Interactive Exploration of Three-Dimensional Scientific Visualizations on Large Display Surfaces

Abstract

6 . The text of this author version is virtually identical to the published one, albeit uses better typography and more hyperlinks (e. g., from the figures to online videos of the described interaction technique(s)). Notice also that many of the images contained in the publisher's online version are of lower quality than those contained in this author-prepared version.Abstract The chapter surveys the different approaches investigated to interact with scientific visualizations on large surfaces such as tables and walls. The chapter particularly does not focus on VR-based interaction or tangible input but on those interaction techniques where the input is provided on the surface itself or where it is focused on the surface. In particular, tactile interaction techniques are covered and the challenges of gestural input as well as of combining touch input with stereoscopic rendering are discussed. Where possible, connections to collaborative interaction scenarios are pointed out, even though most publications to date focus on single-user interaction.

Hybrid Tactile/Tangible Interaction for 3D Data Exploration

“…The use of tactile input to control 3D scenes such as visualizations, however, requires a mapping from the 2D input surface to the 3D data space [28,30]. Several basic interaction techniques have been proposed, including those for the exploration of 3D visualizations.…”

Hybrid Touch/Tangible Spatial 3D Data Selection

“…The ability to interact with the data representation is an essential feature of all visualization systems [Tuk77, Mun14] and has been considered to be a crucial and a major challenge of the visualization community for 3D representation from the 1960s [Sut66] to recent days [Hib99, Rhe02, Joh04, TM04, Kee10, KI13, BCD∗18, WBG∗19]. We thus discuss related work within the field of 3D interaction [Han97, JH13, Ise16, LKM∗17], where our work relates to 3D selection techniques and to hybrid input paradigms used in 3D exploratory data analysis.…”

Augmenting Tactile 3D Data Navigation With Pressure Sensing

“…The navigation in 3D datasets to gain information relies on frequent manipulations of view position and orientation. Due to the many benefits of direct‐touch input (e.g., [FGN10, LRF∗11, CML∗12, Ise16, YSI∗10, BIAI17b]), it is now a widely supported means to control 3D environments. While the mapping of finger locations to manipulations is straightforward in 2D (e.g., [KCST05, HCV∗06]), suitable mappings are less evident in 3D.…”

“…Visualizions of 3D content are needed for exploring many types of scientific data, and good interaction design is a fundamental and essential prerequisite for effective visualization tools (e. g., [YKS07, Kee10]). As such, interaction research targeted specifically at data exploration plays an ever increasing role in the field of visualization (e. g., [Sut66, Hib99, Rhe02, Joh04, TM04, Kee10, KI13, Mun14, Ise16]). This need for effective and efficient interactive tools is evident, for instance, in the use of navigation for exploratory [Tuk77] 3D spatial data exploration [LKM∗17]: by interactively changing the view, scientists are able to immerse themselves in the data [BCD∗ 18] to understand its characteristics.…”

“…According to studies of different input metaphors for easy and precise control (e. g., touch‐based [BWB06] and 3D spatial input [QM05]), tactile input yields important advantages for 3D data exploration (e.g., [BIAI17b, CML∗12, FGN10, Ise16, LRF∗11, YSI∗10]) such as faster completion times or increased ‘directness’ [BIRW19]. Moreover, the increasing use of smart phones makes this interaction easily accessible due to their good mobility and portability.…”