Collaborative Support System Research Articles

Knowledge-intensive collaborative design modeling and support: Part II: System implementation and application

Contemporary design problems embody significant levels of complexity, which make it unlikely that a single designer can work alone on a complex design problem. Knowledge-intensive collaboration has emerged as a promising discipline for dealing with the modeling and decision-making processes in distributed design systems. In this paper, we present the implementation and application of a web-based knowledge-intensive collaborative design support system called WebKIDSS. With the modularization of design, a modules networked system could be developed and deployed according to CORBA standard to facilitate the rapid construction of the concurrent integrated distributed models for the design process and the coordination among designers within the range of enterprises and even virtual enterprises. The prototype web-based collaborative design platform, is implemented for proof-of-concept through the distributed knowledge server based framework (KS-DMME) with concurrent integration of multiple cooperative knowledge sources and software using Java/Java Bean and CORBA technologies. The unified user interface of the WebKIDSS provides a cross-platform for distributed users to access to module servers throughout the network. By use of the developed the prototype system, collaborative design can be carried out in an integrated and distributed open environment on the internet/intranet. Based on the preliminary application to the collaborative design of a micro robotic assembly system on the Internet, the developed system indicates some advantages to increase the efficiency of the design coordination and decision-making in the design process.

Web-based Collaborative Engineering Support System: Applications in Mechanical Design and Structural Analysis

The diversity in software used to support collaborative design and concurrent engineering requires the implementation of new technologies in order to ensure the integration between the various activities of the product development process. Most of the time, companies can not afford to spend the time and the funds required to enhance their IT and software resources. This is often the case of small and medium companies. Nowadays, in mechanical design, the needs for product data sharing between Computer Aided Design (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA) activities have been fairly increased even for small companies. This article aims at presenting Teamproject software, an asynchronous Web Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) oriented toward the sharing and viewing of 3D data (CAD and FEA) based on Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). Regarding the collaborative design and concurrent engineering approaches, this software increases the information access and its availability to expert and non-expert users in a remote mode. The article deals with the benefits proposed by the use of Web technologies in mechanical design and structural analysis fields. It details the software architecture of Teamproject. One of the added values offered by the new version of the Web CSCW is the translation of CAD and FEA data into VRML format. It extends the 3D product data review to all the team members involved in a project. Indeed, the reading of the Java3D can be ensured by the most used web navigator (like Internet Explorer and Netscape) with the aid of a free plug-in. To summarize, the proposed Web CSCW provides a simple and efficient access to mechanical design and structural analysis data in a real collaborative engineering approach.

Interaction and Collaboration Using an Intelligent Collaborative Learning Environment

The goal of this research is to design and prototype an intelligent collaborative learning environment. Within this environment, we study synchronous interaction among group members (students) working on a problem/project. Students use an Intelligent Collaborative Support System (ICSS) and a shared activity space: the Tulka Whiteboard. Two main interaction spaces have been implemented: a planning-communication space and a production space. Dialogue and negotiation are supported through the ICSS permitting exchange and evaluation of free-text communication messages that are initiated by students choosing sentence openers from a menu. Using the whiteboard, a virtual room is dedicated to a group of students who share documents, annotations on documents, drawing tools, and text tools. Each group is provided a dynamic assessment of their collaborative skills based on a communication skills model.

Collaboration Support System Based on Visualization of Communication Processes

This paper focuses on the creative side of collaboration and proposes a support method that enhances designers' creativity during collaborative design projects. In order to support creative group activity during such endeavors, the support method makes visible the interactive communication processes from two viewpoints, one global, and the other local. In the global view of communication flow, the transition of topics and the relationships between topics are displayed, whereas the local view displays the details of each communication process. Both of these viewpoints have two inherent merits, the first of which is to help designers clearly understand the flow of interactive communication processes. The second merit derives from sharing the process of exploring new ideas. Furthermore, in order to enable the smooth operation of the support method, a computerized system based on the proposed method was constructed. When an operator inputs details of the communication processes into the system, they are automatically recorded and displayed for the design team members in a useful form according to the proposed method.

Collaboration Support System for 3D Shape Evaluation in Virtual Space Using Viewpoint Change

Collaboration mainly consists of two tasks; one is each partner's task that is performed by the individual, the other is communication with each other. Both of them are very important objectives for the collaboration support system. In this paper, a collaboration support system for 3D shape evaluation in virtual space is developed on the basis of studies in 3D shape evaluation and communication support in virtual space. The present system provides the two viewpoints for each task. One is the viewpoint of back side of user's own avatar for the smooth communication. The other is that of avatar's eye for 3D shape evaluation. Switching the viewpoints satisfies the task conditions for 3D shape evaluation and communication. In this paper, the some characteristics of the present system are described and the effectiveness of them is also demonstrated by the sensory evaluation and questionnaires analysis.

