A054 - Virtual reality for multidimensional data visualization and analysis

Thomas Blanc (thomas.blanc@curie.fr)

Advances in the imaging field have revealed the complex 3D organization of biological samples at the molecular scale. Gaining an intuitive understanding of images of acquired structures requires a means to visualize and interact with the data in a natural way. Clearly, viewing complex multidimensional data on a 2D screen presents many limitations in this regard. In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has emerged in many applications. The stereoscopic visualization of 3D data sets in combination with motion tracking offers a totally immersive experience. Moreover, with a VR headset and associated controllers, the user can visualize and interact with the data in a natural way. This workshop is directed to biologists and physicists who deal with complex multidimensional data sets. The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate how VR can change our perception of acquired imaging data and facilitate its interpretation and analysis. In sessions open to all, participants are invited to test two VR software developed in our labs (Institut Curie and Institut Pasteur): (i) DIVA-viewer for pixel-based multidimensional images such generated in optical and electron microscopy, and (ii) Genuage for multidimensional point cloud data such as those generated in single-molecule localization experiments. Participants are encouraged to bring their own datasets (image stacks or point cloud localization data) to try with the software.