Navigating large data sets in virtual worlds

Abstract

The ever increasing mass of information leads to new challenges on analyzing or navigating the large data sets. Combining visual perception and interaction capabilities with the enormous storage and computational power of today's computer systems, especially with the rise of 3D virtual worlds, has great potential in providing deeper immersion and intuitive interactions with large data sets. In this demo, we exploit the potential of navigating large data-sets in a 3D virtual world, by transforming raw data sets into semantically rich, high level interactions and presenting data through rich, real-time visualization. We also explore the use of various digital devices that most users have available to build “distributed interfaces” and provide capabilities that make interactions within the 3D space, and with the data sets presented in the 3D space, more natural and expressive.