24/7 Space News
TECH SPACE
NASA engineers help create a virtual world of data
The Virtualitics software also has a desktop mode for analyzing data. Even without a virtual reality headset, the ability to visualize data in 3D space helps scientists get a better grasp on the raw information they receive.
NASA engineers help create a virtual world of data
by Andrew Wagner for NASA Spinoff
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 24, 2023

For almost as long as it's been a concept, NASA has been on the cutting edge of virtual reality (VR) technology. However, the space has seen a renaissance since the bulky headsets of the 1990s. Several high-profile companies now use VR for immersive video games and virtual chat rooms, but to some, this technology has a use beyond entertainment.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California has been trying to improve data visualization for decades. When pictures come back from an alien world, scientists usually survey the environment with a panoramic photo, but this method has limitations. When observing a flat image, judging distances can be difficult.

"Looking at pictures on a screen is a much different experience to walking through a canyon," said Scott Davidoff, manager of the Human Centered Design Group at JPL.

Davidoff began experimenting with VR using image data from the Curiosity rover on Mars. There had been attempts to solve the visual distance issue, like using 3D imagery viewable with red and blue filtered glasses, but nothing made scientists feel like they were really there. Davidoff and his colleagues decided to wrap the panorama around the scientist in a virtual environment.

Geologists using VR in this way reported feeling like they were in the real Martian environment. They could ascertain the distance and size of features much more quickly and accurately than they could with a flat display, which sparked another idea. Davidoff thought that if viewing imagery in VR helped, it could be a game changer for more complex "multi-dimensional" data.

"When you look at a network diagram as a system in 3D, it turns out your perception does something different," Davidoff said. "We made a data world where an analyst could look at any science or engineering problem and see patterns and correlations more clearly than they can in a flat version."

At the same time, Ciro Donalek and George Djorgovski at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) were researching how to use immersive environments for scientific data visualization and collaboration.

The three of them teamed up to create software that uses 3D visualizations to examine relationships between points of data. Much like how viewing a three-dimensional Martian panorama allows for better interpretation, seeing data in virtual space makes spotting correlations easier.

Obtaining an exclusive license from Caltech, which manages JPL, Donalek, Djorgovski, and new CEO Michael Amori founded Virtualitics Inc. of Pasadena, California, in 2016, with Davidoff in an advisory role. To further build out the software, they've incorporated features such as artificial intelligence to point out patterns and relationships in the visualized data.

"We call it intelligent exploration. You're using AI and 3D visualizations to quickly identify drivers and relationships in your data, and drive understanding in ways 2D graphs aren't capable of," Donalek, now CTO of Virtualitics, said. "You can start getting insights from your data right away because it's literally drag and drop."

The software works on both desktop and VR and is compatible with several popular headsets. While the platform is designed for use anywhere there's a significant amount of data, it is currently most often used in banking, retail, and medical research. It can visualize anything from a spreadsheet to a large "data lake" without having to move the data from where it resides. Donalek says the company maintains a relationship with JPL, and many of its 60 employees come from the center or Caltech.

"One of them is from MIT, but we don't hold it against him," Donalek joked.

Whether analysts are looking at science from the surface of Mars or stock trades on Wall Street, NASA's visualization efforts have led to a whole new dimension of research.

NASA has a long history of transferring technology to the private sector. The agency's Spinoff publication profiles NASA technologies that have transformed into commercial products and services, demonstrating the broader benefits of America's investment in its space program. Spinoff is a publication of the Technology Transfer program in NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD).

Related Links
Space Technology Mission Directorate
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TECH SPACE
BIM Implementation and BIM Apps
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 10, 2023
Building Information Management (BIM) is a highly collaborative approach to managing construction projects, offering an overwhelming number of benefits to companies that implement it. The main focus of BIM is a collaboration between different departments and project participants, which leads to less miscommunication, fewer reworks, and higher performance across the board. BIM as a methodology can positively influence different phases of a construction project, from the earliest concept of a proje ... read more

TECH SPACE
Virgin Galactic's use of the 'Overview Effect' to promote space tourism is a terrible irony

Diving into practice

Schools, museums, libraries can apply to receive artifacts from NASA

Catastrophic failure assessment of sealed cabin for ultra large manned spacecraft

TECH SPACE
Leidos' MACH-TB program successfully completes 1st test launch

Purdue-launched solid rocket motor-maker Adranos flies off with Anduril

Virginia Tech leads multi-institution research on polymeric solid fuel combustion

Ariane 6 progress toward inaugural flight: ArianeGroup, Les Mureaux, France

TECH SPACE
Zhurong rover detects extremely weak magnetic fields on surface of Mars' Utopia Basin

Back on Track: Sols 3871-3872

Advanced space technology enabling 2024 ESCAPADE mission to Mars

Welcome to Kalavryta: Sols 3866-3867

TECH SPACE
Tianzhou 5 reconnects with Tiangong space station

China questions whether there is a new moon race afoot

Three Chinese astronauts return safely to Earth

Scientific experimental samples brought back to Earth, delivered to scientists

TECH SPACE
AST SpaceMobile and Maritime Launch Services Boost Capital with Stock Offerings

Apex raises $16M in Series A funding

AST SpaceMobile confirms 4G capabilities to everyday smartphones directly from space

Seven US companies collaborate with NASA to advance space capabilities

TECH SPACE
Astroscale expands operations to France and secures contract with CNES

NASA engineers help create a virtual world of data

Astroscale's ELSA-d Prepares for Controlled De-orbit in Final Mission Phase

Unveiling the secrets of liquid iron under extreme conditions

TECH SPACE
Reconstructing alien astronomers' view of our home galaxy's chemistry

Webb Rules Out Thick Carbon Dioxide Atmosphere for Rocky Exoplanet

New era of exoplanet discovery begins with images of 'Jupiter's Younger Sibling'

Evidence of the amino acid tryptophan found in space

TECH SPACE
Unveiling Jupiter's upper atmosphere

ASU study: Jupiter's moon Europa may have had a slow evolution

Juno captures lightning bolts above Jupiter's north pole

Colorful Kuiper Belt puzzle solved by UH researchers

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.