Agents for Distributed Multimedia Information Management

This paper discusses the role of agents in a distributed multimedia information system (DMIS) engineered according to the principles of open hypermedia. It is based on the new generation of Microcosm, an open hypermedia system developed by the Multimedia Research Group at the University of Southampton. Microcosm provides a framework for supporting the three major roles of agents within open information systems: resource discovery, information integrity and navigation assistance. We present Microcosm and its agents, and discuss our current research in applying agent technology in this framework

A programming system for the dynamic manipulation of temporally sensitive data

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (p. 255-277).by Christopher John Lindblad.Ph.D

An interactive programming system for media computation

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-106).by David James Wetherall.M.S

DIVE on the internet

This dissertation reports research and development of a platform for Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs). It has particularly focused on two major challenges: supporting the rapid development of scalable applications and easing their deployment on the Internet. This work employs a research method based on prototyping and refinement and promotes the use of this method for application development. A number of the solutions herein are in line with other CVE systems. One of the strengths of this work consists in a global approach to the issues raised by CVEs and the recognition that such complex problems are best tackled using a multi-disciplinary approach that understands both user and system requirements. CVE application deployment is aided by an overlay network that is able to complement any IP multicast infrastructure in place. Apart from complementing a weakly deployed worldwide multicast, this infrastructure provides for a certain degree of introspection, remote controlling and visualisation. As such, it forms an important aid in assessing the scalability of running applications. This scalability is further facilitated by specialised object distribution algorithms and an open framework for the implementation of novel partitioning techniques. CVE application development is eased by a scripting language, which enables rapid development and favours experimentation. This scripting language interfaces many aspects of the system and enables the prototyping of distribution-related components as well as user interfaces. It is the key construct of a distributed environment to which components, written in different languages, connect and onto which they operate in a network abstracted manner. The solutions proposed are exemplified and strengthened by three collaborative applications. The Dive room system is a virtual environment modelled after the room metaphor and supporting asynchronous and synchronous cooperative work. WebPath is a companion application to a Web browser that seeks to make the current history of page visits more visible and usable. Finally, the London travel demonstrator supports travellers by providing an environment where they can explore the city, utilise group collaboration facilities, rehearse particular journeys and access tourist information data

Group-Slicer: A collaborative extension of 3D-Slicer

AbstractIn this paper, we describe a first step towards a collaborative extension of the well-known 3D-Slicer; this platform is nowadays used as a standalone tool for both surgical planning and medical intervention. We show how this tool can be easily modified to make it collaborative so that it may constitute an integrated environment for expertise exchange as well as a useful tool for academic purposes

A distributed programming system for media applications

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-106).by Brent M. Phillips.M.S

Local Coordination for Interpersonal Communication Systems

The decomposition of complex applications into modular units is anacknowledged design principle for creating robust systems and forenabling the flexible re-use of modules in new applicationcontexts. Typically, component frameworks provide mechanisms and rulesfor developing software modules in the scope of a certain programmingparadigm or programming language and a certain computing platform. Forexample, the JavaBeans framework is a component framework for thedevelopment of component-based systems -- in the Java environment.In this thesis, we present a light-weight, platform-independentapproach that views a component-based application as a set of ratherloosely coupled parallel processes that can be distributed on multiplehosts and are coordinated through a protocol. The core of ourframework is the Message Bus (Mbus): an asynchronous, message-orientedcoordination protocol that is based on Internet technologies andprovides group communication between application components.Based on this framework, we have developed a local coordinationarchitecture for decomposed multimedia conferencing applications thatis designed for endpoint and gateway applications. One element of thisarchitecture is an Mbus-based protocol for the coordination of callcontrol components in conferencing applications