Computer Supported Collaborative Workgroups (CSCW) is a subdiscipline within computer science that focuses on how computers may be used to support work processes when the participants (two or more) are distributed over a local campus, a metropolitan area, or even an international wide area. The CSCW World Wide Web Library defines CSCW as a technology that "aims at providing computer-based tools and techniques for the effective support of the collaboration of two or more humans in reaching a common goal or jointly performing a task." A simple classification of CSCW can be made with respect to the temporal and spatial relationship of the people involved in a collaborative task. The library further defines Groupware as software and hardware for achieving CSCW. Specific hardware may include audio or video equipment. Groupware software implements the shared workspace in which two or more people can collaborate.
CSCW and its companion discipline, coordination science, are important to the IDE for two reasons. First, the rapid spread of computer networks will provide an unprecedented opportunity for large numbers of people to use computers in a new way: to help coordinate their work together for CALS processes such as system acquisition planning, engineering design collaboration, logistics planning. Second, these new kinds of tools can do much more than just make old organizational processes faster or cheaper. They can lead us across a threshold where we can create radically new and more flexible kinds of organizations, including virtual enterprises.
The work on CSCW is articulated in U.S., foreign, and international journals and conferences [(Bannon, 93), (Ellis, 91), (Schmidt, 92), (Abbott, 94)] and in a large number of research and development projects and commercial products. A sample of world-wide organizations engaged in CSCW research or related activities is shown in Table 8.0-1. The organizations are located in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Table 8.0-1 Sample of CSCW Organizations
|
CSCW Organization |
Description |
Internet URL or Point of Contact: |
|
1. ACM SIGOIS |
The ACM Special Interest Group on Office Information Systems (SIGOIS) is interested in topics related to computer-based systems that have a team, group, organizational, or societal impact/goal. The scope extends beyond office environments and business to other environments, such as educational, military, and hospital. Relevant issues include the design, implementation, evaluation, and methodologies that are concerned when researching and developing c-b systems. |
gopher://ACM.ORG:70/00%5Bthe_file s.sig_forums.sigois%5Dsigois_fact_sheet.txt |
|
2. DAI Laboratory |
U. Mass. Distributed Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Investigates the problems that arise when multiple agents (including computational agents and humans) interact to solve interrelated problems. This includes mechanisms for multi-agent coordination, organization, and negotiation. The Dis Lab also investigates the design of sophisticated individual control mechanisms for sensor interpretation, acoustic signal understanding, real-time scheduling, and resource-constrained scheduling. |
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3. EuroPARC Cambridge Laboratory (Xerox) |
The Collaborative Multi-Media Systems Program Collaborative Multi-media Systems In this program, we are looking at ways of integrating multiple media to support people carrying out everyday tasks in their daily work settings. Doing this will achieve the vital goal of merging the paper and electronic domains. The net result will be that computational advantages can be given to ordinary documents. Each project in the program explores the possibilities in its own way. Direct Interaction is concerned with augmenting the desk top world for the single user, while EuroCODE is directed to enabling groups and working teams to share such enhanced functionality. What both projects have in common is the use of over-the-desk camera and projection technology allowing image processing to form the link between paper and electronic worlds. |
|
| 4. Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics (IGD) |
CSCW Laboratory performing R&D in communication, visualization, and interaction as well as development of prototypes like SketchPad - A distributed sketching tool; CrystalPad - A cooperative annotation environment; Shared 3D Viewer - Collaboration Support for CAD Users; and MultiTalk - A Tool for interactive Textual Communication. |
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| 5. German National Research Center for Information Technology (GMD) |
The Research Group (30 people) on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) studies the problems of working groups distributed in time and space and develops adequate support systems. Two of its current projects are: COMIC -a multi-disciplinary Esprit Basic Research project that investigates the integration of organizational context and notifications of interaction into CSCW systems; and BSCW - an extension of World Wide Web which provides a set of basic facilities to support information sharing and activity awareness in a working group across the Internet. |
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6. IMTC |
International Multimedia Teleconferencing Consortium (IMTC) is a non-profit corporation founded to promote the creation and adoption of international standards for Multipoint Document and Video Teleconferencing. The IMTC’s mission is to foster a market where multiple vendors create interoperable conferencing products using open international standards. |
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7. LUTCHI |
The Loughborough University of Technology Computer-Human Interface (LUTCHI) Research Centre is based in the Department of Computer Studies at Loughborough University of Technology, Leicestershire, UK. |
|
| 8. MIT Center for Coordination Science |
The CCS includes projects that focus on studying how people work together now and analyzing how they might do so differently with new kinds of information technology. Other projects focus on developing new collaborative tools for such tasks as sharing information in groups, making group decisions, and managing projects. Finally, some projects focus on developing new theories of coordination that can help build better systems and help organizations coordinate themselves more effectively using such tools. |
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9. U. Hawaii CSDL |
The Collaborative Software Development Laboratory (CSDL) pursues research along two general fronts: the development of computer systems to support group activities (collaborative software), as well as research on the process of developing software in a group setting (collaborative development). |
