Revisiting the DARPA Communicator Data using Conversation Analysis

The state of the art in human computer conversation leaves something to be desired and, indeed, talking to a computer can be down-right annoying. This paper describes an approach to identifying ``opportunities for improvement'' in these systems by looking for abuse in the form of swear words. The premise is that humans swear at computers as a sanction and, as such, swear words represent a point of failure where the system did not behave as it should. Having identified where things went wrong, we can work backward through the transcripts and, using conversation analysis (CA) work out how things went wrong. Conversation analysis is a qualitative methodology and can appear quite alien - indeed unscientific - to those of us from a quantitative background. The paper starts with a description of Conversation analysis in its modern form, and then goes on to apply the methodology to transcripts of frustrated and annoyed users in the DARPA Communicator project. The conclusion is that there is at least one species of failure caused by the inability of the Communicator systems to handle mixed initiative at the discourse structure level. Along the way, I hope to demonstrate that there is an alternative future for computational linguistics that does not rely on larger and larger text corpora.Comment: 19 pages, 2 annotated transcripts, 24 reference

AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE NEEDED BY SUPERINTENDENTS AND ARCHITECTS TO ENHANCE THEIR COLLABORATION IN THE SCHOOL DESIGN PROCESS

The purpose of the study was to identify perceptions of the contributions made by superintendents and architects respectively when programming a new school. Areas of collaboration were determined by a qualitative analysis of the responses of superintendents and architects to questions regarding their perceptions of areas to discuss when collaborating in the designing of a new school. Ninety-four Texas superintendents and forty-six architects participated in the survey. Major research findings from this study addressed the areas of knowledge needed to enhance the collaboration process. Budget is the driving force within the collaboration between superintendents and architects when designing a school. The superintendent is the key communicator in the design process. Architects are the individuals most concerned with using the instructional delivery methods used by teachers to guide the design process. Three main areas to address when designing a school to support student safety are accessibility, surveillance and visibility. Instructional specialists, specifically at the district-level, are often not included as a part of the facilities committee. Superintendents obtain knowledge and the skill to collaborate with architects on a school design process through on-the-job experience. Recommendations are made to further enhance the collaboration. Superintendents and architects need to view budgets as a way to prioritize needs rather than to limit possibilities when designing a school. Superintendents must continue to be aware that they are the lead communicator in the school design process and must continue to work to effectively communicate their district�s and community�s needs, expectations, and vision. Superintendents must be prepared to communicate instructional delivery methods and expectations to architects when designing a school. Superintendents and architects need to consider accessibility, camera surveillance, and visibility when designing a school to support student safety. Facilities committees should include district level curriculum experts as part of the school design process, as these individuals are knowledgeable of the district�s instructional vision. It is important for superintendents who are designing a school project to have prior experience in participating in the design process, or to collaborate with other superintendents with experience to guide and assist them in the process

Interaktive Dialogsysteme

Das Thema der vorliegenden Arbeit kann mit den folgenden drei Hauptfragen zusammengefasst werden: (1) was ist Dialog, (2) welche charakteristische Merkmale hat der Dialog und (3) was ist notwendig, um Dialog erfolgreich mit Hilfe von Maschinen (Computersystemen) zu simulieren. Die Arbeit wurde in der Hoffnung geschrieben, dass sie als Basis und Ausgangspunkt für weitere Forschungen in den bezeichneten wissenschaftlichen Gebieten benutzt werden kann, wie auch in der Hoffnung, dadurch die Aufmerksamkeit von Sprachwissenschaftlerinnen und Germanistinnen auf Forschungsperspektiven und Herausforderungen in diesem Gebiet zu lenken. Dabei wird auch gezeigt, wie weit die theoretischen Grundlagen, die sich auf zwischenmenschliche Dialogformen beziehen, in interaktiven Dialogsystemen implementiert werden können; welche zusätzliche Mittel notwendig sind, um solche Systeme menschenähnlicher in der Dialogkommunikation zu machen. Die Frage nach interaktiven Dialogsystemen wird vor allem aus pragmatischen Gründen gestellt, denn mit der Entwicklung der Computertechnologie werden auch die Einsatzmöglichkeiten für Computer immer mehr. Das führt dazu, dass viel mehr Menschen, vor allem Nicht-Experten, am Computer arbeiten. Die Kommunikation mit dem Computer läuft allerdings, mit Ausnahme der Erfindung und Einführung der Maus in den 1960er/1970er, bis heute noch vor allem über die Konsole (Tastatur/Monitor). Die menschliche Dialogfähigkeit zeichnet sich durch die Fähigkeit aus, typische Organisationsprinzipien des Dialogs zu erkennen und anzuwenden. Die Prinzipien betreffen einerseits die kognitiven Fähigkeiten des Menschen, andererseits unterschiedliche formale Aspekte. Ein Dialogsystem sollte also diese menschliche Dialogfähigkeit in unterschiedlichen kommunikativen Situationen nachahmen können. Eben aus diesem Grund steht einerseits der Dialog als Kommunikationsmittel im Zentrum der vorliegenden Diplomarbeit, andererseits aber die Frage, wie ein gesprochener Dialog mit einem Computersystem und in welchem Ausmaß möglich wäre

The conflation of motives of science communication - causes, consequences, remedies

Weingart P, Joubert M. The conflation of motives of science communication - causes, consequences, remedies. JCOM-JOURNAL OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION. 2019;18(3): Y01.We explore and discuss the diverse motives that drive science communication, pointing out that political motives are the major driving force behind most science communication programmes including so-called public engagement with science with the result that educational and promotional objectives are blurred and science communication activities are rarely evaluated meaningfully. Since this conflation of motives of science communication and the gap between political rhetoric and science communication practice could threaten the credibility of science, we argue for the restoration of a crucial distinction between two types of science communication: educational/dialogic vs promotional/persuasive

