NASA experts involved in Mars exploration were faced with the problem of determining distance when examining images of the Red Planet sent from one of the Mars rovers because it is difficult to do so using only 2D images. To do this, NASA built a virtual world that allows researchers to examine the landscape using a VR headset. Currently, researchers are developing VR technology to work with data sent from Mars rovers.

The team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is developing the new technology. Previously, researchers have tried using stereo imaging, but this approach did not provide a realistic enough immersion in the environment. NASA noted that geologists have already used VR to create an immersive environment that makes it possible to effectively determine the distance and size of objects, especially on Mars. This caused the JPL team to use VR to work with more complex “multidimensional” data than the Curiosity rover.

JPL in 3D “Perception behaves differently <…> an analyst can look at any scientific or engineering problem and see patterns and correlations more clearly than a flat version” . JPL has enlisted the support of researchers from the California Institute of Technology, who are exploring the possibility of creating immersive environments for scientific data visualization and collaboration. Together they created software that uses 3D visualization to explore relationships between data. To improve the efficiency of the software, other technologies were introduced, such as AI that made it easier to find patterns and relationships.

The developed software can be used on desktop PCs and is compatible with many popular VR headsets. According to NASA, the new technology could be used wherever large amounts of data are available, but would be best suited for the banking industry, retail and medical research. With its help, you can visualize data such as spreadsheets across a wide range of data without having to move them from their storage locations. Source