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| 10. U. of Georgia Groupware Central |
Groupware Central is an electronic publication at the U. of Georgia whose goal is to provide information of interest to researchers, developers, and users of groupware. |
|
| 11. UK CSCW SIG |
United Kingdom Computer Supported Cooperative Work Special Interest Group Supported by the Department of Trade & Industry/Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Awareness Programme The UK CSCW SIG was formed by the UK Joint Framework for Information Technology (JFIT) Human Interface and Communications and Distributed Systems Clubs in 1990 as a special interest group supported by, but separate from, the Department of Trade and Industry. Membership is free and open to anyone interested in CSCW. The current mailing list contains over 2,000 people divided between commerce/industry and academia. |
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| 12. Workflow Management Coalition |
Founded in 1993, the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) is a non-profit, international organization of workflow vendors, users, and analysts. The Coalition’s mission is to promote the use of workflow through the establishment of standards for software terminology, interoperability, and connectivity between workflow products consisting of over 150 members. The Coalition has quickly become the primary standards body for this rapidly expanding software market. |
Workflow Management Coalition, Avenue Marcel Thiry 204, 1200 Brussels, Belgium; Tel: +32 2 774 96 33; Fax: +32 2 774 96 90; E-Mail: 100113.1555@compuserve.com. |
International Conferences on CSCW began as early as 1986 with CSCW’86. Other CSCW conferences include: CSCW’88, CSCW’90, CSCW’92, and CSCW’94. The most recent and upcoming CSCW conferences include
Journals that include articles on CSCW and Groupware include
In addition to the conferences and journals that provide CSCW related information, there is a CSCW Usenet Conference, called Comp.groupware, an electronic newsgroup that provides a forum for the discussion of groupware issues, a bibliography of CSCW resources, and listings/descriptions of CSCW/groupware products. This forum has over 40,000 readers.
CS University of Washington, CSCL CSCW Taxonomy
An extract of the CALS requirements database shows the CALS requirements related to the Computer Supported Collaborative services. These requirements are shown in Table 8.1-1.
|
Req ID |
Requirement Title |
Requirement Source |
Related Collaborative Technology |
|
130 |
Large Scale Simulations and Mission Rehearsals The Information Systems Capabilities for the Integrated Global Environment shall include support for large scale simulations and mission rehearsals. |
[DII MP, 94] para. 1.4 |
Communication System Real-Time Systems Shared Information Space Group Knowledge Annotation Systems
|
|
260 |
NII Key Enabling Service: Collaboration Collaboration is the interaction among individuals or groups of individuals who may be remotely located with respect to one another, for cooperation on some specific application. Examples of collaboration include medical consultations between doctors in remote locations. |
[NII FW, 94] para. 3.1 |
All |
|
640 |
Promote Virtual Manufacturing Enterprise Elements |
[NIIIP IHP, 94] Goal #3 |
Real-Time Systems |
Although no common taxonomy exists for structuring our knowledge about CSCW, a candidate CSCW taxonomy may include communication, real-time, groupware, shared information spaces, and annotation systems.
CSCW Communication Systems include a variety of E-Mail enabled Groupware using different techniques. The application systems use E-Mail as a transport engine for their services. In message systems, users exchange copies of documents, forms, or other task-related objects. The cooperative work is supported through coordination or management of the workflow (Schmidt & Bannon 1992).
Real-time CSCW systems provide interactive, real-time access to shared resources including video, audio, and white board systems between two or more people. Audio/Video (AV) signals are integrated with the other data on the network or are sent on a dedicated analogue connection. In addition to the AV connection between the participants, some real time systems provide document sharing with an annotation or mark-up capability. Examples of video conferencing products are shown in Table 8.2.2-1.
Table 8.2.2-1 Sample DeskTop Video Teleconferencing Products
|
Manufacturer/Developer |
Product |
High Speed LAN |
ISDN |
SwitchCircuit |
Lease Line |
White-Board |
|
Apple |
Quicktime Videoconferencing |
· |
· |
|||
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AT&T |
Vistium |
· |
· |
· |
· |
|
|
Compression Labs, Inc. (CLI) |
Eclipse |
· |
· |
|||
|
Collaboration of GMD, HP (Bristol, England), and Technical University of Berlin (TUB) |
MultiMedia Collaboration (MMC) |
· |
· |
|||
|
Creative Software Technologies |
ShareVision PC-3000 |
· |
||||
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GTE |
DVTS |
· |
· |
· |
· |
· |
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ICL |
TeamVISION |
· |
||||
|
Intel |
ProShare 200 |
· |
· |
· |
||
|
PictureTel |
Live PCS 100 |
· |
· |
· |
· |
|
|
RSI Systems, Inc. |
Eris Personal Video Communications System |
· |
· |
· |
||
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Synapse |
MeetMe |
· |
||||
|
Tanberg |
CompactVision |
· |
||||
|
VTEL |
VTEL 115 VTEL 117 Turn-Key |
· |
· |
· |
||
|
WhitePine |
CUSeeMe Video Conference Software |
· |
· |
Groupware systems are computer-based systems that support groups of people engaged in a common task (or goal) and that provide an interface to a shared environment. The term denominates any kind of specialized computer hardware or software system for supporting the collaboration of work groups. Johansen (1988) describes groupware as a generic term for specialized computer aids that are designed for the use of collaborative work groups. Typically, these groups are small project-oriented teams that have important tasks and tight deadlines. Groupware can involve software, hardware, services and/or group process support. Groupware is often regarded as the technology-driven development of applications. Groupware represent a natural extension of software for workstations interconnected via a local area network, a development of Office Automation ideas, and a significant extension to Office Systems (De Michelis, 1990). Examples of existing applications with groupware features are shared group calendars and workflow systems.
