Frontiers in Physiology (Jul 2013)
Plurigon: three dimensional visualization and classification of high-dimensionality data
Abstract
High-dimensionality data is rapidly becoming the norm for biomedical sciences and many other analytical disciplines. Not only is the collection and processing time for such data becoming problematic, but it has become increasingly difficult to form a comprehensive appreciation of high-dimensionality data. Though data analysis methods for coping with multivariate data are well-documented in technical fields such as computer science, little effort is currently being expended to condense data vectors that exist beyond the realm of physical space into an easily interpretable and aesthetic form. To address this important need, we have developed Plurigon, a data visualization and classification tool for the integration of high-dimensionality visualization algorithms with a user-friendly, interactive graphical interface. Unlike existing data visualization methods, which are focused on an ensemble of data points, Plurigon places a strong emphasis upon the visualization of a single data point and its determining characteristics. Multivariate data vectors are represented in the form of a deformed sphere with a distinct topology of hills, valleys, plateaus, peaks, and crevices. The gestalt structure of the resultant Plurigon object generates an easily-appreciable model. User interaction with the Plurigon is extensive; zoom, rotation, axial and vector display, feature extraction, and anaglyph stereoscopy are currently supported. With Plurigon and its ability to analyze high-complexity data, we hope to see a unification of biomedical and computational sciences as well as practical applications in a wide array of scientific disciplines. Increased accessibility to the analysis of high-dimensionality data may increase the number of new discoveries and breakthroughs, ranging from drug screening to disease diagnosis to medical literature mining.
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