Spatial-Live: A lightweight and versatile tool for single cell spatial-omics data visualization

Abstract

Single cell spatial-omics data visualization plays a pivotal role in unraveling the intricate spatial organization and heterogeneity of cellular systems. Various software tools and packages have been developed to effectively visualize and interpret single-cell spatial-omics data. However, challenges still exist in areas such as user-friendly accessibility, multiple modal data integration, and responsively interactive features. In this study, we introduce Spatial-Live, a lightweight and versatile viewer tool specifically designed for flexible single-cell spatial-omics data visualization. Spatial-Live seamlessly integrates and stacks multiple layers of data into a unified three-dimensional (3D) environment, providing natural compatibility for visualizing multi-type spatial data in a single interface. By leveraging the GPU rendering capability, Spatial-Live excels at efficiently processing large datasets while offering interactive, responsive features and a wide range of visualization effects achieved through the stacking of multiple layers in one 3D space.