Thesis (M. S.)--Industrial Design, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Neta Ezer; Committee Member: Ellen Yi-Luen Do; Committee Member: Jon Sanford. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Real-time collaborative editing systems are groupware systems that allow members of a team to simultaneously edit shared documents from different sites. Shared objects involved in the team activity are subject to concurrent accesses and real-time constrains. Starting with the dOPT algorithm of Ellis and Gibbs various algorithms using operational transformation for maintaining consistency in collaborative systems have been proposed: adOPTed, GOT, GOTO and etc. All these algorithms are based on a linear representation of the document. In this work we discuses about algorithms based on a tree representation of the document. We propose several algorithms based on dOPT algorithms for operation transformations for XML based documents. Experimental development helps to evaluate and demonstrate practical application for algorithms testing. Detailed commented experiment supplements formal description with practical strategies and specifics.

LACOME, the Large Collaborative Meeting Environment, is a collaboration system that allows multiple users to simultaneously publish their computer desktops (workspace) and/or windows on a large shared display via a network connection. Once published, windows or even full desktops can be moved, resized, and iconified; optionally, users can even interact with the content of other users. LACOME was originally designed and developed at The University of British Columbia; we extend the system to consider privacy and security concerns. We conducted a series of focus groups to obtain feedback on the initial design of the system. Based on our findings, we developed high level design requirements for future iterations of LACOME; these include the need for addressing privacy and security concerns when moving from the use of LACOME in a co-located setting to the overarching goal of its use in a mixed presence environment. We implemented new features that provide enhanced awareness of users’ shared workspaces and the interactions of others with them. We also developed an access control framework in the system that allows users to assign permissions on an ad-hoc basis. We undertook an initial evaluation of the LACOME system to evaluate the overall system and the changes that we made to it.

Software engineering is a fundamentally collaborative activity, yet most tools that support software engineers are designed only for single users. There are many foreseen benefits in using tools that support real time collaboration between software engineers, such as avoiding conflicting concurrent changes to source files and determining the impact of program changes immediately. Unfortunately, it is difficult to develop non-trivial tools that support real time Collaborative Software Engineering (CSE). Accordingly, the few CSE tools that do exist have restricted capabilities. Given the availability of powerful desktop workstations and recent advances in distributed computing technology, it is now possible to approach the challenges of CSE from a new perspective. The research goal in this thesis is to investigate mechanisms for supporting real time CSE, and to determine the potential gains for developers from the use of CSE tools. An infrastructure, CAISE, is presented which supports the rapid development of real time CSE tools that were previously unobtainable, based on patterns of collaboration evident within software engineering. In this thesis, I discuss important design aspects of CSE tools, including the identification of candidate patterns of collaboration. I describe the CAISE approach to supporting small teams of collaborating software engineers. This is by way of a shared semantic model of software, protocol for tool communication, and Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) facilities. I then introduce new types of synchronous semantic model-based tools that support various patterns of CSE. Finally, I present empirical and heuristic evaluations of typical development scenarios. Given the CAISE infrastructure, it is envisaged that new aspects of collaborative work within software engineering can be explored, allowing the perceived benefits of CSE to be fully realised.

La tesis propone un lenguaje específico de dominio (DSL) para modelar Sistemas Colaborativos (CSSL - Collaborative Software System Language). Este lenguaje fue diseñado como una extensión de UML usando el mecanismo de metamodelado y posee una sintaxis abstracta formalizada que permitirá entre otras cosas definir más de una sintaxis concreta a partir de ella, lo cual aumenta la legibilidad y flexibilidad del lenguaje. Finalmente se presenta una guía que facilita la construcción de Sistemas Colaborativos. Dentro del paradigma MDD (Model Driven Development) y utilizando el lenguaje CSSL se describe las etapas iniciales de un método para modelar los Sistemas Colaborativos.

Multi-display environments (such as the pairing of a digital tabletop computer with a set of handheld tablet computers) can support collocated interaction in groups by providing individuals with private workspaces that can be used alongside shared interaction surfaces. However, such a configuration necessitates the inclusion of intuitive and seamless interactions to move digital objects between displays. While existing research has suggested numerous methods to bridge devices in this manner, these methods often require highly specialized equipment and are seldom examined using real-world tasks. This thesis investigates the use of two cross-device object transfer methods as adapted for use with commonly-available hardware and applied for use in a realistic task, a familiar tabletop card game. A digital tabletop and tablet implementation of the tabletop card game Dominion is developed to support each of the two cross-device object transfer methods (as well as two different turn-taking methods to support user identification). An observational user study is then performed to examine the effect of the transfer methods on groups’ behaviour, examining player preferences and the strategies which players applied to pursue their varied goals within the game. The study reveals that players’ choices and use of the methods is shaped greatly by the way in which each player personally defines the Dominion task, not simply by the objectives outlined in its rulebook. Design considerations for the design of cross-device object transfer methods and lessons-learned for system and experimental design as applied to the gaming domain are also offered.

