Experimenting service-oriented 3D metaphors for managing networks using virtual reality

In this paper, we present experimental network management tools developed within the context of the CyberNet research project. The aim of this project is to study how metaphoric 3D visualization may help the user in the process of monitoring large amounts of dynamic information. Although the project focuses on a specific application domain, network management, it is designed so that it can be applied to other domains. The paper presents how 3D metaphoric worlds are automatically build from real world information dynamically collected on the network. It then focuses on several network administration tools that have been developed for helping network managers to track and understand problems. The paper also presents how 3D navigation and interaction are handled by the system in order to help the user in its task.