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A Virtual = Environment to=20 support Multimedia Networking

David Leevers, Manager Multimedia Communications Group, BICC plc. =

Adapted from a talk at Unicom Seminar on Collaborative Work, = July1993=20

Introduction

This report describes some early steps along the path to multimedia = computer=20 mediated communications. We have found that a metaphor of a meeting room = to be=20 an effective successor to the desktop metaphor as the function of the = personal=20 computer has expanded from that of an intelligent part of the desk to a = gateway=20 to the rest of the world. After describing our experience of using the = image of=20 a room as a graphical user interface I will indicate how we have tried = to=20 identify a more comprehensive virtual environment that can support = multimedia=20 communications with both people and data. If the Information = Superhighway is to=20 ensure "there will be no there any more" then this virtual environment = can=20 provide a visual framework for handling the very crowded "here" = (Hollam).

The Virtual Meeting Room

The primary objective of the European Community RACE programme is to=20 accelerate the introduction of a European broadband network. As well as=20 developing relevant technologies, this programme has also supported a = number of=20 application pilots that have been helping to identify how broadband = services=20 might be used. The object of the DIMUN application pilot was to=20 demonstrate how international broadband communications could support=20 one-of-a-kind manufacturing when customers, designers and factories are = located=20 in different countries (Condon).

Rather than extrapolate from existing communications services such as = file=20 transfer and video conferencing we chose to start from what was called = the "same=20 room" criterion: the ideal communications service is one which allows a = group of=20 people of different backgrounds and at separate locations to work = together ness=20 effectively as if they were in the same room.

In order to create this illusion it was necessary to develop a user = interface=20 that hid the technology and provided intuitive access to all the = facilities=20 offered by multiple communications services. We recognised that the = "desktop" of=20 files and folders that was popularised on the Macintosh computer was = effective=20 when confined to activities that take place on a desk. A richer metaphor = is=20 needed to support all facets of interpersonal communications and the = obvious=20 candidate was the meeting room.

The concept was that voice, video and data communications should take = place=20 within an unlimited number of persistent virtual networks known as = meeting=20 rooms. Each meeting room belongs to a small group of people who have = something=20 in common, usually a shared task. As each member goes "into" a room the = standard=20 image of that room appears in a window on their screen. Within the room = there is=20 a multiway video window that shows a common set of views.

=

A=20 Virtual Meeting Room

Most of the items can be enlarged by clicking on them. This is = effectively a=20 metaphor for walking up to them or picking them up. Any document can be=20 displayed on the whiteboard when it is enlarged and, once on this shared = whiteboard, each person's mousepointer is named and visible to all the = others.=20 In this way "redlining" and other changes can be seen by all.

The shared whiteboard is preferable to file exchange for security and = document management reasons. A modest bandwidth is required because only = the=20 changes that are visible on the screen have to be transmitted = instantaneously.=20 As in normal small discussions there is no explicit floor control. The = fast=20 response of the network allows conflicting claims for resources to be = resolved=20 quickly.

People who are not permanent members of a meeting room are invited = into the=20 room by selecting them from a stack of "multimedia business cards". = While in the=20 room their affiliation is shown next to their name to remind the others = that a=20 visitor is present.

An audio/visual/data record can be held in a 10 minute recycling = buffer.=20 Thus, providing all the participants agree, it is possible to preserve = the=20 important moments of a discussion immediately after they have occurred. = This=20 avoids the inhibiting effect of recording the whole meeting and removes = the=20 inevitable bias informal minutes.

Clearly it takes some time to set up suitable video views, shared = documents=20 and voice connections. Such collections are preserved in = multi-connection icons=20 such as the one labeled "Deskset views". Clicking on icon triggers an = attempt to=20 restore the set of connections that were in place when the icon was = created.=20

Each person builds up a map of their own "global village" of perhaps = a dozen=20 meeting rooms. A room is entered by "knocking on the door", i.e. = clicking on it.=20 If someone else is already in the room then it is necessary to wait = until they=20 open the door.

A=20 Personal Global Village

The room metaphor provides a complete language for discussing the = mechanics=20 of multimedia communications, e.g. a person "enters a room", they do not = set up=20 a connection. Perhaps the most important feature of the room is that it = is an=20 explicit representation of privacy boundaries. Those without access = rights to a=20 room cannot use the information left on the table or stored on the = shelves=20 within it. The video cameras reinforce the privacy boundaries by = indicating who=20 is participating at the far end.