仮想空間を利用した協調作業支援システムにおけるうなずき反応の影響(コミュニケーションと設計II)

仮想空間を利用した協調作業支援システムにおけるうなずき反応の影響(コミュニケーションと設計II)

創造的コラボレーション支援のためのコミュニケーション可視化システム(コラボレーション・コンカレント設計)

創造的コラボレーション支援のためのコミュニケーション可視化システム(コラボレーション・コンカレント設計)

The Prototype Model of a Web-Based Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration Support System for the Building Industry

A broad literature review reveals that the majority of existing software systems for the building industry are data/document storage systems connected to a database. High-level software applications with ability to analyse data and share knowledge are rare in the building industry. This paper proposes a web-based system for the building industry, which focuses on the implementation and sharing of expert knowledge, and provides a platform to support online collaboration. The logic design, system architecture and functionalities of the prototype system are presented. The current stage of developing the prototype system is reported and its successful completion will enable full implementation of a knowledge sharing and management system.

Collaboration Support System for City Plans or Community Designs Based on VR/CG Technology

This paper reports on a collaboration support system for city plans or community designs based on virtual reality (VR) or computer graphics (CG) technology. It reports on an extension to an ongoing research programme, and in particular it introduces the developments of portable VR equipment, and an expression method using CG to enable the realistic viewing of night scenes, and application to real projects.

Internet-based CDSS for modern manufacturing processes selection and justification

To select the right process technology for a business is related to strategic goals, resource availability and market conditions. Such dimensions must be included in an evaluation process of technology choice. Although various approaches have been suggested for evaluation of the modern manufacturing processes, still, there is a need for a decision aid to assist companies in selection and justification of the most suitable technology to their operations and business objectives. In this study, we designed an Internet-based Collaborative Decision Support System (CDSS) consisting of three stages: strategic justification, operational justification, and economic justification. For decision-making process in each stage, knowledge-based systems, simulation, and activity-based costing models and methods are used, respectively. A unique feature of this system is that it not only combines the capabilities of various decision-making methods, but also takes into account the objectives and operating characteristics of individual companies in the evaluation process. The other characteristics of the CDSS are easy to use, understandable, and less time consuming.

2805 仮想空間 3 次元形状評価のための協調作業支援システムの開発

Collaboration mainly consists of two tasks; one is each partner's task that is performed by the individual, the other is communication with each other. Both of them are very important objective for the collaboration support system. In this paper, a collaboration support system for 3D shape evaluation in virtual space is developed on the basis of studies in 3D shape evaluation and communication support in virtual space. The present system provides the two viewpoints for each task. One is the viewpoint of back side of user's own avatar for the smooth communication. The other is that of avatar's eye for 3D shape evaluation. Switching the viewpoints satisfies the task conditions for 3D shape evaluation and communication. In this paper, two type of method for changing these viewpoints are investigated by the sensory evaluation and questionnaires analysis.

2211 形状操作を伴う協調作業支援システムにおける音声通信機能の開発

2211 形状操作を伴う協調作業支援システムにおける音声通信機能の開発

Conversational Knowledge Process Support Technologies as Advanced Communication Infrastructure for Social Technologies

本論文では，会話型知識プロセス支援技術の概念的枠組みとそれを実現するための技術について述べる．社会技術研究をネットワーク時代を象徴する動的で複雑な知識創造として位置づけ，現代社会における知識創造に伴う種々の困難を克服するための概念的枠組みとしてコミュニティ知識プロセスを提案し，その要件を示す．次に，社会における相互理解・知識共有・合意形成をシームレスに支援し，運用するための基本コンポーネントとして，映像コミュニケーションツールVMIS，会話エージェントシステムEgoChat，参加型自動放送システムPOC，政策論議支援システムCRANES，及び，それらを統合する枠組みとしての統合的コミュニケーションツールS-POCの概要を述べ，今後の展望を示す．

Design and Implementation of a Web-Based Collaborative Spatial Decision Support System

The development of collaborative spatial decision support systems presents a host of challenges, ranging from technical to societal and institutional. Resource managers and environmental planners often need to understand the effect of the distributed and uncoordinated land management practices of individual decision-makers, which in the long run causes significant environmental impact. In many cases environmental planning requires collaborative decision-making tools where complex interacting agents with conflicting goals need to work without any prior idea of the counterpart. This paper identifies research issues on the design and implementation of a Web-based collaborative spatial decision making in the specific context of distributed environmental planning. We demonstrate a Web-based Spatial Decision Support System GEO-ELCA (Exploratory Land Use Change Assessment) for typical decision-making tasks by urban or municipal planning agencies where resource managers or stakeholders of different interest groups can express their options for future land use changes and assess the resulting hydrological impacts in a collaborative environment.

