The VRNetzer platform enables interactive network analysis in Virtual Reality

Networks provide a powerful representation of interacting components within complex systems, making them ideal for visually and analytically exploring big data. However, the size and complexity of many networks render static visualizations on typically-sized paper or screens impractical, resulting i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2021-04, Vol.12 (1), p.2432-2432, Article 2432
Main Authors: Pirch, Sebastian, Müller, Felix, Iofinova, Eugenia, Pazmandi, Julia, Hütter, Christiane V. R., Chiettini, Martin, Sin, Celine, Boztug, Kaan, Podkosova, Iana, Kaufmann, Hannes, Menche, Jörg
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/114/2398
631/114/2408
631/553/794
639/166/985
692/4017
Analytical methods
Big Data
Complex systems
Complexity
Computer applications
Data analysis
Exploration
Genomes
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Network analysis
Rare diseases
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Virtual networks
Virtual reality
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Summary:Networks provide a powerful representation of interacting components within complex systems, making them ideal for visually and analytically exploring big data. However, the size and complexity of many networks render static visualizations on typically-sized paper or screens impractical, resulting in proverbial ‘hairballs’. Here, we introduce a Virtual Reality (VR) platform that overcomes these limitations by facilitating the thorough visual, and interactive, exploration of large networks. Our platform allows maximal customization and extendibility, through the import of custom code for data analysis, integration of external databases, and design of arbitrary user interface elements, among other features. As a proof of concept, we show how our platform can be used to interactively explore genome-scale molecular networks to identify genes associated with rare diseases and understand how they might contribute to disease development. Our platform represents a general purpose, VR-based data exploration platform for large and diverse data types by providing an interface that facilitates the interaction between human intuition and state-of-the-art analysis methods. Data-rich networks can be difficult to interpret beyond a certain size. Here, the authors introduce a platform that uses virtual reality to allow the visual exploration of large networks, while interfacing with data repositories and other analytical methods to improve the interpretation of big data.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-22570-w