  Effective data visualization is a key part of the discovery process in the
era of big data. It is the bridge between the quantitative content of the data
and human intuition, and thus an essential component of the scientific path
from data into knowledge and understanding. Visualization is also essential in
the data mining process, directing the choice of the applicable algorithms, and
in helping to identify and remove bad data from the analysis. However, a high
complexity or a high dimensionality of modern data sets represents a critical
obstacle. How do we visualize interesting structures and patterns that may
exist in hyper-dimensional data spaces? A better understanding of how we can
perceive and interact with multi dimensional information poses some deep
questions in the field of cognition technology and human computer interaction.
To this effect, we are exploring the use of immersive virtual reality platforms
for scientific data visualization, both as software and inexpensive commodity
hardware. These potentially powerful and innovative tools for multi dimensional
data visualization can also provide an easy and natural path to a collaborative
data visualization and exploration, where scientists can interact with their
data and their colleagues in the same visual space. Immersion provides benefits
beyond the traditional desktop visualization tools: it leads to a demonstrably
better perception of a datascape geometry, more intuitive data understanding,
and a better retention of the perceived relationships in the data.
