Stepping Outside the CAVE: Developments in Virtual Reality Technology for 3D Data Exploration - 2023-02-14

Virtual Reality (VR) has evolved from an expensive and finicky niche technology only available at well-funded large institutions, into a practical consumer product with tremendous research potential. While current-generation VR devices are primarily intended for the video gaming market, their use is not limited to gaming and has tremendous potential for researchers. The VR Research Initiative at UC Davis DataLab is translating visualization technology initially created for the UC Davis W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES), to function with modern commodity VR devices. By developing and supporting open-source software for gaming VR headsets, DataLab seeks to promote equitable access to emerging technologies and enable diverse communities of researchers and the public to explore 3D data.