Shared information spaces include persistent storage devices like common data files or databases. Shared information spaces may be distributed over local, metropolitan, or wide-area networks as well as dynamic memory (non-persistent information spaces) that may be shared by multiple users through an application such as a multi-user editor systems. Other applications of shared information spaces include newsgroups, forums, and mail lists.
There are many different definitions of what a multi-user editor is, and there are different types of editors even if you agree on one definition. Multi-user editor systems were selected that exhibited the following behavior:
Table 8.2.4.1-1 contains a representative sample of multi-user editor systems. The features column indicates if it is an editor for synchronous sessions or asynchronous sessions, what medium types can be edited, and how the storage of the document is handled (central, replicated, cache). Most of the entries show research or academic projects. Some of the entries are incomplete, pending additional data gathering.
Table 8.2.4.1-1 Sample CSCW Multi-User Editor Systems
|
Multi-User Editor System |
Features |
Environment |
Point of Contact; Internet URL |
|
Alliance |
async, structured text, central An asynchronous multi-user editor that is based on the single-user editor Grif [Quint 1986]. Collaborative editing of structured documents; Available version uses fully replicated application with central document storage (Sun NFS). An HTTP (WWW) version is under development. In the Alliance/Web version, documents are replicated among sites of co-authors. Despite document replication, Alliance will allow disconnected editing work (site crash, communication errors) and mobile work. |
UNIX |
Decouchant, INRIA-IMAG France |
|
Aspects |
sync, text, graphic Aspects allow up to 16 people to work together interactively whether they are in the same room or spread around the world. Members of a work-group can bring documents from their own Macintosh into the conference, everyone can see those documents on their screen, anyone can make changes to them, and those changes are immediately visible to everyone in the conference. A chat box displayed on every screen is provided for off-document discussion. Aspects has a complete set of word processing, drawing, structured diagramming tools (see TeamGraphics), and painting tools built in. |
Apple Macintosh |
Group Technologies, 1408 North Fillmore Street, Suite 10, Arlington, VA 22201. 800-476-8781 |
|
CAR |
async, text, central Collaborative multi-user editor based on a central NFS filestore. Use of SCCS in the filestore for locking and version and configuration management. |
UNIX |
Angela Sasse, University College London |
|
CaveDraw |
sync, graphic Synchronous collaboration in local distributed teams for the generation of text/graphic documents. Semi-transparent drawing layers and drawing cursors with different colors for the basic coordination. Every user has his own drawing color. The distribution of their own drawing layer or the import of the layers of other users is configurable. |
Ref: (Lu91) |
|
|
CES |
async, text, replicated Allows reading access to all segments in the document, but only one writing access on each segment. Hypertext based. Each document has a set of co-authors with specified access (edit or read only). Individual sections are stored at the workstations of their creating authors, so that primary authors have good response time, availability. If two or more authors try to write on the same section of the document, one of them will be granted a lock and the others will be informed who has the lock. |
Ref: (Ellis et al 1991; Greif & Sarin 1987) |
|
|
CoAUTHOR |
async, multimedia A prototype that provides a real-time environment for multiple authors who wish to collaborate on the production of hypermedia documents, such as technical manuals, surgeon reports, etc. CoAuthor documents have recorded design history. Developed as part of Multiworks (MULTimedia Integrated WORKStation), a ESPRIT-II Technology Integration Project. |
Ref: (Hahn et al 91 in (Bowers & Benford 1991)) |
|
|
CoDraft |
sync, graphic, replicated CoDraft is a shared sketching tool that supports sessions among remote participants. Does not provide extensive graphics functions or a very elaborated user interface, but geometrical objects, such as lines, ellipses, rectangles, free-hand drawings, and textual annotations can be created and modified. Sketches in common raster image formats can be copied into the common drawing board. |
IBM RS 6000 |
Thomas Kirsche, Dept. of Computer Sciences VI (Database Systems), Martensstrasse 3, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany, Phone: 49+9131-857899, FAX:, 49+9131-32090, kirsche@informatik.uni-erlangen.de |
|
CoEd |
Tooltalk implementation of Ellis’ dOPT algorithm for a shared editor. |
Sun |
Brian Holtz, SUN Microsystems, Brian.Holtz@Eng.Sun.COM |
|
CollaborWriter |
async, text, central Built around a writing model presented by Sharples and Pemperton. SGML to define how a document could be structured; logical document structure is essential to the coordination of the collaborative process. |
Aston University, Birmingham |
|
|
CoMEdiA |
