Summary of Tasks for ARL

 

NPAC Collaboration and Training Technology Tasks are organized as follows

  1. Core activities: Shared among MSRC's
  2. Tango Support for Education and Training: CEWES (includes work on interface with content as with CD-ROM)
  3. Tango Support for basic Collaboratory: ARL
  4. Tango Support for advanced Collaboratory: ARL(Visualization) CEWES(Program Development)
  5. Multimedia and other Database / backend Web Technologies: ASC
  6. Deployment: Shared among MSRC's

    7. NCSA Collaboration and Training Technology Tasks Include

  7. Test and evaluation of selected Asynchronous Collaboratory Tools
  8. Evaluation, recommendations, and CTA technical support for development of asynchronous web-based training course content
  9. Help evaluate and deploy (as determined by evaluation) distance training tools such as WLS, and the webcasting capability used at NCSA for distance training
  10. Develop, test, and deploy PET Community Intranet modeled after the Alliance Community Intranet (UNFUNDED, look for cross-MSRC potential)

    11. Non Collaboration and Training ARL Activities

  11. NPAC: Database Support for Conventional Web Sites: ARL (URL Logging) CEWES(Management of full sites and domain specific robots) -- This will be in deployment mode and needs re-examination of commercial capabilities and MSRC needs
  12. NCSA: Evaluations, recommendations, and training of web technologies for PET website enhancements and to support CTA web content developers

General Goals for ARL:

G1) Monitor ongoing progress in InfoComm technologies and transfer as appropriate to DoD Modernization community through training and deployment activities

G1A) Year 3: Evaluate Train and Deploy Database Management Tools for ARL Web Site. Investigate if other sites (such as DC's) interested

G1B) Year 3: Evaluate, Train, and Deploy web technologies for PET web site enhancements to MSRC PET staff and users.

G1C) Year 4,5: Ongoing work as determined by user needs and technology evolution

G2) Deployment in Staged Fashion of basic collaboratory with gradual broadening of user community and addition of advanced features. This would be supported by training and evaluation functions. This would be Tango for synchronous and a selection of Asynchronous tools such as Hypernews and perhaps Lotus Notes.

G2A) Year 3(Sept 1 98): Deploy basic synchronous and asynchronous collaboratory to small prototype group. This user group should include one CTA group (where emphasis "science") and a (subset) of PET team itself (where emphasis would be "management"). Provide training support and evaluation function. Support includes "bug database" and ongoing product improvement.

G2B) Year 3 (Jan 1 99): Deploy one or more selected additional tools for comparison with Tango capabilities. Note in G2A) and G2B) there is an implied interaction between deployment and technical support teams.

G2C) Year 3 (Jan 1 99): Deploy initial advanced features such as shared visualization (CTA) or calendar/documents (with shared editing capabilities) (management user group)

G2D) Year 3 (June 1 99): Evaluate lessons of G2A/G2B) and broaden deployment if possible

G2E) Year 4,5: Our plan is not consistent with details of Pet Vision but this Vision needs to be modified. However the general structure is clear -- we continue to iterate the train/deploy/evaluate/improve functionality/implementation structure so as to achieve collaborative scientific research and collaborative technical management support for a broad range of users. The goal is extensive deployment and rich functionality by end of year 5 with most of technical development in years 3 and 4.

G3) Produce an evaluation and associated training to allow use of multimedia (audio/video over foils) enhancements to training material. Phase in use of databases as back-end support

G3A) Year 2(July 98 Evaluate) and Year 3(October 1 Deploy) Produce evaluation of existing systems (including WLS and NCSA webcasting) for pure file system and database support of multimedia. In particular establish process and standards for audio/video over foils in both "real-time" and stylized situations. Evaluate importance of and tools for editing. This task should not need to be extended into years 4 and 5 as can be lumped into G1) G2) and G4)

G3B) Year 3: Transfer technologies utilized for NCSA webcasting or other system as determined by G3A) to MSRC PET training staff for use in distance training

G4) Deployment of proven Tango education and training capabilities and enhancement with especially addition of integrating backend database support.

G4A) Year 3(Sept 1 98 or as determined by training and education needs): Deploy Tango 1.0 distance education system starting with current proven system. Two of the most important additional features in Year 3 are in G4B) and G4C) but others will be added especially in year 4. These additions obviously requires substantial training and evaluation functions.

G4B) Year 3 (Initial deployment for SC98 November 98) "Training Server" backend as in WebWisdom NT

G4C) Year 3 (Jan 1, 99) Deploy "bullet-proof" simple student interface.

G4D) Years 4 and 5: There is clear need for additional functionality such as full archiving and there are also a lot of new training opportunities which will impact the technology as well. For instance one can now do very interesting new approaching to teacher and student assessment using access tracking available from "Training Server". One expects at the end of year 5, to have relatively integrated systems combining technologies from G1) G2) G3) G4) and G5).

G5) Evaluate and deploy authoring techniques for both training and other web pages. Supply training as needed

G5A) Year 3: Provide technical assistance for development of CTA web-delivered courses (asynchronous). This builds on demonstration of web-based training capabilities from Year 2.

G5B) Year 4 and 5: Develop guidance for development of more complex courses that provide interactivity and integration with HPC systems.