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Basic foilset Overview of Collaboration Systems

Given by TangoInteractive Team at Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois on April 27 98. Foils prepared April 25 98
Outside Index Summary of Material

Collaboratory systems - an overview
  • Asynchronous and synchronous groupware
Application domains of TANGO interactive
System architecture
System functionality
Application modules
Packaging, installation, and maintenance
Development for TANGO interactive

Table of Contents for full HTML of Overview of Collaboration Systems

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1 TANGO Interactive Tutorial Overview of Collaboration Systems
2 Agenda
3 Groupware Definition
4 Web Impact on Groupware
5 Asynchronous Groupware
6 Synchronous collaboration
7 Synchronous groupware
8 Synchronous groupware: state of the art
9 State of the art - Limitations
10 DARPA's Vision
11 Specific Darpa objectives
12 Commercial systems -- Netscape
13 Netscape Communicator
14 Communicator: Future
15 Commercial systems - Microsoft
16 Microsoft NetMeeting
17 Microsoft NetMeeting
18 Microsoft NetMeeting futures
19 Collaboratory systems: Taxonomy
20 Collaboratory systems: Taxonomy II
21 Collaboration Transparency
22 Event Broadcasting: Criticism and Answers?
23 Asynchronous vs. Synchronous
24 Asynchronous vs. Synchronous
25 Research focus for ICEs
26 Research focus for ICEs II
27 Adaptive Session Management
28 Context Based Record Retrieval
29 Task-Based Collaborator Discovery
30 Adaptive Team Dynamics
31 Active, Role-Based Views
32 Is TANGO is more than a LOGO? We will now see ...

Outside Index Summary of Material

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 1 TANGO Interactive Tutorial Overview of Collaboration Systems

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Presented by Geoffrey Fox, Marek Podgorny and TANGO team
NPAC, Syracuse University
Alliance `98, April 27th, `98
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 2 Agenda

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Collaboratory systems - an overview
  • Asynchronous and synchronous groupware
Application domains of TANGO interactive
System architecture
System functionality
Application modules
Packaging, installation, and maintenance
Development for TANGO interactive
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 3 Groupware Definition

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Three basic components of groupware:
  • Knowledge base - technically, a data repository of any kind
  • Workflow - a set of rules describing the activity in which a group of people participates and therefore defining the scope of collaboration process
  • Collaboration - a process of exchanging messages between group members
All components are intertwined
Different tasks employ three components to a various degree
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 4 Web Impact on Groupware

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Access to data repositories has been revolutionized
  • But "globalized" knowledge base is unstructured
  • Need to implement metadata and divorce structure from contents
  • Hence, XML and RDF initiatives critical for internet groupware (not a subject of this tutorial)
Little impact on the workflow process
Web enables synchronous collaboratory - as we will show!
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 5 Asynchronous Groupware

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Traditional approach is to support asynchronous collaboration
  • Electronic mail, including mailing lists
  • Threaded discussion groups
  • Interface to document management systems
  • Multimedia mail extensions
  • Group calendar and scheduling
Asynchronous process is self-documenting
Tremendously successful model
  • Did not supplant phone though...
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 6 Synchronous collaboration

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Synchronous collaboration as a process of a computer-mediated exchange of information in which messages are being transmitted and presented to the users instantaneously using presentation tools designed to convey message semantics in the most efficient way
  • Note that the notion of asynchronous collaboration is being extended to also denote the process asynchronous retrieval of the sessions of synchronous collaboration sessions (record and playback)
In plain English: replace phone/fax by desktop computer
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 7 Synchronous groupware

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Traditionally, this includes desktop videoconferencing + amenities:
  • whiteboard for simple drawings
  • chat as audio/video backup
  • sometimes, limited-functionality shared browser
"Data conferencing" : ability to share documents
  • implemented as "shared application" using one of very general "display sharing" technologies
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 8 Synchronous groupware: state of the art

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Videoteleconferencing supporting a few coding standards, almost H.323 compliant
Multicast Backbone with related tools for session notification, video, audio, and shared whiteboard
  • MBONE architecture is very multicast-oriented....
Multi-User Domains (MUDs) with either text-based or 3-D graphical interfaces
  • cult technology, Metaverse rather than collaboration
Shared X and Windows Applications
Special-purpose custom-made Shared Applications
Commercial packages (to be discussed separately)
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 9 State of the art - Limitations

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Scalability: never proven.
  • No support for different user categories
Interoperability still a problem after a decade of "open systems"
Weak or no support for asynchronous collaboration
  • in either sense of the term
No flexible process support
  • rudimentary session control and community/group dynamics support
No support for context-based discovery of relevant collaborators and information
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 10 DARPA's Vision

