An Immersive Virtual Environment for Congruent Audio-Visual Spatialized Data Sonifications

a parameter-mapping technique. Parameter-mapping is a popular framework for data sonification because it makes use of sound’s multidimensionality to convey changes and trends in data. Qualities of the produced sound, such as pitch and timbre, rhythm and tempo, and loudness, to name a few, are correlated to characteristics of the data [3]. Another function of a sonification system is the ability to harness spatialization of the produced sound. By doing so, the system alters the perceived location of auditory streams, and consequently employs the human ear’s capacity for attending to multiple audio cues simultaneously. Strategic positioning can strongly influence the conveyance of information and immersion within the data. There are a number of techniques to create spatialized sound, each with benefits and limitations.