A tremendous amount of information is produced in the world around us, both as a product of our daily lives and as artifacts of our everyday work. An emerging area of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) focuses on helping individuals manage this flood of information. Prior research shows that multiple displays can improve an individual user's ability to deal with large amounts of information, but it is unclear whether these advantages extend for teams of people. This is particularly relevant as more employees are spending large portions of their workdays in meetings My contribution to HCI research is empirical fieldwork and laboratory studies investigating how multiple shared displays improve aspects of teamwork. In particular, I present an insight-based evaluation method for analyzing how teams collaborate on a data-intensive sensemaking task. Using this method, I show how the presence and location of multiple shared displays impacted the meeting process with respect to performance, collaboration, and satisfaction. I also illustrate how multiple shared displays engaged team members who might not have otherwise contributed to the collaboration process. Finally, I present Mimosa, a software tool developed to visualize large volumes of time series data. Mimosa combines aspects of information visualization with data analysis, facilitating a deep and iterative exploration of relationships within large datasets.

Knowledge Management (KM) and Business Intelligence (BI) are topics, which are receiving much currency in the literature of academia and the general media over the past several years. This thesis explores KM from the perspective of the acquisition of business intelligence inside and outside the organisation. We do this by undertaking an extensive survey of the literature in the field. This thesis provides an overview of the major concepts, approaches, and issues as well as some experiences and trends of KM, covering both organisational and technological aspects. Firstly, chapter 2 discusses various definitions of knowledge and KM as well as related terms like tacit knowledge and intellectual capital, from a philosophical, a technological and a business point of view. Secondly, chapter 3, describes the major components of KM, from a process perspective, a func- tional perspective and a technological perspective. Important processes include the setting of appropriate goals; the creation, discovery, acquisition and capture of knowledge. The chapter also describes the storage of that knowledge in knowledge repositories, the classification, re- trieval, filtering and refinement of knowledge; the transfer and use of that knowledge. Finally, the chapter ends with how organisations may undertake the assessment, conservation and main- tenance of knowledge, and states that groupware, document management systems, intelligent agents, knowledge maps and expertise profiling are examples of technologies used in KM. iii The thesis then looks at the role of asynchronous groupware in enabling and harnessing the benefits of KM. Here, the research discusses how Information Technology (IT), and specifically, synchronous and asynchronous groupware, may be integrated with KM in a drive towards cre- ating BI. Chapter 4 also studies the term `business intelligence', with specific relevance to the identification of business opportunities, and the application of the concepts of intellectual capital (IC). Chapter 5 outlines the research methodology, which includes two surveys on KM awareness and KM practices in order to gauge the level of implementation and application of KM for adding value to organisations. The research methodology also employs a case study to validate the implementation of an aspect of KM collaboration and knowledge sharing. The findings from the surveys give testament to the level of awareness and implementation of KM in best practice organisations. Chapter 7 then presents the approaches to measuring IC, and BI used by firms employing knowledge management practices to maintain their competitive advantage. In chapter 8, the researcher analyses how KM presentations and implementation in organisations may be operationalised. In chapter 9, the research presents the research model, the KM-BI model, which is the seminal objective of this thesis. The KM-BI model uses the confirmatory factor analysis procedure, Proc Calis of SAS Institute, to present a measurement model. In seeking to clarify the argument being made, a model is confirmed and discussed in terms of the transformation process from KM to BI and the subsequent competitive advantage. iv / Business Management / DBL

El objetivo general del presente trabajo de título es diseñar un espacio de colaboración para la construcción de reportes gráficos en ambiente Web, a partir de los aportes realizados por los participantes, con el objeto de mejorar el proceso de generación de indicadores y estadísticas que necesitan las organizaciones para su mejor gestión. En el ámbito empresarial y gubernamental, uno de los instrumentos más utilizados para el apoyo a la toma de decisiones son los gráficos generados a partir de datos provenientes de diferentes fuentes de información, tales como bases de datos, sistemas de workflow, ERP, datos públicos, etc. En el mercado existe una gran cantidad de aplicaciones para la generación de reportes, pero no es común que éstos sean reutilizados para generar nueva información, ni que haya un espacio formal para la interacción entre las personas involucradas en el proceso. La motivación para crear este espacio de colaboración surge a partir de un proyecto en desarrollo, cuyo objetivo es crear un repositorio de reportes basado en Web, donde los usuarios puedan preservarlos y compartirlos organizadamente. El objetivo es estudiar la posibilidad de agregar éste espacio de colaboración al diseño original, para facilitar la colaboración entre sus usuarios, en una relación de interdependencia, que les permita generar nuevos informes y reportes a partir de los ya existentes. Para diseñar el espacio se estudió la forma en que son generados los reportes en una institución, identificando tanto las prácticas más comunes como las dificultades que enfrentan los equipos de trabajo para lograr los objetivos planteados. Luego, se identificaron las interacciones apropiadas, y se modeló e implementó un subconjunto de éstas. El resultado final es un ambiente de colaboración en el que una persona puede definir un objetivo (el gráfico esperado) y convocar a los miembros del equipo para construirlo. Los participantes pueden compartir sus datos para, en base a ellos, dar lugar a la generación del nuevo reporte. Se concluye que es factible reutilizar los datos provistos por reportes anteriores para generar resultados de mayor valor agregado; y que atender con esta plataforma el trabajo colaborativo facilita la interacción de los actores. También se aprecia que el proceso se beneficia significativamente del enfoque al resultado propuesto por la plataforma, la que requiere como punto de partida la definición del gráfico que se desea construir.

