Collaboration Technologies

1
Collaboration Technologies

• Working and Learning Together
• at a Distance

2
ClassTech Systems Evaluation Motivations
Spring 06

• Business Continuity (Pandemic Situation) Allow
  professional staff to work at home
  
• Continue our testing of desktop video conference
  systems (H.239, SIP Protocol)
  
• Dovetailed with evolving efforts on Ithaca/Weill
  video collaborations support and development
  plan
  
• Distance learning and training possibilities

3
Collaboration Technology Categories

• Team Based Collaboration Technologies Threaded
  discussions, shared folders and workspaces,
  document based collaboration
  
• Web Conferencing Technologies Online meetings
  or presentations, training, distance learning
  
• Desktop Video Conferencing Technologies
  -Interactive video/audio and data sharing for
  meetings and research collaboration

4
Evaluation/Selection Criteria for Business
Continuity Scenario

• Systems and services Vendor hosting possible,
  desirable vs. Cornell hosting
  
• Web browser based clients - Services accessible
  and hosting of sessions from Mac or Windows
  (possibly Linux) systems
  
• Flexible pay as you go or monthly subscriptions
  New clients added at any time and hosting
  capacity pre-purchased

5
Web and Video ConferencingOverlapping
Functions/Features

• Interactive video and audio
• Screen sharing
• Application sharing
• File sharing
• Whiteboarding
• Chat
• Polling
• Video streaming
• Webcasting
• Session recording
• Hosted by vendor or server license can be
  purchased

6
Web Conferencing Systems Focus

• Adobe Macromedia Breeze www.adobe.com/products/br
  eeze/
  
• Access via Macromedia Flash Player
• Good web interface w/flexible layout
• Low bandwidth requirements 56Kbps min.
• Pixion PictureTalk
• Focus on learning and training applications
• Used by Weill Medical College
• What About????
• Major players such as WebEx, MS Live Meeting,
  etc Not completely Mac compatible Hosting of
  sessions
  
• Elluminate Comparable to Breeze Need to do
  evaluation when time permits
  

7
Desktop Video Conferencing Systems Focus

• Marratech Work Environment (SIP)
  www.marratech.com
  
• Good audio quality
• Simultaneous video and data collaboration
• Meeting Rooms, support access
• WaveThree Session (SIP) Unsatisfactory, Uses
  PictureTalk for data collaboration
  
• What About???
• Polycom PVX Great H.323 desktop system, Does
  H.239 data sharing well, Windows only
  
• MS ConferenceXP Interesting functions/features,
  Multi-point collaboration, Windows only
  

8
Decision Please

• Adobe Breeze selected as preferred system for
  work at home (pandemic) solution
  
• Good audio and data content sharing most
  important, video images less important
  
• Breeze offered best functions/features
• Other Breeze interest on campus
• CIT Web Services, Academic Technologies
• Cooperative Extension (Plan to purchase)
• Human Ecology - Family Life Development Center,
  Human Development
  
• Center for Learning and Teaching
• CIT/Software Licensing Exploring CU volume
  licensing options

9
Grid-Enabled Collaboration Systems

• Access Grid www.accessgrid.org/
• Collection of systems and middleware to enable
  audio/video/data interaction between groups
  across a high-speed data network (Internet2)
  
• Sites drop in to listen and/or participate in
  pre-scheduled or ad-hoc conferences on a given
  research topic Large number of research
  institutions involved
• Since early 2003 there has been interest in
  creating AG facilities on campus NSF proposals
  
• CIT/ClassTech tested PIG (laptop) registered
  system
  
• ANL not supporting AG much these days inSORS
  and other 3rd party vendors supporting application

10
Grid-Enabled SystemsContinued

• Virtual Rooms Videoconferencing System (VRVS)
  www.vrvs.org
  
• Developed/used by the physics research community
  for videoconferencing remote collaboration
  through academic/research networks
  
• H.323 SIP, OS X, PDA client
• Enabling Virtual Organizations (EVO)
  evo.caltech.edu
  
• Successor to VRVS (next generation)
• Tested and looks good, Web clients