diff --git a/client/src/reducers/controls.js b/client/src/reducers/controls.js
index cee524d3..2f233a12 100644
--- a/client/src/reducers/controls.js
+++ b/client/src/reducers/controls.js
@@ -121,11 +121,9 @@ const Controls = (
         universe,
         crossfilter,
         dimensionMap,
-        dimensionMapVar
       } = state;
       let universeVarDataCache = universe.varDataCache;
       let worldVarDataCache = world.varDataCache;
-      let _dimensionMapVar = dimensionMapVar;
       _.forEach(action.expressionData, (val, key) => {
         universeVarDataCache = kvCache.set(universeVarDataCache, key, val);
         if (kvCache.get(worldVarDataCache, key) === undefined) {
@@ -138,7 +136,7 @@ const Controls = (
       });
 
       _.forEach(action.expressionData, (val, key) => {
-        dimensionMap[key] = World.createVarDimensionsMap(
+        dimensionMap[key] = World.createVarDimension(
           world,
           worldVarDataCache,
           crossfilter,
@@ -148,7 +146,6 @@ const Controls = (
 
       return {
         ...state,
-        dimensionMapVar,
         universe: {
           ...universe,
           varDataCache: universeVarDataCache
diff --git a/client/src/util/stateManager/world.js b/client/src/util/stateManager/world.js
index 6812d3fa..6da791ba 100644
--- a/client/src/util/stateManager/world.js
+++ b/client/src/util/stateManager/world.js
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ function deduceDimensionType(attributes, fieldName) {
   (it will not be garbage collected without this call)
 */
 
-export function createVarDimensionsMap(
+export function createVarDimension(
   world,
   _worldVarDataCache,
   crossfilter,
@@ -298,10 +298,10 @@ export function createVarDimensionsMap(
 ) {
   const { varDataCache, worldObsIndex } = world;
   const varData = _worldVarDataCache[geneName];
-  const worldIndex = worldObsIndex ? idx => worldObsIndex[idx] : idx => idx; /* this results in NaN when implemented below as it was in the test code */
+  const worldIndex = worldObsIndex ? idx => worldObsIndex[idx] : idx => idx;
 
   return crossfilter.dimension(r => {
-    return varData[r.__obsIndex__];
+    return varData[worldIndex(r.__obsIndex__)];
   }, Float32Array);
 }