Some technologies capture the world as it is. Others attempt something far more difficult—rebuilding what has been lost.
Flyover Zone: Reconstructing the Past in a World of Reality Capture
In today’s geospatial landscape, technologies like lidar dominate the conversation around how we document the world. But what happens when the world you want to explore no longer exists?
That’s the challenge tackled by Flyover Zone—a company focused not on capturing present-day reality, but on reconstructing the past.
For Bernard Frischer, the idea traces back decades, to a moment that had nothing to do with headsets or point clouds.
The Inspiration That Sparked a 50 Year Journey
What first inspired you to create Flyover Zone?
Bernie: The first inspiration came in October 1974 when I visited the Museum of Roman Civilization and saw an enormous physical model of ancient Rome made of plaster-of-Paris… Like most people who see the model, I was overawed by its scope and beauty.
I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could find some technology to create the illusion of walking down the streets of ancient Rome using this model?”
That passing thought—imagining movement through a static model—would become the foundation for decades of work in immersive historical reconstruction.
Long before immersive tech became mainstream, Frischer was already thinking about how to turn observation into experience.
Beyond Reality Capture: A Unique Geospatial Challenge
While lidar and other reality capture technologies excel at documenting what exists, Flyover Zone tackles a different challenge: recreating what once was.
What were you trying to accomplish?
Bernie: “The two objectives foremost in my mind concerned teaching and research. The solution for both was the same: curiosity arousal through visualization.
As a teacher of large classes at UCLA, I thought that if I could just take students to Rome for a week, they’d fall in love with it. Of course, that wasn’t practical, so I started investigating how I might bring Rome to Los Angeles—virtually.
Where lidar captures what is, Flyover Zone reconstructs what was—using scholarship, interpretation, and 3D modeling to rebuild environments lost to time.”
Building Virtual Worlds Before They Were Practical
The technological landscape Frischer was working in looked very different from today’s accessible workflows.
What was the technology landscape like at that time?
Bernie: When the UCLA Cultural Virtual Reality Laboratory started up, we were on the SGI platform… Both the hardware and software were quite expensive.
Later, we moved to the PC platform… we could finally run our models on a machine that cost $3,000 instead of $30,000.
Even visualization required specialized environments. Large immersive display systems allowed groups to experience early virtual reconstructions together—decades before consumer VR headsets became available.
Reconstructing the Past, Not Just Capturing the Present
Despite being adjacent to the geospatial industry, Flyover Zone has largely avoided lidar.
Bernie: “Our focus is on virtual time travel… presenting a detailed look at the standing ruins of a heritage site (as lidar does so well) is less important to us.
So, we haven’t used lidar but do make heavy use of panoramic photography and photogrammetry.
We are planning to buy a Multi-Modal 3D Scanner next so that we can make Gaussian splats in real time.”
How does Flyover Zone recreate historical environments in 3D?
Unlike lidar-driven workflows that begin with field capture, Flyover Zone starts with research. Bernie explains their process for creating accurate 3D reconstructions:
- Step 1: Collaborate with experts – The team reaches out to scholars who have published the latest monographs on the site or monument. Their guidance ensures the modeling process begins with the most accurate architectural reconstructions.
- Step 2: Compile supporting research – If no expert is available, Flyover Zone assembles a bibliography of research publications, focusing on reconstruction drawings such as plans, sections, and elevations for the 3D modeling team.
- Step 3: 3D modeling – Modelers use the research to recreate the environment digitally, ensuring historical and architectural accuracy.
- Step 4: Art direction and final visuals – Once the model is vetted by scholars, the Art Director adds detail and prepares the visuals needed for the immersive virtual tour
How long does it typically take to develop a new immersive experience?
Bernie: It took two years to create experiences such as the Acropolis of Athens, the Agora of Athens, the temples of Baalbek, the Baths of Caracalla, and the Roman Forum. It took one year to create the virtual tours of the House of the Tragic Poet, the Stadium Garden, and the tomb of Ramesses VI. It took six months to create the virtual tours of the South Theater and the Pantheon. It took almost thirty years to create the flight over the entire city of ancient Rome!
Immersive Travel: When History Comes to Life
Bernie: “The potential with Flyover Zone for tourism is enormous. We have a number of agreements in place with companies in the tourist sector in Europe, and one pending in the US. We were approached by a Middle Eastern country to develop AR apps for some of their tourist sites.”
How can this technology enhance real-world travel?
Bernie: “These deals all involve helping tourists see beyond the standing ruins—to understand how the monuments originally looked, how they were used, and what cultural significance they held for the people who built them. Virtual experiences don’t replace travel—they enhance it. Users arrive at a site with context, understanding, and curiosity already activated, and can continue exploring through AR apps onsite.”
He adds that Flyover Zone’s streaming platform can complement travel in multiple ways:
- Preparation before a trip: Users can explore a site virtually, forming questions and areas of interest before visiting in person.
- Augmented Reality at the site: On arrival, tourists can use AR tools to visualize reconstructions layered over ruins.
- Deep engagement: By combining spatial and temporal exploration, tourists experience both the past and the present simultaneously, transforming passive sightseeing into active discovery.
Immersive Education
Flyover Zone sits at the intersection of education, cultural heritage, and tourism—but its strongest impact may be in the classroom.
How do you see immersive technology shaping education?
Bernie: Educational research has proven that immersive educational software has a measurably positive impact on student learning and engagement.
The big problem is that… there is very little on offer for Arts & Humanities education.
That gap is exactly where Flyover Zone operates.
Educators using the platform report high engagement, with students responding not just to the visuals, but to the ability to explore environments spatially—something traditional teaching methods struggle to replicate.
Quotes from Educators:
“Overwhelmingly, student response has been very positive. 90% of our students said that they wanted more of this type of content.
“The students absolutely love the experience. They are floored by the demonstration and get excited to come in, and then the overwhelming response has been amazement, right? They’re like, that was awesome, is the most frequent response after doing one of the tours.”
After working on this technology for decades, what has been most rewarding for you personally?
Bernie: Two moments stand out. The first is when I first put on an Oculus Go and saw the reconstruction of the Roman Forum all around me. I found that truly overwhelming as someone who had been studying and teaching the pitiful ruins of the Forum since the mid ‘70s. Then, there was the first time I was able to put on the Quest and fly over the entire urban model of ancient Rome. My heart was pounding very fast and I thought, “This has got to help keep the field of Classics alive in the 21st century!”
Want to connect with Bernie? Interested in Using Flyover Zone Software at your Institution?
Contact: bernie@flyoverzone.com
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