O desenvolvimento de sistemas computacionais de apoio ao trabalho cooperativo tem se apresentado como a principal solução no sentido de ajudar grupos de pessoas que querem trabalhar de forma cooperativa e obter resultados melhores e de maneira mais rápida do que aqueles obtidos por esforço individual. A produção de documentos complexos como manuais de descrição técnica de produtos, manuais de usuários, tutoriais, relatórios técnicos, artigos, etc., é uma tarefa que se insere dentro deste contexto porque exige a colaboração de vários especialistas que participam da pesquisa ou do desenvolvimento do produto. De acordo com este contexto esta dissertação apresenta o projeto de um ambiente de suporte à autoria cooperativa que tem a finalidade de auxiliar um grupo de co-autores na construção de hiperdocumento complexos, mesmo estando fisicamente dispersos e interagindo de forma assíncrona. O ambiente oferece um conjunto de serviços de suporte tanto para a fase de planejamento quanto para a fase de execução ou escrita do hiperdocumento. Na fase de planejamento são discutidas as principais características do hiperdocumento que será criado, como a definição da estrutura lógica e a estrutura de apresentação, a atribuição das atividades entre os co-autores e a elaboração de um cronograma onde são detalhadas as tarefas necessárias e o tempo previsto para a conclusão das mesmas. Para auxiliar este planejamento são previstas ferramentas de apoio à realização de reuniões e à tomada de decisões e também um conjunto de ferramentas de apoio a criação da estrutura do hiperdocumento paralelamente com a atribuição das atividades de cada co-autor em relação aos elementos criados nesta estrutura. As ferramentas de apoio à fase de execução ou escrita enfatizam o compartilhamento de atividades e informações entre os co-autores bem como o suporte às interações entre eles. Elas terão como base o editor de hiperdocumentos estruturados THOT (desenvolvido no centro de pesquisas INRIA/CNRS - Grenoble, Fr.) que irá gerenciar as funções de edição. Estas ferramentas foram projetadas e desenvolvidas a nível de protótipo como uma extensão a este editor o que possibilitará seu uso de forma compartilhada por um grupo de co-autores. São apresentados nesta dissertação: i) o ambiente definido através de uma especificação informal sobre as funcionalidades previstas e, ii) características sobre a implementação de um protótipo deste ambiente. / The development of computer supported cooperative work has been used as the main solution to help groups of people that want to work in a cooperative environment and to obtain better and faster results than those attained by individual effort. The production of complex documents, as technical description guides of products, users manuals, tutorials, technical reports, papers, and so on, is a task that is inserted in this context, because it requires the collaboration of several specialists that work in the reserach and development of the product. According to this context this dissertation presents the design of an environment to support cooperative authoring to help a group of co-authors to build a hyperdocument, even though they are physically dispersed and interacting in an assyncronous mode. This environment offers a collection of services to support as the planning phase as the hyperdocument execution or writing phase. In the planning phase are discussed the main characteristics of the hyperdocument that will be produced like definition of the logical and presentation structures, the attribuition of activities among co-authors and the elaboration of a schedulling where are detailed the necessaries tasks and the foressened time to conclude them. To help this planning are foressen meetings support tools, decision support tools and also a set of tools to support hyperdocument structure criation together with the activities attributions of each co-authors in relation with the elements created in this structure. The execution or writing phase support tools emphatize the sharing of activities and informations among the co-authors as the support to their interactions. These tools will be based on the THOT structured hyperdocuments editor (developed at INRIA/CNRS research center - Grenoble, FR.) that will manager the editions functions. These tools were projected and designed in a prototype level as extensions to this editor which will allow its use in a shared manner for a group of co-authors. It is presented in this dissertation: i) the environment definided by an informal specification about the foressen functionalities, and; ii) the implemantion characteristics on a environment prototype.