  Datasets representing the world around us are becoming ever more unwieldy as
data volumes grow. This is largely due to increased measurement and modelling
resolution, but the problem is often exacerbated when data are stored at
spuriously high precisions. In an effort to facilitate analysis of these
datasets, computationally intensive calculations are increasingly being
performed on specialised remote servers before the reduced data are transferred
to the consumer. Due to bandwidth limitations, this often means data are
displayed as simple 2D data visualisations, such as scatter plots or images. We
present here a novel way to efficiently encode and transmit 4D data fields
on-demand so that they can be locally visualised and interrogated. This nascent
"4D video" format allows us to more flexibly move the boundary between data
server and consumer client. However, it has applications beyond purely
scientific visualisation, in the transmission of data to virtual and augmented
reality.
