you can visit world heritage sites in virtual reality
It’s not quite the same as being there, but now anyone with a web connection or a virtual reality headset can visit some of the world’s most celebrated heritage sites — without leaving home. Depicting famous locations through VR may also help preserve site records or even aid in reconstruction if they undergo future damage.
The 26 locations are a fraction of more than 200 heritage sites that CyArk has documented around the world since 2003, using digital photography, aerial drones, and a 3D laser scanning technology known as LIDAR (for light detection and ranging).
One of the least accessible is Chavín de Huántar, a pre-Inca religious site in north-central Peru that is situated at an elevation of almost 4,000 meters [13,000 feet]. “That’s a 10-hour bus ride from Lima,” he said. “It does not get many tourists, but it’s an amazing site.”
See the full story here: https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/now-you-can-visit-world-heritage-sites-virtual-reality-ncna867881