Although the focus of this work has been the small meeting, the = multimedia=20 communications equipment is equally suitable for accessing external = databases,=20 working through interactive training material or taking advice from = remote=20 experts. Individuals can carry out these activities without delaying or=20 disrupting the flow of the main meeting. This helps to build the = confidence of=20 less experienced participants who might not have all the relevant facts = at their=20 fingertips. In particular factory staff find it easier to contribute = their=20 direct experience of manufacturing techniques if they do not have to = leave the=20 shop floor.

The Video Open Plan

The multiway video window of 4, 9 or 16 views was found to be = particularly=20 useful before the real discussion begins and after it finishes. This = patchwork=20 of views has been dubbed the "Video Open Plan" because it enables people = to keep=20 in visual contact as if they were in an open plan office. Wide angle = views of=20 the whole area are required, not just the head and shoulders of = participants=20 (Heath).

Unlike the executive video conference it is not essential to achieve = perfect=20 lip synchronism. Once the discussion starts participants concentrate on = the high=20 quality audio channel and the shared screen material and use the video = for=20 peripheral awareness of those that are not speaking, i.e. those that = were=20 completely invisible in audio conferences.

We found it preferable to use separate screens for video and data. = The video=20 screen should be as large as possible in order to give the feeling of=20 telepresence and so that movement can be picked up in the corner of the = eye=20 while concentrating on the computer screen. A flicker-free 100hz large = screen=20 television was the most suitable. However the computer screen is used to = present=20 high resolution still images of the subject under discussion.

Evaluation

The early work was carried out at a single site: the manufacturing = shop floor=20 of Bremen University. The Macintosh SuperCard development environment = was used=20 and it proved very effective in that it gave access to virtually all the = Macintosh system facilities while allowing very rapid modifications in = the light=20 of user reactions.

In the three years since the DIMUN project ended the interface has = been=20 demonstrated at a number of exhibitions throughout the world. In some = cases long=20 distance multimedia links to manufacturing and office sites have been = included.=20 These demonstrations have further strengthened the concept and helped to = build a=20 consensus that the metaphor of a meeting room is an effective user = interface for=20 multiway discussions.

The power of this metaphor extends beyond the immediate user = interface. It=20 can be a unifying framework for a complete spectrum of "Computer = Mediated=20 Communications" devices from the humble message pager to the virtual = reality=20 headset. The pager could show text describing the room, laptops show a = fixed=20 view of the room and the headset supports gliding round the room. The = major=20 benefit is that all participants build consistent and compatible mental = models=20 and thus use the same language to describe their interactions.

One drawback of the fixed view of the Meeting Room is that it gets=20 claustrophobically crowded as soon as a realistic number of documents = are=20 introduced. A first implementation of a "Virtual Reality" version using = the=20 Virtus Walkthrough application demonstrated how the 3rd dimension could=20 introduce a new spaciousness that would greatly improve our ability to = represent=20 the multitude of pieces of paper and other objects that are found in = real rooms.=20 One of the research issues now being addressed is how multiple video = from remote=20 locations can be integrated into the room and how they should change as = the user=20 "walks' round the room(Rogers).

Construction Industry Applications

We are now participating in project BRICC (Broadband Integrated = Communications for Construction), another RACE application pilot. An = important=20 element of this work is shared on-line access from many locations to all = the=20 design and administration information for a construction project. A MultiMedia Hard = Hathas been=20 proposed as the construction site equivalent of the factory multimedia=20 workstation. The camera replaces the miner's lamp; the 1 inch cube = "Private Eye"=20 display mounted below the peak of the hat shows a full resolution PC = screen that=20 appears to float at infinity; and a mobile telephone provides the audio = link.=20

The construction industry is at the early stage in changing from many = layered=20 2D CAD to object or model based 3D CAD. In this3D environment it becomes = possible to generalise the concept of the shared whiteboard to that of = the=20 shared subject. Such a subject, a building for instance, can be viewed = in a=20 different way by each participant. The architect might look at the = orthogonal=20 plan while the client can only understand the walkthrough view. Thus=20 collaboration would be further improved because each participant sees = the=20 building in the form they find easiest to understand.

