On the Use of Virtual Reality in Visualizing

Interactive Network Models for Big Data

Abstract—The current revolution in technology forces most
daily life systems to generate large-scale data. Understanding
such data is not an easy task due to its size and complexity.
Therefore, data visualization has played a key role in
understanding our data more clearly. Moreover, most of the
available approaches for data visualization are considered
traditional that deal with data in a 2D way. Furthermore, one of
the modern methods for data visualization is converting data
into network models that include nodes and edges. This kind of
visualization has been proved as an efficient way of analyzing
large-scale data. On the other hand, with the advent of virtual
reality technology, data can be visualized and analyzed in an
interactive and 3D way. Hence, this research investigates the
integration of virtual reality technology and complex networks,
and how it can generate interactive data visualization models.
This research provides a novel investigation of the literature by
presenting the modernist methods that enable researchers to
interact with their data. Also, in this work, a 3D VR-based
biological network model is built. Finally, this work may open
the horizon to metaverse developers in developing interactive
network models in the future (e.g., biological networks, social
networks, etc.).
because a lot of information can be encoded in the network
(e.g., in nodes, edges, or both). For instance, nodes’ size can
be used as an indicator of a particular fact about the data.
Moreover, nodes’ color can be used to encode information
about the data such that particular nodes’ color represents
particular communities. Likewise, Network edges in terms of
color and thickness (weights) can be involved to encode
information. The labels of nodes and edges represent another
dimension that can encode information in it. Figure 1 shows a
network model that encodes a variety of information within its
structure. The figure demonstrated nodes of different sizes and
colors. The edges also have different thicknesses and colors.
These indicators enable researchers to understand their data
clearly. In addition, network experts are able to explain the
whole network model in almost one sight.

Keywords—Virtual Reality, Data Visualization, Big Data,

Complex Networks, Interactive Visualization

I. INTRODUCTION
The current technological era has witnessed a noticeable
revolution in developing systems and applications that
generate large-scale data. Visualizing data techniques vary
depending on the data itself and the depth of analysis. The
analysis of some applications requires only descriptive
statistics. On the other hand, other applications need more
advanced analysis such that the use of machine learning, deep
learning, or other advanced statistical analysis techniques.
Moreover, the analysis of data is usually performed based on
visualizing data in particular forms (e.g., curves, histograms,
boxplots, etc.) [1].
Fig. 1: A regular network model [5].
Furthermore, one of the modernist techniques used in
visualizing data is converting the data into a network model The network model shown in the previous figure is
[2][ 3]. This kind of technique is based on concepts inspired displayed in 2D. This approach is frequently used in
by complex networks. A complex network is represented as a visualizing a wide range of applications such as biological
graph (G) with vertices (V) and edges (E). The generated networks [6], social networks [7], political networks [8], and
model can be visualized using particular layouts of interest security networks [3], to mention a few.
(e.g., clusters, circles, geolayout, etc.). The analysis can also The problem with such a visualization technique is that
be supported using network metrics. These metrics play a when having giant network models in terms of the number of
significant role in deeply understanding the data model. nodes and edges, the 2D visualization makes it difficult to
According to Huang & Zhu [4], complex network models understand the complex and dense connections among nodes.
are considered a powerful technique for analyzing big and Therefore, researchers try to use 3D visualization techniques
complex data. Therefore, the field of complex networks has [9]. As known, adding more dimensions to a shape, more
thrived and attracted worldwide researchers. The regular information can be obtained about that shape. As a result,
techniques for visualizing network models usually use two these techniques enable network analysts to see more details
dimensions (2D) graphs. This kind of visualization is useful about the data model (see Figure 2).