sync, async, hypermedia, central The goal of FhG-IGD building CoMEdiA is to apply multimedia techniques to enhance communication and expressiveness, in order to support cross-platform cooperation. It is an architecture to support and encourage cooperation among several authors (1 to 6), multimedia communication, multimedia editing, and functionalities for the non-sequential organization of information. It integrates desktop real-time text, voice and video communication; integrated text, raster graphics, 2D-objects-oriented graphics, audio and video editing, and several mechanisms to support the collaboration process. |
Sun SPARCstation 2/10 (+VideoPix), Silicon Graphics Indigo (+IndigoVideo), Multimedia PC |
A. Santos ( santos@igd.fhg.de), Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics, Wilhelminenstr. 7, 64283Darmstadt, Germany Tel.:+49-6151-155-230, Fax: +49-6151-155-299 |
|
Contexts |
async, hypermedia, central Extension to a system called Neptune, allowing users their own private views or contexts of the hypertext database, and may make modifications within this view. When alterations are completed, they can be released to other project team members by merging the user’s private view (context) with the shared master view. Supports document versioning. |
Tekronix’s Research Laboratory |
|
|
ConversationBoard |
sync, graphic, replicated Allows remote use of conversational props. A structured graphics editor that provides drawing tools such as markers, lines, circles, rectangles, text, connectors, and images. Users can draw simultaneously and have telepointers. Built in Rendezvous. |
UNIX X |
Tom Brinck, Louis M. Gomez. Bellcore hammer@bellcore.com,gomez@bellcore.com |
|
Cosys |
async, graphic, replicated A DELTA pilot project where five end user testbeds are set up across Europe to explore new approaches to production of flexible (and multimedia) learning material. The concept of COSYS system is on-line databases containing course material. The system shall be accessible via telecommunication lines throughout Europe and supports Co-authoring, archiving, ordering, delivery, and distribution of course material. |
Danish Technological Institute, Teknologiparken, DK-8000 Aarhus C., Denmark |
|
|
DistEdit |
sync, async, text, replicated toolkit Toolkit for building and supporting multiple group editors. Can modify existing single user-editors to multi-user. Provides support for concurrent editing, explicit and implicit locking of regions, multi-operation actions, and per-user selective undo. |
UNIX |
Atul Prakash ( aprakash@eecs.umich.edu), Department of EECS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109-2122 Phone: (313) 763-1585. |
|
Egret |
Multi-user, hypertext, client-server CSCW environment. Egret is an environment for investigation into structural evolution of hypertext-based, collaborative systems. It implements a new type system for collaboration that departs from traditional database schema systems and object-oriented models in several unique ways. Egret also currently provides infrastructure for the development of domain-specific collaborative systems for software review, learning, and USENET browsing. (Based on HyperBase.) |
Philip Johnson ( johnson@hawaii.edu), Dept. of Computer Science, 2565 The Mall, Honolulu, HI 967 |
|
|
EHTS |
async, hypertext, central-cache Emacs HyperText System Hypertext based co-authoring system. An experimental multi-user hypertext system consisting of a text editor (based on Epoch and GNU Emacs and written in elisp) and a graphical browser (based on XView and written in C) running under X and Open Windows. EHTS enables simultaneous sharing of the hypertext network of nodes and links by providing real-time monitoring and real-time communication and helping users to deal with access contentions. |
UNIX X- Windows |
Uffe K. Wiil ( kock@iesd.auc.dk), Programming Systems Lab, Dept. of Computer Science, AalborgUniversity, Denmark |
|
Ensemble |
sync, graphic Object graphic editor; part of the conference system DCS. |
Ref. (Newman Wolfe 92) |
|
|
ForComment |
sync, text Multi-user asynchronous editor. Supports circulation, comments, and revisions of documents. Separates the author’s text from the others who have commented on the paper. |
VAX, PC. |
Brotherbund Software |
|
GroupDesign |
sync, graphic, replicated GroupDesign is a multi-user structured drawing tool that runs on Macintosh workstations using a purely replicated architecture. It allows users to run both in a loosely and tightly coupled way. To develop awareness between participants and allow synchronous and asynchronous work, a number of functionalities have been developed: Graphic & Audio Echo, Localization, Identification, Age, and History. |
Apple Macintosh |
Alain Karsenty, Univ. of Paris-Sud, ak@lri.fr |
|
GroupDraw |
sync, graphic, replicated A prototype object-oriented structured drawing package that provides multi-user access to selectable objects such as lines, rectangles, and text. There is as little "locking" of objects as possible; users can grab different endpoints of the same line, a rectangle, and so on. (Original prototype ran on Macintosh; currently being ported to run under our GroupKit toolkit.) |
Apple Macintosh UNIX, X- Windows |
Mark Roseman, Univ. of Calgary |
|
GroupIE |