Implications for Real Rooms

Our buildingin Hemel = Hempstead=20 has now become the BICC Integrated Building Demonstrator. It is = displaying how=20 products and services from many parts of the company can support a range = of IT=20 infrastructure facilities including air conditioning, flexitime, PBX = and, of=20 course, multimedia communications. Video and switching equipment is = located in=20 the wiring closets and telephone twisted pair is used for all voice, LAN = and=20 video connections. Cameras and monitors are connected to the nearest = structured=20 cabling socket via a passive balun and so can be located anywhere in the = building, not just next to workstations or codecs.

At present most PTTs and many suppliers are treating video as an = adjunct to=20 the telephone. Thus there has been more interest in increasing the = bandwidth=20 during the few minutes of the typical telephone conversation than in = providing=20 the continuous multiplesub-64kb/s channels needed to support the Video = Open Plan=20 and other forms of background video. Fortunately the introduction of ATM = services, both within the building and in the public network, should = eventually=20 provide the necessary flexibility.

A surge in communications traffic can be expected as multimedia=20 communications facilities reach the market. It will not come from a = dramatic=20 increase in bandwidth but from spending more of the day communicating, = from say=20 10% of the day on the telephone to 50% of the day in front of the = multimedia=20 workstation.

In the short term there is a lot that could be done to adjust ISDN = tariffing=20 to stimulate the growth of multimedia communications without reducing = PTT income=20 from conventional short telephone calls. For instance the background = Video Open=20 Plan could be charged at a low tariff when there is spare network = capacity but=20 would be preempted by normal traffic at peak times. A tariff that decays = exponentially with length of call would encourage the habit of long = multimedia=20 calls without reducing income from conventional short telephone calls. =

The Virtual Environment

The Meeting Room metaphor has been found to be most suitable for = small groups=20 of say 4 to 5 people. A two person meeting does not present any = particular=20 visualisation problems, perhaps because we are so used to the visual = vacuum of=20 the telephone call. Very large groups introduce management problems that = cannot=20 be handled within the peer to peer etiquette built into the Room. We are = now=20 considering the addition of two further components to the metaphor: the = Stage,=20 this will support chaired meetings and training sessions where = information flow=20 is from one to many; and the Landscape, for information retrieval from = many=20 sources including people and databases.

We have found it helpful to draw on current work in biological = anthropology=20 in refining this set of spatial metaphors. Such an approach can help to = ensure=20 that the metaphors cover the complete range of social interactions and = that they=20 are intuitive to everyone regardless of their educational, technical and = cultural background (Lynch).

It is now becoming possible to envisage future communications and = computing=20 technologies providing us with an all-embracing and almost perfect = virtual=20 environment, i.e. one in which we can be most effective and feel most = fulfilled.=20 Since Homo Sapiens as a species evolved to survive in an open savannah=20 landscape, this might be a good starting point for designing such an=20 environment. In such societies three distinct social environments can be = identified: the immediate negotiating group, the extended family and the = clan=20 (Fox).

One of the many factors in our rapid evolution from simian ancestors = of about=20 8 million years ago was the steady increase in brain size and the = corresponding=20 ability to master language. Social bonding during this 8 million years = changed=20 from the inefficient two person activity of grooming (something = chimpanzees=20 still spend20% of their life doing) to the multiway activity of talking = which=20 occupies a similar fraction of our own lives. In a business setting this = is the=20 small negotiating group gathered in a Room, real or virtual (Dunbar). =

As the influence of the elders of the extended family has reduced so=20 narrative entertainment and the school classroom of about 25pupils have = come to=20 fill the same cultural and educational role. In each case an important = element=20 in the learning process is an awareness that the others are accepting = the same=20 material. One reason that the teacher stands or speaks from a stage is = to evoke=20 that respect for the authority of the family elder that is instinctive = in=20 children while they are physically smaller than adults. Interactive = multimedia=20 material is taking over an increasing fraction of the teaching role. = Although an=20 initial selling point was its one-to-one nature, teachers are now = finding that=20 the material is most effective if they remain as facilitators, perhaps = acting as=20 surrogates for both the authority figure and the co-learner role.

