FiberClay: Sculpting Three Dimensional Trajectories to Reveal Structural Insights

Area of Science:

• Data Visualization
• Scientific Computing
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Analyzing complex 3D trajectories is crucial in fields like air traffic control and neuroscience.
• Dense trajectory data with overlapping paths presents significant visualization and analysis challenges.
• Current methods struggle to effectively display and interact with large-scale 3D trajectory datasets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce FiberClay, an interactive system for visualizing and analyzing 3D trajectories in immersive environments.
• To develop novel interactive techniques for querying and comparing complex trajectory data.
• To facilitate insight discovery in domains with large 3D spatial datasets.

Main Methods:

• FiberClay utilizes GP-GPU techniques for real-time rendering of numerous 3D trajectories.
• The system incorporates interactive techniques using immersive environment controllers and user position for spatial querying.
• Data properties and geometric configurations of trajectories can be selected and compared.

Main Results:

• FiberClay enables real-time visualization and interaction with large quantities of 3D trajectories.
• Interactive querying techniques allow for the selection and comparison of trajectories based on geometry and data properties.
• The system was evaluated with domain experts in air traffic control and neurology.

Conclusions:

• FiberClay provides an effective solution for visualizing and analyzing complex 3D trajectories.
• Immersive environments and novel interaction techniques enhance the ability to extract insights from spatial data.
• The system demonstrates utility in critical domains requiring the understanding of spatial configurations and similarities.