Immersive Data Visualization for Remote Collaboration in Law Enforcement
Project INFINITY is a three year consortium under the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program aiming “to transform the traditional idea of criminal investigation and analysis using immersive and collaborative environments.” To achieve this, a virtual reality (VR) research initiative funded by the European Union included 19 Law Enforcement Agencies and technology partners across the EU who worked together in developing cutting edge investigative and collaborative tools. Kineviz has had the privilege of being the lone US partner invited to contribute to the project.
Our participation in Project INFINITY has touched on three domains: data visualization, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. Initially, our primary focus was on enhancing the VR user interface. However, as we delved into the potential of VR for data visualization, we had a significant realization: VR offers an optimal experience for showcasing data. This spurred us to develop multiplayer VR features for GraphXR that empower experienced users to guide newcomers through the data as well as enabling multiple users to share the same immersive experience.
The first challenge for creating an exceptional multiplayer experience in VR was met by synchronizing data across a GraphXR project. Whenever one user modifies the data within the project, the changes instantaneously propagate to all other users involved. With this synchronized approach, a designated guide can curate the data visible in the headsets of all participants. Accompanied by voice chat, the guide can offer comprehensive interpretation, unraveling the intricacies of nodes, edges, and the profound significance of their connections.
By exerting control over the data visible to all participants, a knowledgeable user acting as a guide facilitates more cohesive understanding among the participants and encourages collaborative exploration of the information at hand. Seamless integration of voice chat further enriches the experience, allowing real-time communication and fostering an environment of shared learning and discovery.
Kineviz’s involvement in the INFINITY project has been a fascinating journey of innovation, propelled by our passion for exploring the potential of VR in data visualization and exploration. With multiplayer capability, we successfully bridged a key knowledge gap so that users, regardless of their familiarity with data or graphs, can embark on an immersive journey of data exploration guided by experienced mentors. We believe that VR is a formidable environment for rapid and collaborative communication of essential information, and advancing VR tools in support of this remains one of our active and most exciting initiatives.