The clan of about 150 members is a larger loyalty group that, in a=20 traditional society, includes all who can be relied on for help, support = and=20 information without requiring instant payment or reward. It is = interesting to=20 note that Small/Medium Enterprises below this size do not need a formal=20 structure or rule book. Peer pressure and the fact that everyone knows = everyone=20 else provide both the control and the satisfaction from working in such = an=20 organisation. It has been noticed recently that we all set up our own = SME's or=20 virtual corporations of about this size - our address books. Another=20 interpretation is that this is the numberof people that the average = person has=20 some rapport with over the period of about a year.

The Three Level = Spatial=20 Metaphor

Our early visualisations of the Room and Landscape were static views. = As=20 mentioned earlier we have now started to use Virtual Reality tools to = provide a=20 dynamic point of view within the Room. A VR Landscape can be used to = support the=20 long distance equivalent of greeting someone (Benford). As we browse the = landscape we come across representations of colleagues and as we move = close to=20 them to open a discussion so they are warned that we are approaching- = much more=20 friendly than the intrusive telephone bell. Animating the Stage is, of = course=20 already well advanced in multimedia training and entertainment. Often = the screen=20 is made to represent the proscenium arch of the theatre.

In the last 10,000 years, the rapid evolution of mechanical = technologies,=20 starting with the plough and plateauing with the jumbo jet, has enhanced = the=20 capabilities of our bodies. However these technologies have also imposed = their=20 own unnatural demands: commuting to a city centre office; repetitive = assembly=20 line work; even the typewriter keyboard.

Since 1876 the telephone and subsequent communications technologies, = have=20 been restoring the balance by enhancing our brains rather than our = bodies. These=20 "green" technologies are now starting to remove the need to adapt = ourselves to=20 fit the limitations of the mechanical technologies. The three social = levels that=20 evolved on the African savannah rather than the social groups found in = the=20 hi-tech modern city could well provide the most intuitive unifying = metaphor for=20 the user interface to multimedia communications services.

The Virtual Organisation

Our work is beginning to show how the new communications technologies = can=20 allow teams distributed across many sites to surpass the effectiveness = of=20 co-located ones. This could have a profound effect on the way in which = we plan=20 our buildings. Almost continuous audio and visual communication with = remote=20 colleagues could be very distracting to the person at the next desk. We = can=20 expect to see a trend away from large open plan offices located at city = centres=20 and towards high quality one person offices in low cost areas closer to = or=20 actually within people's homes. Perhaps the best open plan is the = virtual open=20 plan!

5 years ago we saw the purpose of multimedia communications as = providing the=20 long distance equivalent of the grapevine of casual conversations that = ensure=20 the smooth running of an organisation. However we may soon be able to = deliver=20 something far more potent- access to a range of computer based = information,=20 training and communication facilities that give all members of the = organisation=20 the power to give of their best. These facilities support Total Quality=20 Management concepts, with responsibility being devolved to the person = doing the=20 work, and they also enable large organisations to evolve into something = more=20 like networks of co-operating entrepreneurs.

References

Benford, S. Bullock, A. Cook, N. Harvey, P. Ingram, R. Lee, O. 'From = Rooms to=20 Cyberspace. Models of Interaction in Large Virtual Computer Spaces', = Interacting=20 with Computers, Butterworth-Heinmann,1993

Condon, C. 'Networked Cooperative Work: Usability Issues of = MILAN(Multimedia=20 Industrial Local Area Network)', proc of Telematics90, BIBA, Bremen 1990 =

Dunbar, R. 'Why gossip is good for you', New Scientist, 21 = November1992

Dunbar, R. 'Co-evolution of Neocortex Size, Group Size and Language = in=20 Humans', Behavioural & Brain Sciences, 1993

Fox, R. 'The Search for Society: A quest for a biosocial science and=20 morality', Rutgers University Press, 1989

Heath, C. Luff, P. 'Disembodied Conduct: Communication through Video = in a=20 Multimedia Office Environment', Computer Supported Cooperative Work, = Morgan=20 Kaufman, 1993

Hollan, J. Stornetta, S. 'Beyond Being There, Computer Supported = Cooperative=20 Work', Morgan Kaufman, 1993

Lynch, K. 'The Image of the City', 1960

Rogers, A.S. et al "The Virtuosi Project" BT Technical Journal, July = 1994=20

Goto:[BICC Group] [Multimedia = Communications]=20