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Capability
Time
The Industry
Client-Server Curve
FY96
FY99
FY98
FY97
FY01
FY00
MUDs/MBone/Standard VTCs
Web-based
Collaboration
Complex
collaborative
applications
Scaleable
synchronous
multimedia
collaboration
Mobile
asynchronous
multimedia
collaboration
Integrated
sync/async
multimedia
collaboration
Virtual
Reality
MUDs
Standard Shared
Whiteboards
The DARPA
Distributed
Systems
Curve
Group-
enabled
Proprietary
Applications
Source: ICV, DARPA
TANGO
Interactive `98
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 11 Specific Darpa objectives

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
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Enable access via diverse portals, from hand-held through room-sized
Enable interoperability across diverse encoding formats, coordination and consistency protocols, and real-time services
Scale collaborations to 10 active contributors, 100 questioners, and 1,000 observers
Reduce by an order of magnitude the time needed to generate collaborative applications
Enable real-time discovery of relevant collaborators and information within task context
Reduce by an order of magnitude the time to establish collaborative sessions across heterogeneous environments
Reduce by an order of magnitude the time to review collaborative sessions
Improve task-based performance of collaborators by two orders of magnitude
Source: ICV, DARPA
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 12 Commercial systems -- Netscape

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 13 Netscape Communicator

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Groupware support: e-mail, discussion groups (Collabra), calendar, and conference agent
  • Conference agent: 2-party Internet phone, chat, whiteboard, shared browser
  • not there: security, multi-application session control, multiparty audio/video, session recording, extensibility
Status: a loosely coupled collection of well-known Internet communication tools with slightly improved, coherent look-end-feel interfaces.
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 14 Communicator: Future

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Netscape declares XML and RDF, i.e. metadata applications, to be the next frontier
Real-time customizable netcasting paradigm with event-notification that triggers automatic alarms for different event categories
Workspace customization (response to MS Windows 98?)
None of these thrusts addresses synchronous collaboration - is is all "better asynchronous"
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 15 Commercial systems - Microsoft

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 16 Microsoft NetMeeting

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Microsoft NetMeeting is a PC desktop conferencing system that provides:
  • application sharing by replicating display and input to any Microsoft single-user application
  • unencrypted, point-to-point audio/video conferencing, using H.323 standard;
  • multi-user whiteboard, text chat and file transfer, using T.120 standard for data conferencing
  • directory services to map names to network addresses.
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 17 Microsoft NetMeeting

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Limitations
  • User can only participate in one conference at a time.
  • No support is provided for the conference record
  • No interface to any asynchronous groupware
  • Audio/Video point-to-point only
  • PC-only system
Extensibility
  • NetMeeting API allows integration of NM functionality in 3rd party applications
    • includes interface to T.120 channels
  • NM itself cannot be expanded at present
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 18 Microsoft NetMeeting futures

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
NetMeeting will be included as part of all Microsoft operating systems (surprise, surprise...)
Embrace (T.120, H.320, H.323 and H.324) and extend standards (T.share).
Provide API to allow third party developers to build value added NetMeeting add-ons
Using directory services (proprietary and standard) to dynamically locate collaborators.
Chrome project....
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 19 Collaboratory systems: Taxonomy

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Basic architectures
  • Shared display: single instance of application, user input & display replicated via conference agent
    • Entire functionality of application is shared
    • Examples: Shared X (HP), NetMeeting (MS), ProShare (Intel), ShowMe (Sun), Timbuktu (Farallon)
    • Advantages: simple to implement
    • Disadvantages:
      • functional: simplistic, inflexible, awkward session control model, insecure (no data access control), no support for asynchronous collaboration
      • performance: generate significant data traffic, unsuitable for WANs
      • incompatible with Web programming model assuming local intelligence
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 20 Collaboratory systems: Taxonomy II

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Basic architectures
  • Event broadcasting: each workstation runs its own copy of application.
    • (A) Virtual instance: all events shared (collaboration transparency)
    • (B) Independent data views: some events shared
    • Examples: Habanero (NCSA - B), Java Collab. Toolset (Old Dominion - A ), ProMondia (Univ. of Nuernberg - B), DISCIPLE (Rutgers University - A/B), TANGO (NPAC - A/B)
    • Disadvantages: new category of SW, difficult to implement
    • Advantages: infinitely flexible and adaptable, generate little network traffic, perfectly fit Web/Java paradigm, can implement security, can support asynchronous collaboration....
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 21 Collaboration Transparency

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Concept: design a system that allows using an application designed for a single individual to be used by a group of people without changing anything in the application
  • Shared display applications implement collaboration transparency
Proposed extension of the paradigm to the event broadcasting architectures (Old Dominions' JCT, Virginia Tech's JAMM)
  • technical approach: modification of the Java AWT to automatically distribute events
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 22 Event Broadcasting: Criticism and Answers?