Identifying problematic dialogs in a human-computer dialog system

In this thesis, we present the development of an automatic system that identifies problematic dialogues in the context of a Human-Computer Dialog System (HCDS). The system we developed is a type of application in Pattern Classification domain. In this work, we propose a probabilistic approach that predicts user satisfaction for each turn of dialogue. To do so, all the features used in our system are automatically extracted from the utterance. A robust and fast machine learning scheme, Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is used to build our desired system. In order to evaluate the system performance, we experimented on two publicly distributed corpora: DARPA Communicator 2000 and 2001. We evaluated the system using a 10-fold stratified cross-validation. Our results show that the system could be used in real life applications

Visual communication in urban planning and urban design

This report documents the current status of visual communication in urban design and planning. Visual communication is examined through discussion of standalone and network media, specifically concentrating on visualisation on the World Wide Web(WWW).Firstly, we examine the use of Solid and Geometric Modelling for visualising urban planning and urban design. This report documents and compares examples of the use of Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) and proprietary WWW based Virtual Reality modelling software. Examples include the modelling of Bath and Glasgow using both VRML 1.0 and 2.0. A review is carried out on the use of Virtual Worldsand their role in visualising urban form within multi-user environments. The use of Virtual Worlds is developed into a case study of the possibilities and limitations of Virtual Internet Design Arenas (ViDAs), an initiative undertaken at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London. The use of Virtual Worlds and their development towards ViDAs is seen as one of the most important developments in visual communication for urban planning and urban design since the development plan.Secondly, photorealistic media in the process of communicating plans is examined.The process of creating photorealistic media is documented, examples of the Virtual Streetscape and Wired Whitehall Virtual Urban Interface System are provided. The conclusion is drawn that although the use of photo-realistic media on the WWW provides a way to visually communicate planning information, its use is limited. The merging of photorealistic media and solid geometric modelling is reviewed in the creation of Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality is seen to provide an important step forward in the ability to quickly and easily visualise urban planning and urban design information.Thirdly, the role of visual communication of planning data through GIS is examined interms of desktop, three dimensional and Internet based GIS systems. The evolution to Internet GIS is seen as a critical component in the development of virtual cities which will allow urban planners and urban designers to visualise and model the complexity of the built environment in networked virtual reality.Finally a viewpoint is put forward of the Virtual City, linking Internet GIS with photorealistic multi-user Virtual Worlds. At present there are constraints on how far virtual cities can be developed, but a view is provided on how these networked virtual worlds are developing to aid visual communication in urban planning and urban design

The Communicator, March 8, 2005

The Communicator newspaper published on March 8, 2005

Dealing with Major Technological Risks

This article is concerned with the management of major hazards stemming from technology and entailing potentially dreadful consequences. It proposes a brief survey of the0501n difficulties and policy issues arising both in public and private decision making when dealing with major technological risks. Three themes are considered: risk assessment, risk sharing and risk control. Issues related to evaluation methods, to risk perception and to the acceptable level of risk are first examined. The article then goes on to explore the problem of optimal risk sharing between the different stakeholders. The firm's liability and extended liability to the firm's partners are considered. Insurance issues are also discussed. Lastly, the survey addresses the control of risks both from a prevention and from a damage mitigation point of view. The various instruments available to the State to reduce risks are reviewed and several issues are also raised with respect to the measures firms can take to reduce risks. Investment in safety, human error, organisational design and information disclosure are addressed in this section. The topics of siting and urban planning are analysed as mitigation strategies, and the important aspect of emergency planning ends the survey. Cet article d'intérêt général porte sur la gestion des risques d'origine technologique aux conséquences potentiellement catastrophiques. Il s'agit d'un document de synthèse destiné à cerner les problèmes fondamentaux en matière de gestion publique et privée des risques technologiques majeurs. Trois thèmes y sont traités: l'évaluation, la distribution et le contrôle des risques. Les questions se rapportant aux méthodes d'évaluation, à la perception des risques et aux difficultés liées à l'établissement d'un seuil de tolérance sont d'abord passées en revue. La seconde partie du document met en lumière les difficultés que présente le partage optimal du risque entre les différents agents. La responsabilité civile de la firme et de ses partenaires est alors examinée. Les problèmes liés à l'assurance contre ce type de risque sont aussi brièvement décrits. Cet article traite enfin du contrôle des risques en couvrant à la fois les approches préventives et les stratégies d'atténuation des dommages. On y aborde premièrement les instruments de contrôle dont dispose l'État pour réduire les risques. Du côté des firmes, les sujets tels que l'investissement en sécurité, l'erreur humaine, le design organisationnel et la divulgation de l'information sont passés en revue. L'aménagement du territoire et la gestion des urgences sont ensuite abordés de façon succincte dans la dernière partie de l'article.Safety, major risks, risk assessment, risk sharing, risk control, prevention, mitigation, Sécurité, risques majeurs, évaluation des risques, distribution des risques, contrôle des risques, prévention, atténuation

An overview of computer-based natural language processing

Computer based Natural Language Processing (NLP) is the key to enabling humans and their computer based creations to interact with machines in natural language (like English, Japanese, German, etc., in contrast to formal computer languages). The doors that such an achievement can open have made this a major research area in Artificial Intelligence and Computational Linguistics. Commercial natural language interfaces to computers have recently entered the market and future looks bright for other applications as well. This report reviews the basic approaches to such systems, the techniques utilized, applications, the state of the art of the technology, issues and research requirements, the major participants and finally, future trends and expectations. It is anticipated that this report will prove useful to engineering and research managers, potential users, and others who will be affected by this field as it unfolds