Analysis of large dynamic networks is a thriving research field, typically relying on 2D graph representations. The advent of affordable head mounted displays however, sparked new interest in the potential of 3D visualization for immersive network analytics. Nevertheless, most solutions do not scale well with the number of nodes and edges and rely on conventional fly-or walk-through navigation. In this paper, we present a novel approach for the exploration of large dynamic graphs in virtual reality that interweaves two navigation metaphors: overview exploration and immersive detail analysis. We thereby use the potential of state-of-the-art VR headsets, coupled with a web-based 3D rendering engine that supports heterogeneous input modalities to enable ad-hoc immersive network analytics. We validate our approach through a performance evaluation and a case study with experts analyzing a co-morbidity network.
To exploit the potential of immersive network analytics for engaging and effective exploration, we promote the metaphor of “Egocentrism”, where data depiction and interaction are adapted to the perspective of the user within a 3D network. Egocentrism has the potential to overcome some of the inherent downsides of virtual environments, e.g., visual clutter and cyber‐sickness. To investigate the effect of this metaphor on immersive network exploration, we designed and evaluated interfaces of varying degrees of Egocentrism. In a user study, we evaluated the effect of these interfaces on visual search tasks, efficiency of network traversal, spatial orientation, as well as cyber‐sickness. Results show that a simple Egocentric interface considerably improves visual search efficiency and navigation performance, yet does not decrease spatial orientation or increase cyber‐sickness. An occlusion‐free Ego‐Bubble view of the neighborhood only marginally improves the user's performance. We tie our findings together in an open online tool for Egocentric network exploration, providing actionable insights on the benefits of the Egocentric network exploration metaphor.
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