sync, async, text, graphic, replicated GroupWare Toolkit GroupIE (Group Interaction Environment) provides generic development and runtime support for cooperative applications in a distributed computing environment. Single-user objects have been augmented with an interaction context towards team objects. A formal language has been developed to specify coordination constraints. The basis of the implementation is Smalltalk-80 that has been extended to Distributed Smalltalk. In a bootstrap-approach, GroupIE has been implemented, employing its own team objects and coordination language. |
UNIX |
Tom Ruedebusch ( tom@ira.uka.de), University of Karlsruhe, Germany |
|
GroupSketch |
sync, graphic, replicated Workstation based design tool. Several people sitting on Sun workstations can sketch simultaneously on a shared sketch pad. Each user has his own pointer (telepointer). |
Sun Workstations |
ftp: cpsc.ucalgary.ca: pub/GroupSckech.tar.Z |
|
GroupWriter |
async, text Multi-user editorAbs.: This is a simple multi-user editor that probably is based on Mark Pendergast’s MULE, a line-based text editor. |
PC DOS, Windows |
Ventana, (U.S.) 602-325-8228, SYSTEM@Ventana.COM |
|
GROVE |
sync, text, replicated Prototype outline editor where people can edit in the same document at the same time. |
Clarence Ellis ( ellis@mcc.com) Simon Gibbs (simon@cuisun.unige.ch) |
|
|
HyperBase |
Hypertext system. Toolkit. Experimental Hypertext database. An active multi-user backend for hypertext systems. Enables distributed, concurrent, and shared access from workstations in a LAN. Provides an event (notification) mechanism and a fine grained lock mechanism. One application built on HyperBase is EHTS (Emacs HyperText System). (See also Egret) |
UNIX |
Uffe K. Wiil ( kock@iesd.auc.dk), Programming Systems Lab, Dept. of Computer Science, Aalborg University, Denmarkftp: Anonymous ftp: iesd.auc.dk /hypertext/.. |
|
Instant Update |
sync, async, text Sister product of Meeting Maker. Timestamps paragraphs and sorts changes by different users working on the same document. A push on the "update-button" updates other user’s changes to the document. Users edit off-line. The users get a message if the "master-document" is changed. |
Apple Macintosh |
On Technology (617)876-0900;f(617) 876-0391 |
|
Iris |
sync, async, hierarchical text, replicated Collaborative Multi-User Multimedia Editor, Co-Authoring Environment. |
UNIX (HPUX, SOLARIS) |
|
|
KMS |
hypermedia, central Hypermedia information sharing system. Hypermedia system, single logical database (physically distributed across network): master server; optimistic concurrency control: does not guarantee that one is able to save changes after editing! |
Ref. (Akscyn88, Yoder89) |
|
|
MACE |
sync, async, text, central-cache Text editor; tightly coupled, synchronous cooperation and loosely coupled, asynchronous cooperation is supported. Synchronization with explicit locks of any size (no pre-defined granularity). Multi-level server architecture; concurrency control by central server. |
Newman-Wolfe, Computer and Information Sciences Department, University of Florida |
|
|
Mercury |
async, text, central Informs users when their code needs to be changed because of program modifications made by others. |
Ref. (Ellis et al 1991) |
|
|
MESSIE |
async, text, central MESSIE is an environment for collaborative editing that supports the collaborative creation of larger documents by teams of geographically distributed authors, that work on heterogeneous systems Shared filestore via E-Mail; all authors may read all files in the filestore and may add comments. |
Heterogeneous |
Sasse, University College London, Cambridge University |
|
Mjolner-project |
async, sync, text, central Semi-(a)synchronous collaborative editing for hierarchical structured documents; attempt to integrate synchronous and asynchronous editing based on the Mjolner project (OO software development environment) concurrency control by fine grained versioning awareness. |
Lund University, Sweden |
|
|
MM-II |
MM-II is a shared multimedia whiteboard application on top of an OSI distributed conferencing application environment. It supports formatted text, line graphics, bitmaps, as well as telepointing. |
Sun-4 systems, running SunOS-4.1.x and DevGuide |
Hannes P. Lubich ( lubich@komsys.tik.ethz.ch), Laboratory of Computer engineering and Networks (TIK), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland |
|
MultimETH |
sync, multi-media The MultimETH system allows a small, distributed workgroup to jointly edit multimedia documents and to conduct an audio conference at the same time. The prototype system is based on OSI upper layer protocols, and runs over a variety of networks, including TCP/IP, X.25 and ISDN. |
Sun-3 and Sun-4 systems, running SunOS-4.1.x |
Hannes P. Lubich, Laboratory of Computer engineering and Networks (TIK), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland |
|
Neptune |
hypertext, central A Hypertext System for CAD Applications capability for complete version histories at the granularity of ‘writes’ from a text editor; it is possible to see any version of a hyperdocument. |
N.M. Delisle and M.D. Schwartz; ACM SIGMOD Int.\ Conf.\ on Management of Data, 1986. |
|
|
NSF Express |
Co-authoring system. Multimedia, E-Mail. Supports the "real-world" model of a document with pictures, spreadsheets, and paragraphs from many collaborating writers pasted together. |
