Visualizations of Volumetric Datasets in Virtual Reality: Benefits and Constraints

Volume data is everywhere. At NASA, there is an overabundance of data collected from scans, imagery, simulations, and satellites, all ready to be utilized. Much of this data is 3D spatial representation information, also referred to as "volume" data. To be able to effectively analyze and dissect the vast amounts of volumetric information at hand, we would like a way to visualize it. This allows us to see structure, noise, variance, and anomalies. Optimally, this data would be visualized in real-time, allowing full manipulation and interaction, rather than a pre-rendered slice image, or video. To improve this approach even more, the display used can be changed from a standard screen to a Virtual Reality headset, allowing the viewer to physically interact. However, doing so is computationally difficult, and hardware restrictive. I will discuss the techniques used, benefits, and hindrances surrounding real-time volume presentation, and I will delve into making the leap from flat 2D screen imagery to immersive virtual reality displays.