Data management in delayed conferencing

Abstract

Abstract only given, as follows. Video conferencing has become an alternative way to get people to communicate with each other without having to travel long distances. Though it has proven to be very useful in many occasions, in order to have a successful video conference, (1) it requires preliminary scheduling to have all involved parties present at the same time, (2) all parties need to be fully prepared and give quick responses to minimise expensive "dead space", and (3) there never seems to be enough communication bandwidth. Of course, as is common in most conference settings, people inevitably try to rush for conclusions near the end. With the above in mind, we are developing new data management techniques to conduct video conferences in which all parties need not be present at the same time, people can communicate at their own pace, and network bandwidth is utilized more effectively. We briefly describe the basic ideas behind such a system and show a prototype system.<>