Since 2014, a SensiLab team has been researching and crafting a dynamic simulation that draws upon recent archaeological discoveries to visualise how the Angkor Wat complex might have operated almost a millennium ago. As well as creating a comprehensive virtual reconstruction the research allows an immersive analytic study of the complex, where the paths of thousands of animated ‘agents’ are tracked as they enter, exit and circulate within the temple enclosure.
The comprehensive virtual world draws upon data from a wide array of sources, from archaeological surveys through to historical accounts, photographic archives, textile studies and botanical references. The 3D models generated make up a library that can be used to visualise hypothetical reconstructions of the past that augment and illuminate information from historical texts and archaeological surveys.