Design of Decision Support for Stakeholder-Driven Collaborative Land Valuation

First Nations treaty negotiations and land-claim settlements require the valuation of large areas of land for diverse land uses, including usage which is difficult to quantify in absolute or monetary terms. The authors report an attempt to develop a methodology for seeking consensus on land values for the latter land-use activities, using Gestalt valuation. They offer an alternative to planner-driven land valuation, placing the valuation responsibility instead on stakeholders. The methodology is justified and explained. The authors introduce different types of decision-support information products that can be derived to facilitate consensus building. They summarise experience gained in an evaluation of the proposed methodological procedure, in which university students were used as a sample. They conclude that computing technology has advanced sufficiently to make it reasonably straightforward to collect information about individual stakeholders' land valuations, and that the resultant information can be packaged effectively in a collaborative spatial decision support system to facilitate consensus building. Ongoing research is introduced.

Modeling discourse in collaborative work support systems:

Collaborative work processes usually raise a lot of intricate debates and negotiations among participants, whereas conflicts of interest are inevitable and support for achieving consensus and compromise is required. Individual contributions, brought up by parties with different backgrounds and interests, need to be appropriately structured and maintained. This paper presents a model of discourse acts that participants use to communicate their attitudes to each other, or affect the attitudes of others, in such environments. The first part deals with the knowledge representation and communication aspects of the problem, while the second one—in the context of an already implemented system, namely HERMES—with issues related to the configuration of the contributions asserted at each discourse instance. The overall work focuses on the machinery needed in a computer-assisted collaborative work environment, the aim being to further enhance the human–computer interaction.

Past, present, and future of decision support technology

Since the early 1970s, decision support systems (DSS) technology and applications have evolved significantly. Many technological and organizational developments have exerted an impact on this evolution. DSS once utilized more limited database, modeling, and user interface functionality, but technological innovations have enabled far more powerful DSS functionality. DSS once supported individual decision-makers, but later DSS technologies were applied to workgroups or teams, especially virtual teams. The advent of the Web has enabled inter-organizational decision support systems, and has given rise to numerous new applications of existing technology as well as many new decision support technologies themselves. It seems likely that mobile tools, mobile e-services, and wireless Internet protocols will mark the next major set of developments in DSS. This paper discusses the evolution of DSS technologies and issues related to DSS definition, application, and impact. It then presents four powerful decision support tools, including data warehouses, OLAP, data mining, and Web-based DSS. Issues in the field of collaborative support systems and virtual teams are presented. This paper also describes the state of the art of optimization-based decision support and active decision support for the next millennium. Finally, some implications for the future of the field are discussed.

Ecological interface design for petrochemical applications: supporting operator adaptation, continuous learning, and distributed, collaborative work

Future support systems for operators of petrochemical refineries will have to support operator adaptation to unanticipated events, foster continuous learning, and facilitate distributed, collaborative work. This paper describes Ecological Interface Design, a candidate framework for human–computer interface design that has the potential to fulfill these diverse demands. Support for adaptation and continuous learning is demonstrated though the design of a novel operator interface for a fluid catalytic cracking unit. While the framework forms a basis upon which a distributed, collaborative support system may be built, no such design is presented here. The process of the application of the framework is described in detail, including the domain modelling activity and a description of the resulting graphical user interface. Limitations to applying the design approach to operational plants are discussed.

F-0109 仮想環境における3次元形状評価のための協調作業支援システムの開発(S31-3 ヒューマンインタフェース(3))(S31 ヒューマンインタフェース)

F-0109 仮想環境における3次元形状評価のための協調作業支援システムの開発(S31-3 ヒューマンインタフェース(3))(S31 ヒューマンインタフェース)

まちづくり支援VRシステムの開発と実践

This paper reports the collaboration support system for nightscape design based on virtual reality (VR) technology. 3D-CAD is converted into lighting simulation software. The schematic design and detail design of the Tokushima Shinmachi riverside promenade have been done using this system.