“The Idea of WorldView Is Revolutionary—Comparable to the Invention of Cinema”

It was the spring of 2021. Hiking up a mountain peak, Artashes Mkrtchyan’s phone rang. On the line was a call from Visual Armenia, sharing an ambitious idea: to build a digital platform where Armenian teachers and students could travel through time and space, animate maps, and reimagine the classroom experience.

With years of programming behind him—having founded a company, led teams, and managed international projects—Artashes didn’t hesitate. He instantly recognized the challenge: long, complex, and unlike anything he had done before. But it was also irresistible. “History and geography have been my passion since childhood. I couldn’t miss the chance to be part of this. At first, I imagined just a website with maps and timelines. But once I met the team, I realized we were building something far greater—a vast system with extraordinary potential. What we have today exceeds anything we dared to imagine back then. None of us could have foreseen how significant and beneficial WorldView—and later Brainograph technology—would become,” recalls Artashes.

WorldView was unlike any project Artashes and his team had undertaken. It was more complex, but also more inspiring: the first large-scale Armenian innovative product designed from scratch to transform education in classrooms. “Commercial projects are transactional—you deliver and expect something in return. Educational and scientific projects are different. They demand a kind of altruism: you give without asking back. And today, when I see tens of thousands of students and teachers using WorldView—and know that millions more could benefit—it fills me with pride.”

From its very first prototype, WorldView has been in constant evolution. It grows with every piece of feedback from teachers and students, and adapts to technological shifts in the wider world. “New ideas appear in a sentence,” Artashes explains. “But that sentence can turn into 1,500 lines of description and finally 30,000 lines of code. It’s immense work.”

Now in its fourth stage of development, the platform has only reached this point because of close teamwork—between Visual Armenia, developers, teachers, and students. “The idea of WorldView itself is revolutionary. It’s like the invention of cinema—where books and subjects come alive, drawing children into the world of knowledge. And beyond that, the tools give teachers and students the power to become creators themselves.”

For Artashes, the true impact of WorldView will only become visible over time. “We’ve used it for three or four years. Its real influence will be clear in 10 or 15—when we see how it has shaped the study of history, comparative history, and geography, and how it has developed students’ analytical and creative skills.”

He highlights the special power of linking history and geography: “Understanding history in its proper geographical context is vital. It shows you where you are, what threats and opportunities surround you, and how societies evolve. You can imagine what happened a hundred years ago—and know what to do so it doesn’t repeat. With WorldView, you align historical memory with the present, and that makes you stronger. If you truly know your people’s history, you become unbreakable.”

Every challenge is a new summit for the technology team, and Artashes sees no limit to where WorldView can go. “I want WorldView to be a mandatory platform in every Armenian school—like textbooks. I want it to become the standard in diaspora schools worldwide. I want to see it used across the globe. It is growing fast, and it can provide a rich learning environment not just for Armenians, but for everyone.”