||
|
PREP |
async, text Support for cognitive aspects of co-authoring and external commenting. Works like an ordinary word processor, but gives the ability to add comments in the margin of the document. Hypertext based. Supports document versioning. |
Apple Macintosh |
Editor Project of Carnegie Mellon Univ.( Prep-Project@andrew.cmu.edu)ftp: gnome.cs.cmu.edu, anonymous, cd /usr/chandhok/public/prep (v.1.0a9) |
|
Quilt |
async, text, central Co-authoring system. Editor. Hypermedia links. Tool for collaborative document production. A document in Quilt consists of a base and nodes hypermedia-links to annotations. Allows read/write access to any segment in the document but only one write access on each segment. Supports document versioning. |
Orion database, X-Windows, Xt |
Ref. (Ellis91; Rodden91)s. 343, (Baecker93; Leland88; Fish88) |
|
SASE |
sync, text Prototype system for collaborative writing. Designed to support both focused collaboration and independent work. Allows two or more people to edit a document synchronously. It is assumed that they will communicate via telephone or an AV connection. |
Macintosh clients, UNIX communication server. TCP/IP |
Kelly L. Mawby, Univ. of Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
|
SASSE |
sync, text An extension of SASE, a prototype system for collaborative writing. The extension includes support for brainstorming, outlining, reviewing. A view provides information about what the collaborators are, where in the document they are working, and what they are doing. An annotation mechanism has been added to allow authors to exchange notes and comments. A version mechanism shows which part of the document were changed by whom. |
Macintosh clients, UNIX communication server. TCP/IP |
Ronald M. Baecker ( baecker@dgp.utoronto.ca) Computer Systems Research Institute, U. of Toronto. |
|
SEPIA |
sync, async, hypertext, central Hypertext authoring system. Supports synch. and asynch. collaborative creation of hyperdocuments such as manuals, articles, proposals etc. Provides several different activity spaces, which could be seen as task-specific browsers. The users interact with four activity space browsers dedicated to the tasks of the content generation and structuring, planning, arguing, and writing |
UNIX, X-Windows, Sun. HyperBase on top of Sybase |
Jorg M. Haake ( haake@darmstadt.gmd.de), GMD-IPSI |
|
Shared Book |
async, text, central Publication management system based on the Xerox ViewPoint document processing system. |
Xerox |
|
|
ShrEdit |
sync, text, central WYSIWIS Editor for Macs in on a network. Multiple users may edits the same file. Can be used with MacWrite, MacDraw and MacPaint. |
Macintosh |
University of Michigan |
|
Vopex-2KM-Sun |
sync, text, central A peripheral splitting device that allows two keyboards, two mice, and two monitors to be connected to a single. It is compatible with RGBS video and 8 pin Sun keyboard. |
Sun SPARCstation |
Network Technologies Inc., Aurora, OH, (216)562-7070, FAX: (216)562-1999 |
Newsgroups are topical electronic discussion groups supported by electronic mail that provide asynchronous means of sharing information. One of the important features is electronic threads or links to provide a tracking function of a discussion of issues by users. An issue is initiated by one E-Mail message and all users’ replying to that message with their viewpoints or contributions are connected by hypertext links. Another feature of newsgroups tags the messages that have been previously read so a user can immediately go to the new messages since his last visit to the newsgroups. Many Web browsers provide a hot link or button to connect to newsgroups.
Forums are an extension of electronic bulletin boards that provide asynchronous topical discussion areas. Like newsgroups, they provide threads or links to provide a tracking function of a discussion of issues by users. The underlying communication mechanism is generally not electronic mail, but may be telnet or the World Wide Web. Like newsgroups, forums provide messages read and new messages tags so the user may read only the new messages if desired. Popular forums include Wildcat and Galacticomm.
Mail lists are also electronic discussion groups supported by electronic mail that provide an asynchronous means of sharing information. Unlike newsgroups, there are usually no threads of discussion, but instead, a daily batch of all of the contributor’s E-Mail is appended together and sent out to all subscribers via a bulk E-Mail distribution facility called a mail list manager.
Annotations are comments on or questions about an object that may be a document, an image, a compound document, or multi-media object. The annotations may be recorded in textual or audio media. The focus of collaborative annotations is to share a set of objects and to make comments about the objects that are shared with the other members of the group. The need for the collaborative authoring, annotation, and comments of Web documents has been noted and is an active research area. Annotation capabilities are being developed for some popular Web servers such as NCSA’s http server. Some example annotation systems are summarized in Table 8.2.5-1. Most of the annotation systems are research projects.
