Why this game exists
The Invisible Atlas is a quiz game built entirely from published research. Four levels, four sites: Avati, Srirangapatna, Nalanda and Halebidu. Sixteen questions, each one traceable to a peer-reviewed paper.
Research findings usually live in journals, which is exactly where most people never read them. This game is an attempt to open that door: to let anyone walk through real discoveries without a login or a glossary, and to show that science communication is occasionally allowed to be fun.
- How vegetation shows signs of buried features (crop marks)
- Why NDVI sees what true colour composite does not
- How stereo satellite images become 3D terrain (photogrammetry)
- How AMS radiocarbon dating pulled dates out of bricks collected from archaeological mounds
- Why declassified CORONA imagery is a heritage goldmine
Hi, I am Sonia. I spent 5 years studying archaeological landscapes using remote sensing, photogrammetry and GIS. My time at the National Institute of Advanced Studies gave me the opportunity to work with metallurgists, physicists, historians and chemists. This game is an attempt to bring all my understanding into one place.
My fieldwork spans over 10 archaeological sites in India. Avati, Srirangapatna, Sarnath, Vikramashila, Patna, Qila Rai Pithora in New Delhi, Nalanda, Halebidu and Bodh Gaya. The four sites in this game are just the beginning; the rest are sequel material.