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Sharing possible only if applications deterministic
  • applications ARE deterministic or can be made so
Copies of applications must be present everywhere
  • but they are, being applets or downloaded via a push channel
Environments must be identical
  • Java VM takes care about this
Initial state of a newcomer impossible to define
  • not so for good OO design and object serialization mechanism
Cannot maintain consistency among copies
  • Difficult ? Impossible. Variety of sync mechanisms available based on JavaBeans/RMI/CORBA etc
Web model enables event broadcasting!
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 23 Asynchronous vs. Synchronous

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
New relationship for Web collaboratories
  • As primary Web function is asynchronous information publishing, Web-based collaboratories inherently link two models
    • Both modes focus on the basic concept of a "shared object"
    • Both modes share presentation tools
    • Synchronous mode may create or persistently enhance/modify shared objects
  • Web database linkage technology (based on JDBC/ Enterprise JavaBeans) promotes complex asynchronous collaboration by exposing rich data models of industrial-strength relational and OO DBMS's
Need Both! Tango will be linked to Lotus Notes this summer
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 24 Asynchronous vs. Synchronous

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Object-oriented middleware can easily be used in synchronous mode
  • Hence, Web three-tier database architecture with its JavaBean/CORBA/COM middleware forms an ideal foundation for synchronous sharing of self-describing objects
Shared Browser is the simplest example of the general idea of Web-based integrated sync/async collaboratory
TANGO's WebWisdom (discussed later) is a an example of customized web linkage of synchronous and asynchronous collaboration
First mature Integrated Collaboration Environments (ICEs) will be Web-based
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 25 Research focus for ICEs

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Automatic creation of collaboratory applications
  • Application of OO software engineering methodologies, such as JavaBeans or CORBA
Adaptive session management
  • Integration of QoS support and Integrated Services Model
  • Interoperability and accessibility via different portals
Context-based record retrieval
  • Record informal collaboration sessions in multimedia archive
  • Provide relevant indexing, search and browsing capability
  • Provide multimedia presentation and annotation tools
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 26 Research focus for ICEs II

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Task-based collaborators discovery
  • Creation of shared workspaces based on shared-interest groups
  • Meta-search engine with security and access management
Adaptive Team Dynamics
  • Monitor, remember, modify, and reproduce on demand session settings
  • Provide effectiveness assessment tools
Active role-based views
  • Independent data views systems
  • Embedding active elements in collaborative applications as needed
  • Task/security/access/display control
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 27 Adaptive Session Management

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
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Optimal location of information servers
Transcoding services based on portal capabilities
  • video gateways to translate encodings between various standards
Session-based resource allocation according to task complexity, priorities, available bandwidth and connectivity
  • priority reservation of bandwidth based on user initiated requests (RSVP protocol)
  • automatic, multi-point adaptation of resources (session bandwidth, display transcoding, and object placement) within a multi-user session based on task, resource availability, connectivity, and access portal
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 28 Context Based Record Retrieval

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Synchronous collaboratory and persistence
  • Capture of informal collaborations in multiple media
  • Capture of session semantic events
  • Creation of rich semantic indices of multi-media archives
Metadata support for asynchronous mode
  • Representation of threaded discussions through user provided semantic tags
  • Support for metadata-oriented searches
Integration of compound documents
  • Annotation of compound documents with multiple media notes
  • Sharing of compound documents with active, collaborative components
Translingual search of text repositories
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 29 Task-Based Collaborator Discovery

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Provide tools for manual and automatic creation of shared, multi-user workspaces based on shared-interest communities
Integrate web-based search engines combined with meta-data representation
Integrate session capture with dynamic creation of interest groups
Implement user-searchable distributed directory services
Task-oriented discovery
  • monitor and model user's task-based interests in real-time
  • compare and contrast a user's task-based interest model against the interest models of other users
  • notify potential collaborators about possibly effective matches
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 30 Adaptive Team Dynamics

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Design workflow scripting languages tied to asynchronous repositories
Investigate workflow issues for mobile teams
Create automated support for adjusting workflow in response to changing situations
Develop meta-rule system (rules for changing the rules) that allows a team to evolve their own process model over time in response to changing team composition, situation, and task
Monitor team dynamics in real-time to detect when the current process model is becoming ineffective
Suggest automatically appropriate process models based upon team composition, situation, and task
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 31 Active, Role-Based Views

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
Full HTML Index
Shared interaction in 3-D virtual reality views
Models for shared control of single user applications
Synchronized control of browsers, including support for sharing of embedded objects
Shared control of replicated, time-aware, self-rendering objects
Architectures for shared application viewing using embedded or linked application objects and/or application server
Development of role-based application views from a shared database
Time-controlled viewing of simulation outputs in interactive environments
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared April 25 98

Foil 32 Is TANGO is more than a LOGO? We will now see ...

From Overview of Collaboration Systems Tango Tutorial Alliance 98 NCSA Illinois -- April 27 98. *
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