Table 8.2.5-1 Sample Collaborative Annotation Systems
|
Annotation System |
Features |
Environment |
Point of Contact; Internet URL |
|
Cornell CoNote |
CoNote is a research project that has the following features:
|
WWW with Web Browser |
Design Research Institute 502 Theory Center Cornell University Ithaca NY USA 14853 |
|
CrystalPad |
CrystalPad is a powerful, distributed computer-based annotation tool that supports groups, discussing on arbitrary applications it provides:
|
X11-Window system with OSF-Motif user interface or Windows 3.1 system TCP-IP + |
Ralph Peters Fraunhofer-Institut für Graphische Datenverarbeitung Wilhelminenstraße 7 D-64283 Darmstadt Tel.: (06151) 155-209 Fax: (06151) 155-299 E-Mail: peters@igd.fhg.de |
|
MarkUp! |
Gives one or more persons the ability to comment on a document even when they don’t have the application that made it. Reviewers make their marks on an overlay on each page in the document. When they are done, just merge their overlays to combine comments. MarkUp provides several tools to rewrite, annotate, highlight, strikeout, correct, manage, and approve documents, as well as editing tools for free-standing text, symbols, voice annotation, video (QuicTime), and proofreaders’ marks. |
Apple Macintosh |
Mainstay, USA. ( d0397@applelink.apple.com). (818) 991-6540 f(818) 991-4587 |
|
MATE: Markup annotator text / editor |
An experimental system designed to support asynchronous collaborative writing. The document flows from the primary author to one or more collaborators. They annotate it, then return it to the author who makes the final changes. Annotations are made using conventional marks, typically using a stylus. The intent of this is to match the flow and mark-up of paper documents observed in the everyday world. The system is modeled on Wang Freestyle. Our contribution is to mark recognition into the system and to explore some novel navigation tools that are enabled by the higher-level data structure that we use. |
Wang Freestyle |
Gary Hardock, Gordon Kurtenbach, William Buxton, Department of computer science, |
|
GroupWorks 2.0 |
With GroupWorks you can
|
PC Networks (e.g., Novell, WfWG) TCP/IP Networks (Windows 3.1) |
HyperDesk Corporation 2000 West Park Drive Westborough, MA 01581 (508) 366-5050 |
|
ImageMagick |
An X11 package for display and interactive manipulation of images. The package includes tools for image conversion, annotation, compositing, animation, and creating montages. ImageMagick can read and write many of the more popular image formats (e.g., JPEG, TIFF, PNM, etc.). |
UNIX X Window System |
|
|
IRIS Annotator |
COTS Product from Silicon Graphics Part of the Mindshare™ Collaborative Environment, IRIS Annotator™ is a revolutionary new multimedia application expressly designed for sharing ideas and information about 3D models. IRIS Annotator lets you annotate 3D models using the full complement of Silicon Graphics® digital media tools, then electronically mail the annotated models to others for review. IRIS Annotator is the ideal collaboration tool for any discipline producing 3D data including engineering, manufacturing, architecture, life sciences, and geosciences. |
Silicon Graphics |
|
|
WebCaucus |
COTS Product from The Meta Network A WebCaucus host system can offer a mix of open and private electronic conferences. The postings in a WebCaucus conference are called "discussion items" or "discussion topics." Comments made to a "discussion item" are called "responses." WebCaucus keeps track of which items and responses have been seen by each individual and when you ask to see the "new" items and responses, they are displayed in the sequence in which they were entered. You therefore feel like you are participating in multiple conversations—although these conversations are happening in virtual time and space. All the features and capabilities of the HTML standard can be included in WebCaucus conferences and in WebCaucus discussion items and responses. Conference moderators (organizers) can therefore include graphics and hypermedia links in their conference headers. In addition, individual users can include graphics and hypermedia links—any URLs—in their discussion items and responses. |
UNIX |
|
|
NCSA, UIUC, Mosaic |
Mosaic 1.2 supports group annotations—annotations to documents anywhere on the network that are shared by multiple people in a group. This capability is intended to support workgroup collaboration-relatively small, relatively local groups of people working together on a common problem on the Internet. The idea is that such a group will run a local group annotation server (or just an annotation server). |
Client: NCSA Mosaic 1.2 Server: httpd 0.4, and 0.5 |
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG /Software/Mosaic/Docs/ group-annotations.html |
The related technologies for Computer Supported Collaborative Workgroup Services are summarized in Table 8.3-1. The summary categorizes the technologies by service and sub-area.
Table 8.3-1 Applicable Technologies for CSCW Services
|
CSCW Area |
SubArea |
Applicable Technology |
|
Messaging |
Electronic-Mail |
Mail List Management Full Text Search and Indexing Text Index to HTML Converters |
|
Newsgroups |
Electronic Mail Newsgroup Management |
|
|
Real-Time Systems |
Video-Conferencing |
Low-Cost Analog and Digital Cameras Networking Video Compression |
|
Audio Conferencing |
Text to Speech Synthesis for Visually Impaired Analog to Digital Conversion Audio Compression |
|
|
Chat |
Multi-Windowing Technologies |
|
|
GroupWare Systems |
Workflow |
Database Electronic Mail |
|
Voting Systems |
Database |
|
|
Meeting Room Systems |
||
|
Shared Information Space |
Guided WWW Navigation |
HTML, Hypermedia |
|
Forums |
Electronic Bulletin Board Systems |
|
|
Multi-User Editors |
Whiteboard |
|
|
World Wide Web |
SGML, Hypertext, Hypermedia |
|
|
Collaborative Authoring |
WhiteBoard |
|
|
Annotation Systems |
Annotation Servers |
Object Access Control and Configuration Management Word Processing HTML Editors |
The related standards and specifications for the Computer Supported Collaboration Services are summarized in Table 8.4-1. The summary categorizes the standards/specifications by service, sub-area, and organization.
