Visualization and Analysis Using Virtual Reality

Abstract

Current virtual reality technologies have not yet crossed the threshold of usability. Display resolutions in many cases render the user legally blind. Head- and hand-tracking devices are inaccurate and of very limited range. Most setups can generate only the crudest of scenes without update lags that ruin the feeling of immersion.

Not surprisingly, VR has so far shown more promise than practical applications. Yet the promise looks bright for fields such as data visualization and analysis. For such problems, VR offers a natural interface between human and computer that will simplify complicated manipulations of the data. It also provides an opportunity to rely on the interplay of combined senses rather than on a single or even dominant sense.