Towards a generic platform for developing CSCL applications using Grid infrastructure

The goal of this paper is to explore the possibility of using CSCL component-based software under a Grid infrastructure. The merge of these technologies represents an attractive, but probably quite laborious enterprise if we consider not only the benefits but also the barriers that we have to overcome. This work presents an attempt toward this direction by developing a generic platform of CSCL components and discussing the advantages that we could obtain if we adapted it to the Grid. We then propose a means that could make this adjustment possible due to the high degree of genericity that our library component is endowed with by being based on the generic programming paradigm. Finally, an application of our library is proposed both for validating the adequacy of the platform which it is based on and for indicating the possibilities gained by using it under the Grid.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

CSCW Systems on PvC Environments

CSCW is a well-suited discipline for appropriate communicating ideas inside a group and even in an inter-group cooperation. Though basic technology for communication annoy people with too many computer-related tasks to deliver at-the-time elaborated notes in the meanwhile of a group activity. An emerging trend that promises to bring a solution on this matter is that of ubiquitous, or pervasive computing. PvC is about computation becoming part of the environment with the ambition to accomplish accessing information anytime no matter the distance of user's location. This is not only related to largely distributed systems and applications, but about highly dynamic and mobile sets – clusters of participants, interacting with each other and storing data on mobile devices, as well as in remote facilities. PvC systems certainly come to facilitate CSCW making every kind of such systems to look as the simplest groupware option and providing a new and particular kind of such systems, what might be called as PvCE-SCW. This paper reports on current efforts on this type of systems describing their requirements and challenges with the intent to provide a summary of successful accomplishments on this matter.Eje: Ingeniería de SoftwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

CSCW Systems on PvC Environments

CSCW is a well-suited discipline for appropriate communicating ideas inside a group and even in an inter-group cooperation. Though basic technology for communication annoy people with too many computer-related tasks to deliver at-the-time elaborated notes in the meanwhile of a group activity. An emerging trend that promises to bring a solution on this matter is that of ubiquitous, or pervasive computing. PvC is about computation becoming part of the environment with the ambition to accomplish accessing information anytime no matter the distance of user's location. This is not only related to largely distributed systems and applications, but about highly dynamic and mobile sets – clusters of participants, interacting with each other and storing data on mobile devices, as well as in remote facilities. PvC systems certainly come to facilitate CSCW making every kind of such systems to look as the simplest groupware option and providing a new and particular kind of such systems, what might be called as PvCE-SCW. This paper reports on current efforts on this type of systems describing their requirements and challenges with the intent to provide a summary of successful accomplishments on this matter.Eje: Ingeniería de SoftwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Ontology-based collaborative framework for disaster recovery scenarios

This paper aims at designing of adaptive framework for supporting collaborative work of different actors in public safety and disaster recovery missions. In such scenarios, firemen and robots interact to each other to reach a common goal; firemen team is equipped with smart devices and robots team is supplied with communication technologies, and should carry on specific tasks. Here, reliable connection is mandatory to ensure the interaction between actors. But wireless access network and communication resources are vulnerable in the event of a sudden unexpected change in the environment. Also, the continuous change in the mission requirements such as inclusion/exclusion of new actor, changing the actor's priority and the limitations of smart devices need to be monitored. To perform dynamically in such case, the presented framework is based on a generic multi-level modeling approach that ensures adaptation handled by semantic modeling. Automated self-configuration is driven by rule-based reconfiguration policies through ontology

uC: Ubiquitous Collaboration Platform for Multimodal Team Interaction Support

A human-centered computing platform that improves teamwork and transforms the “human- computer interaction experience” for distributed teams is presented. This Ubiquitous Collaboration, or uC (“you see”), platform\u27s objective is to transform distributed teamwork (i.e., work occurring when teams of workers and learners are geographically dispersed and often interacting at different times). It achieves this goal through a multimodal team interaction interface realized through a reconfigurable open architecture. The approach taken is to integrate: (1) an intuitive speech- and video-centric multi-modal interface to augment more conventional methods (e.g., mouse, stylus and touch), (2) an open and reconfigurable architecture supporting information gathering, and (3) a machine intelligent approach to analysis and management of heterogeneous live and stored sensor data to support collaboration. The system will transform how teams of people interact with computers by drawing on both the virtual and physical environment

CSCW Systems on PvC Environments

CSCW is a well-suited discipline for appropriate communicating ideas inside a group and even in an inter-group cooperation. Though basic technology for communication annoy people with too many computer-related tasks to deliver at-the-time elaborated notes in the meanwhile of a group activity. An emerging trend that promises to bring a solution on this matter is that of ubiquitous, or pervasive computing. PvC is about computation becoming part of the environment with the ambition to accomplish accessing information anytime no matter the distance of user's location. This is not only related to largely distributed systems and applications, but about highly dynamic and mobile sets – clusters of participants, interacting with each other and storing data on mobile devices, as well as in remote facilities. PvC systems certainly come to facilitate CSCW making every kind of such systems to look as the simplest groupware option and providing a new and particular kind of such systems, what might be called as PvCE-SCW. This paper reports on current efforts on this type of systems describing their requirements and challenges with the intent to provide a summary of successful accomplishments on this matter.Eje: Ingeniería de SoftwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Groupware design : principles, prototypes, and systems

Computers are valuable tools for a wide range of work tasks. A substantial limitation on their value, however, is the predominant focus on enhancing the work of individuals. This fails to account for the issues of collaboration that affect almost all work. Research into computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) aims to eliminate this deficiency, but the promise of computer systems for group work has not been met. This thesis presents four design principles that promote the development of successful groupware. The principles identify the particular problems encountered by groupware, and provide guidelines and strategies to avoid, overcome, or minimise their impact. Derived from several sources, the major influence on the principles development is an investigation into the relationship between factors affecting groupware failure. They are stimulated by observations of groupware use, and by design insights arising from the development of two groupware applications and their prototypes: Mona and TELEFREEK. Mona provides conversation-based email management. Several groupware applications allow similar functionality, but the design principles result in Mona using different mechanisms to achieve its user-support. TELEFREEK provides a platform for accessing computer-supported communication and collaboration facilities. It attends to the problems of initiating interaction, and supports an adaptable and extendible set of "social awareness" assistants. TELEFREEK offers a broader range of facilities than other groupware, and avoids the use of prohibitively high-bandwidth communication networks. TELEFREEK demonstrates that much can be achieved through current and widely accessible technology. Together, Mona and TELEFREEK forcefully demonstrate the use of the design principles, and substantiate the claim of their utility

Web collaboration for software engineering

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200

SyD: A Middleware Testbed for Collaborative Applications over Small Heterogeneous Devices and Data Stores

Abstract. Currently, it is possible to develop a collaborative application running on a collection of heterogeneous, possibly mobile, devices, each potentially hosting data stores, using existing middleware technologies such as JXTA, BREW, compact.NET and J2ME. However, they require too many ad-hoc techniques as well as cumbersome and time-consuming programming. Our System on Mobile Devices (SyD) middleware, on the other hand, has a modular architecture that makes such application de-velopment very systematic and streamlined. The architecture supports transactions over mobile data stores, with a range of remote group invo-cation options and embedded interdependencies among such data store objects. The architecture further provides a persistent uniform object view, group transaction with Quality of Service (QoS) speci¯cations, and XML vocabulary for inter-device communication. This paper presents the basic SyD concepts, introduces the architecture and the design of the SyD middleware and its components. We also provide guidelines fo