Page 165 - Kaleidoscope Academic Conference Proceedings 2021

BUILDING A DISTRIBUTED XR IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR
DATA VISUALIZATION

Fernando Beltrán; Jing Geng

University of Auckland, New Zealand

ABSTRACT Having experimented with a handful of free-to-access
environments, we decided to build our own application for
We present a novel way to support business organizations’ the visualization of data sets on a range of diverse devices.
decision-making in the context of analysis of network data The two main types of data are tabular data sets and network
sets. For such a purpose we built a mixed-reality, multi-user data sets, and on each we seek to explore how decision
platform, which we named Aroaro and can be deployed on makers able to visualize the data that describes the
different virtual reality and augmented reality devices. In connectivity characteristics of a network so that they can
Aroaro, users can experience data visualization, either provide answers to questions posed as decision-making
individually or as part of a team. With a set of lab tasks problems. Our approach contemplates decision makers
designed to lead lab subjects to analyze the network facing two visualization options: data displayed on a 2D
information while immersing into the rich virtual interface –such as a computer screen, or data displayed on an
environment, our approach belongs to the nascent area of immersive 3D environment like the one presented here.
immersive analytics. We assume a business unit has already
procured some network data set and been tasked with In terms of the components necessary to achieve the above-
problems that need to reveal information about the described approach we set ourselves into a demanding
network’s connectivity properties. This paper is concerned pathway as we had to conceive, build, and test the immersive
with how a business unit achieves problem solving (decision- software platform on three different device types: virtual
making) when relying on immersive analytics. Our approach reality for Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs), and augmented
combines a high-quality virtual environment such as Aroaro, reality for both HoloLens and Android-based smartphones.
its data visualization engine and the analytics afforded by
concepts of network centrality in a network. We report on Next, we moved beyond tabular data sets to explore the
preliminary results of having lab subjects experience two higher complexity of network structures. Users of Aroaro
visualization environments: a 3D visualization system on a data visualization tools have a wide range of options for
2D-flat screen and our mixed-reality, multi-user platform for visualizing tabular data sets, but as rich as they may become,
network data visualization. tabular data sets do not necessarily convey information about
existing relationships or link between the entities, also
Keywords – Augmented reality, data visualization, known as nodes. A network data set, on the other hand,
immersive analytics, multi-user, mixed-reality platform, necessitates two data files: the node set and the link set. It is
network data set, virtual reality. the latter that contains the connectivity information of a
network. This paper is only concerned with network data set
1. INTRODUCTION visualization.

We present a novel way to support business organizations We envision a business unit that has already procured some
decision-making in the context of business analysis that network data set of its interest and has been tasked with
requires managers to deal with network connectivity problems that make it select one or more nodes. Let us
information stored in the format of a network data set. Our provide more context to the latter claim. Assuming the
approach relies on a mixed-reality, multi-user platform network data set describes a network of individuals, such as
where one or more individuals can visualize the data set the case of an Internet-based social network, the decision-
while immersing themselves in a different kind of experience. making team needs to find, according to some predefined
We have developed the software that allows the virtual and criteria, which subjects are the most important. Their
augmented reality versions of the platform to be used by objective, perhaps, is to reach out to those individuals who,
interested parties. We call our immersive platform Aroaro, a because of their importance, can help the business propagate
Maori language word for “presence”. a message on its behalf.

978-92-61-33881-7/CFP2168P @ ITU 2021 – 103 – Kaleidoscope