Data Stories: Using Virtual and Augmented Reality for Data Visualization
IBM’s experimental AR application, how VR could revolutionize data visualization, and a VR chart developed by the Wall Street Journal.
- By Lindsay Stares
- August 2, 2017
Would You Use AR for Data Analysis?
Augmented reality (AR) promises to integrate the world of data with the real world. In this video and article, an augmented reality designer at IBM demonstrates an experimental design for how you might use AR to analyze big data sets.
Too Many Data Dimensions? Consider Virtual Reality
This article explains why most traditional visualization methods have trouble with more than three dimensions or extremely large data sets. Interactive visualizations staged in virtual reality (VR) may allow viewers to discover hidden patterns and trends.
An Example of a VR Chart
A few years ago, the graphics department at the Wall Street Journal tried to get ahead of the curve with this 3-D chart of the NASDAQ stock exchange. It can be viewed on a standard computer or mobile device -- or through a headset that turns a smartphone into a VR device. This type of visualization has not become standard yet, but interest in VR and AR is growing.
About the Author
Lindsay Stares is a production editor at TDWI. You can contact her here.