Big Data VR Challenge

Team Π ∩ ϟ participated in an international experiment called the Big Data VR Challenge, hosted by Wellcome Trust and Epic Games this past April-July 2015. The purpose of the Challenge was to explore if the video games industry could help scientists interrogate big data sets in virtual reality (VR). Our group was selected to work in collaboration with Martin Hemberg, a computational genomics researcher at Sanger Institute. The task was to develop next-generation VR environments to interrogate and visualize genomics data sets, to be presented in July at Develop Brighton 2015.

Team Π ∩ ϟ "presented an intuitive way to interrogate genomics data through the use of head tracking, using motion to produce colourful patterns that correspond to variations of genetic parameters."  -UE4 Blog

Our group is continuing collaborative efforts with Martin Hemberg post-challenge, and we have extended our efforts by including Canadian genomics researcher Andrew Doxey from the University of Waterloo. The platform and tools being developed will be extended beyond genomics and applied to modern big data problems.

Youtube Videos:

• The Big Data VR Challenge: Science + Unreal Engine

• Big Data VR Challenge: The Teams & The Mission

• Big Data VR Challenge Nears the Finish Line

• Epic Games and Wellcome Trust Reveal $20,000 Big Data VR Challenge Winner

Wired Magazine Articles:

• Big data VR challenge wants to take research to the next level

• Wellcome Trust challenges VR devs to reshape medical data