These are some remarks on InfoComm coming from Fox's visit to ARL on December 4 1997. We identified 4 activity areas, which we briefly outline below: 1) Analysis of Web Access characteristics using a database to store access logs and building a suitable data-mining tool Initially this involves helping Derek deploy an Oracle database where we will deploy by mid February (NPAC tutorial), basic Web Site search and summary technology. We will develop and deploy by the end of ARL year 2, tools to both store web accesses (both to training and other MSRC/PET material) and to support data mining. The latter will initially allow one to study correlations between user location (URL or equivalent geographical position) and web page accessed. Other capabilities can be added in discussion with users. 2) Deployment of asynchronous and synchronous collaboration tools. This would involve deploy, train, test and support roles. There was no significant discussion as to the appropriate asynchronous tools but it was expected that several could be involved. We discussed 3 to 4 different areas for deployment. First appeared to be CCM where one would link to current activities involving RIB and ARL/ASC collaboration. The second was internal to ARL including links to off site people -- White Sands linkage was also discussed. The final area was generically CFD but this broke down into two subareas -- grid generation related activities and the CTA related activities coordinated by Jay Boris. This could involve remote support of deployed CFD software. The plan involves initial prototypes -- one asynchronous (NCSA HyperNews based webacon), and one synchronous (Tango) deployed in January-February timeframe. Probably these would both be in CCM although initial Tango application could be somewhere different. In March we will upgrade these prototypes to "production deployment" and add additional prototypes. The latter will be upgraded so that we have by the end of ARL year 2 at least three deployed production collaboratories in both the synchronous and asynchronous categories. Syracuse will investigate building Javabean/JDBC/LiveWire Interfaces to both the webacon and Lotus Notes based Intranet technology so that one can integrate the synchronous and asynchronous collaboratories 3) Linkage of Scientific visualization to collaboration. This was particularly important due to ARL's need to give the benefits of MSRC to off-site users. Thus interesting was both ImmersaDesk and lower end (workstation and PC) compatible systems. Linkage of the internal DICE system would be an essential component here. This Collaborative Visualization work will be a collaboration with the NCSA Scientific visualization team led by Polly Baker and initial coordination was made during a visit by Fox to NCSA on Dec 18-19. The ARL visualization plans will be made on basis of NCSA visit on Jan 8-9,98 and finalization of details of this joint project will be made towards the end of January. However the broad framework of this activity was agreed between Polly Baker and Fox. One needs to link heterogeneous visualization systems on heterogeneous platforms. A minimal delivery for year 2 will be the use of Tango linking ImmersaDesk and geographically distant workstation with a DICE backend. The work will benefit from an initial working prototype of Tango linking two VTK visualizations on workstations. Initial step will involve a study of interfaces and architecture of candidate visualization systems to see how best to build the common API needed for linkage. VTK is a good candidate for this common API and this system would then be linked to the ImmersaDesk display. The architecture study would involve VTK DICE SciVis (Java system from NPAC) and other technologies to be identified. This architecture and feasibility study would be followed by an implementation effort with the minimal deliverable described above. 4) Training at a distance. This also addresses need of ARL to support off site users who often do not have the travel budget to attend on site courses. A lengthy discussion with Cheryl Bielema, John Grosh, and Ginny To identified the possibility of setting up a distance offering of a staged set of eventually 4 introductory courses. Introduction to HPCC (Rice/ARL --March 97), Introduction to Web and other Commodity Technologies (NPAC -- April 97), Introduction to Parallel Computing (Beth Richardson NCSA -- May97, Introduction to Databases and their Web Linkage (NPAC -- June97). These would be offered initially to one other site (with first of these courses) -- White Sands. John and Ginny are to visit White Sands in December and will refine plan, which could involve enhancing linkage with ISDN lines or equivalent. Note that although the courses will be delivered using synchronous technology, material will be available with linked audio-video, for later asynchronous browsing. There was no expectation that near term education (as opposed to training) would be of interest. Random Comments 5) We discussed fraction of time (perhaps 50%) that Derek would be available for InfoComm tasks such as 1) 6) We discussed interest in metacomputing 7) Renee was also possibly available as a telecommuter. Involvement of PET Partners 1)NPAC 2)NCSA, ARL(Derek) and NPAC NCSA effort using webacon will be led by Sandie 3)NCSA(SciVis component), NPAC, NCSA On Site Visualization(Kelly Kirk) NCSA(I-C) is involved to extent we use asynchronous collaborative technologies such as Lotus Notes and webacon but this is not expected in this year. 4)NCSA(Training),NPAC, and various in curricula Note that NCSA's involvement essentially depends on resources and funding outside the pure InfoComm area. It appears that NCSA involvement in collaborative visualization is already funded by ARL. Cheryl Bielema believes ARL will fund the training aspects of 4) Some Near Term Issues and Actions (a) Train Derek and Kirk in Tango and other NPAC technologies Derek came to NPAC on Dec 11-12 for Tango training. (b) Generate abstracts for four courses in 4) above (c) Refine plans and infrastructure issues associated with White Sands (d) Get Introduction to HPCC foils to gcf to evaluate suitability for distance use (e) gcf should talk to Jay Boris (f) Set up CCM Collaboration plan (g) Define possible collaboration options with deployment and training plans (h) Study various visualization options and what was involved in linking to Tango This was started Dec 18-19 by Fox NCSA visit.