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Fig. 2: 3D visualization sa mple using Cytoscape software.
Furthermore, with the advent of Virtual Reality (VR)
technology, 3D visualization attracted more attention from
researchers [10]. This is because VR technology enables
researchers, analysts, and designers to interact with their data
(see Figure 3). This important feature is highly useful in the
case of having very complex models. As a result, VR
technology has been proved an efficient tool in the literature
[11][12].
Fig. 3: The integration of VR technology and 3D network visualization.
One of the earliest works in visualizing data using VR
technology is the work of Conte et al. [13]. They implemented
the connections of the human brain in a virtual reality
environment. Their approach enables researchers to interact
with the model and investigate/track the connections of the
human brain. Another work performed by Shannon et al. [14]
who suggested a VR system for the gamification of chemistry
tasks. They allowed researchers to track and interact with
chemical reactions in real-time. The VR system was tested by
many users to ensure its efficiency.
The literature also showed that other fields can utilize VR
technology (e.g., education). The study of Pirker et al. [15]
investigated the differences between web-based and VR-
based applications in education. Their study proved that the
VR technology showed its efficiency during the learning
process more than the other learning applications. In fact, the
literature contains a lot of attempts that use VR technology for
implementing real-world problems such as in physics [16],
military [17], astronomy [18], video gaming [19], tourism
[20], architecture [21], and more.
According to the literature, few studies consider the
integration of complex networks and VR technology, which
leads to a lack in the literature. Hence, this research is an
attempt to investigate the aforementioned integration and
enrich the literature. This work also tries to guide researchers
on how to generate interactive data visualization models. To
this end, a 3D VR-based biological network is developed.
Also, this research is considered a novel investigation of the
literature supported by designing an example model.
Moreover, this research will present the modernist approaches
that enable researchers to interact with their data.
Additionally, this study may open the horizon to metaverse
developers in developing interactive 3D network models in
the future.
The rest of this paper is organized as follows: Section II
explore the models in the literature that include VR-Based
visualization. Section III presents the steps of building a 3D
VR-Based network visualization. Finally, this work is
concluded in Section IV.
II. VR-BASED NETWORK VISUALIZATION IN THE
LITERATURE
Biological networks represent the most complicated
models due to the complex nature of their data. For instance,
gene-gene interaction networks, disease-disease interaction
networks, and brain connections networks have a high-dense
structure and it is not an easy task to analyze such networks.
Therefore, some works in the literature tried to use VR
technology to mitigate the difficulties of the analysis process.
The work of Kuznetsov et al. [22] developed an approach to
visualizing genome networks using VR technology. The
network they build consisted of nodes that are connected by
edges. These edges are created when an interaction exists
between two nodes. Moreover, the authors used the Unity tool
in designing the VR system with the support of genome
experts. Moreover, brain networks can also be visualized
using VR technology. One of the good examples was a system
proposed by Ganglberger et al. [23]. They represented brain
regions as nodes and the connections between the regions are
considered the edges. The 3D visualization of the brain
network took into account the anatomical context, which is
important in the analysis of the model. The visualization
imitates the actual shape of the brain. The authors also
involved eight expert participants to evaluate the system to
prove its efficiency. In our point of view, when designing a
VR-based system, it is crucial to involve participants who are
experts in the application. This step represents a validation of
the model and can improve the designed VR system based on
the feedback.
Visualizing neural networks is also studied in the
literature. Lyu & Wang [24] developed an interactive VR-
based visualization of neural networks. Their visualization
enabled researchers to control the parameters used in a neural
network. The approach allows users to use virtual hands to
manipulate network parameters aiming to provide real-time
evaluation of the output. Figure 4 depicts how users can
virtually manipulate the input layer, hidden layer 1, hidden
layer 2, or the output layer. Such controllability may support
researchers in better adjusting their neural network models.
However, the work is considered simple since some advanced
neural network models (e.g., deep learning) need more nodes
and more layers, which is more challenging. The visualization
was performed using Python programming language and
Unity.
Fig. 4: VR-Based visualization of neural networks [24].
Furthermore, social network visualization in 2D has a
problem in understanding the intricated relations among users.
Therefore, it is feasible to visualize social networks using VR
technology. The 3D visualization of social networks can
support analysis and answering questions about the intricated
relations of the communities within the network. In this
regard, Halpin et al. [25] visualize and explored social
networks using VR tools. They showed that the VR 3D
visualization is significantly more efficient than the typical 2D
visualization especially when it comes to social networks. The