Table 8.4-1 CSCW Applicable Standards/Specifications
|
CSCW Area |
SubArea |
Organization |
Applicable Standards/ Specifications |
|
Messaging |
Electronic-Mail Addressing |
ITU ISO |
ITU-T X.500:1993 (OSI Directory (ISO 9594) ISO 8823, 8327 |
|
Electronic Mail Directory Services |
ITU ISO |
ITU-T X.500/01/09/11/18/19/20/21/25 ISO 8822, 8823, 8326, 8327 |
|
|
Newsgroups |
None |
||
|
Real-Time Systems |
Video-Conferencing |
ITU |
ITU-T Recommendation H.320, "Narrow-band visual telephone systems and terminal equipment." |
|
ITU |
ITU-T Recommendation H.261, "Video codec for audiovisual services at p x 64 kbit/s." |
||
|
ITU |
ITU-T Recommendation G.711, "Pulse code modulation (PCM) of voice frequencies." |
||
|
ITU |
ITU-T Recommendation G.722, "7 kHz Audio-coding within 64 kbit/s." |
||
|
ITU |
ITU-T Recommendation G.728, "Coding of speech at 16 kbit/s using low-delay code excited linear prediction." |
||
|
ITU |
ITU-T Recommendation H.221, "Frame structure for a 64 to 1920 kbit/s channel in audiovisual teleservices." |
||
|
ITU |
ITU-T Recommendation H.230, "Frame-synchronous control and indication signals for audiovisual systems." |
||
|
ITU |
ITU-T Recommendation H.242, " System for establishing communication between audiovisual terminals using digital channels up to 2 Mbit/s." |
||
|
ITU |
ITU-T Draft Recommendation T.120, Transmission Protocols for Multimedia Data. |
||
|
ITU |
ITU-T Draft Recommendation H.324, recommendation for real-time voice, data, and video over V.34 modems on the GSTN (POTS) telephone network. |
||
|
Audio Conferencing |
None |
||
|
Chat |
None |
||
|
GroupWare Systems |
Workflow |
WfMC |
Workflow API Standard (20 Nov. 95) No ISO matches |
|
Voting Systems |
None |
||
|
Meeting Room Systems |
None |
||
|
Shared Information Space |
Guided WWW Navigation |
None |
|
|
Whiteboards |
ITU |
The Proposed standards are loosely called T.12x, where a couple of the standards in the group have already been ratified. The ITU numbers for them are T.123, T.124, T.125. |
|
|
Collaborative Authoring |
None |
||
|
Annotation Systems |
Text |
No ISO matches |
|
|
Audio |
No ISO matches |
Key issues of CSCW may be divided into technical issues and social issues. Some of the Key Technical issues are group awareness, multi-user interfaces, concurrency control, communication and coordination within the group, shared information space, and the support of a heterogeneous, open environment that integrates existing single-user applications.
Other technical issues include the following:
Scalability of the Web and Annotation Systems: This issue focuses on the scalability of the web itself. Two of the significant limitations in the World Wide Web are network bandwidth and processor capability of servers as the number of Web surfers increases by the millions.
High-Bandwidth Availability: The high-bandwidth is needed in the communication infrastructure to support multi-media collaboration (e.g., video and audio, as well as high resolution graphics).
Highly Secure Desktop PC and Networking Products: Secure application and networking products are needed to protect sensitive information, assure service availability.
CSCW Integration with the World Wide Web: Specification of Extensions to WWW Protocols for Collaboration over the World Wide Web.
Standards Compliance: Not all COTS products are standards compliant: Some COTS products use the Microsoft Indeo convention for video vice H.320.
Videoconferencing Standards Issues: There is no LAN standard for Ethernet yet, although the ITU is working on it (H.323).
Videoconferencing at 28.8kbps: A new standard in being introduced by the ITU-TSS (standards body that develops communication standards) that is specifically for videoconferencing at 28.8 Kbps-over standard telephone lines. It is called H.324. 20 Kbps is used for video, and 8 Kbps is used for audio. The resulting video and audio quality may not be acceptable for all applications-the videos will most likely have a freeze-frame effect, and the audio will likely be difficult to understand.
Videoconferencing Over the Internet: The Internet video conferencing standard, prepared by the Audio-Video Transport working group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), is RTP and is, although still a draft, implemented in most Internet products.
Whiteboard Product Interoperability: There is a lack of interoperability between COTS products for whiteboards. The proposed ITU standards (T.123, T.124, T.125) provide a limited model for interoperability (single plane per participant, single color per plane for annotation, etc.).
At a CSCW Symposium held in the UK in April 1995, a number of social limitations to CSCW were identified. These limitations included the following:
Collaboration technology provides a great opportunity to define and implement new work processes by virtual enterprises and users distributed over any geographical area. Users, departments, and organizations need not be bound by the limitations of time or space to collaborate on projects of common interest while using the collaborative tools that will be available within an Integrated Data Environment. The initial tools developed with this technology provide a multi-media collaborative capability that includes video, audio, text, images, and 3D virtual reality. The level of interest in collaborative technology as demonstrated by the number of initiatives, research organizations, commercial products, and conferences assures us that the technological issues will be solved to provide collaborative capabilities that meet the needs of the IDE for both real-time coordination as well as asynchronous communication.