interactive model they built is shown in Figure 5.
Fig. 5: VR-Based visualization of Halpin’s model [25].
III. THE DEVELOPED MODEL
In addition to the works presented in the previous
sections, an example model is built in this work aiming to
guide researchers on how to build a 3D VR-Based network
visualization. The first step of the work is to collect a dataset
of interest. In the case of this work, a biological dataset is used.
The dataset of the model represents the gene-gene interactions
between the human sex chromosomes (X and Y) and other
human chromosomes. It was collected from the National
Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) [26]. The
number of nodes in the dataset is 732 and 572 edges connect
them. The strategy followed in generating the model is that
each gene is represented as a node and two nodes are
considered to be connected if and only if there is an interaction
between the corresponding genes. This strategy is also
followed in the works of Hammadi et al. [27], Wang [28], and
other works in the literature. The purpose of building such
models may be to investigate the diseases that associate with
genes of different chromosomes.
The second step in the suggested model is to visualize
the 2D network model. Gephi and Cytoscape can be used for
this purpose. Also, the Python "NetworkX" library can be used
to visualize such models. Figure 6 demonstrates the
visualization of the model in 2D.
Fig. 6: Typical 2D visualization of the gene-gene interactions network
model.
Now, the next step is to prepare and visualize the model
in 3D under a VR environment. Before visualizing the model,
the hardware requirements should be prepared. For instance,
the VR hardware used in this work was Meta Quest 2
(previously called Oculus Quest 2 due to the meta company's
new name), which includes 3 parts; the headset and two
joysticks (see Figure 7). The joysticks are used to interact with
the model using buttons similar to mouse clicks and can be
used for a variety of tasks. Also, the GPU of the computer used
should be able to handle the 3D environment. This depends on
the complexity of the 3D model involved. The 3D
visualization can be performed using a library in Python called
“3d-force-graph”, which is highly efficient [29]. This library
is compatible with VR hardware mentioned. Other tools such
as "SteamVR" and "HTC Vive" are also available [30]. Other
design tools would also be of interest to developers such as
Oculus Medium [31], Gravity Sketch [32], Tvori [32], and
Amazon Sumerian [33]. These software tools can
professionally support VR applications in terms of design. In
fact, Unity 3D software can also be used to generate a 3D
environments that are also compatible with the Meta Quest 2
and other hardware devices.
Once the model is completed, it can be displayed using
the PC browser. Moreover, to display the visualization using
the 3D VR environment, two ways can be adopted. First, the
VR headset can be used to display the visualization through
the Oculus browser that is available in the headset applications
with the support of the two joysticks. Second, the whole work
can be converted into a model (package) that can be uploaded
and installed in the Meta Quest 2 hardware in a way that is
similar to the way used in developing Android applications.
Fig. 7: Meta Quest 2 hardware parts.
The generated 3D VR-Based visualization for the gene-
gene interactions network is shown in Figure 8. Since this
work is in progress, the visualization is trivial because the goal
is to show the steps of building 3D VR-Based visualization.
Fig. 8: 3D VR-Based visualization of the gene-gene interactions network
model.
As can be seen in the previous descriptions, the
integration of complex networks and virtual reality is
efficient when dealing with large-scale data. It enables
researchers to interact with data in a way that has never been
experienced in the past decades. The use of VR technology
alongside the network models is considered efficient and
applicable to most science fields. However, implementing
such approaches needs a lot of time and effort due to the
software requirements in terms of programming and design.
Moreover, the software requirements depend on the purpose
and the features desired in the applications. On the other
hand, the hardware requirement is relatively affordable.
IV. CONCLUSIONS
This work aimed to explore the literature on integrating
the fields of complex networks and virtual reality. The most
common applications that work under this integration were
investigated. In addition to exploring the literature, a trivial
3D VR-Based network model was developed. The developed
model represented a gene-gene interactions network model.
This work also stated the hardware and software requirements
that are used in implementing VR-Based network
visualization. Furthermore, this work is considered a novel
attempt that investigates such a topic.
It should be mentioned that this kind of work will be
widely used especially with the advent of the Metaverse
concepts. It is also believed that VR technology will be the
most frequent approach in the near future that solve real-life
issues.
For future work, a large-scale dataset of gene-gene
interactions is currently under development. For this model,
a VR interactive application will be generated aiming at
providing an efficient model that enables specialists to dive
and interact with large-scale data. Also, the planned model
will include colorful interactions in order to enable users play
with their data more professionally.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors are grateful to the Computer Science
Department at the University of Mosul/ Iraq for the support in
achieving this work.
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