CECED: a system for informal multimedia collaboration

Abstract

The Collaborative Environment for Concurrent Engineering Design (CECED) 1 is presented, which provides mechanisms that facilitate communicating effectively using multiple media and capturing the history of the informal phase of the specification and design process. The network-supported collaboration technology being developed in CECED is designed to support collaboration among multiple users of existing tools with minimal intrusion into existing software or user interaction styles. It integrates voice with other media exchanged in a multimedia conference by multiplexing the media in the same multicast connection for transport across a network or internet. It separates private workspaces from shared ones. It uses a distributed activity-sensing floor control algorithm to guarantee a single stream of input to unmodified single-user applications. It extends the shared screen paradigm prevalent in multimedia conferencing to shared and coordinated control of client applications and server resources. Finally, it supports the replication of applications and databases at each site, quick feedback to all conferees, and the ability to conference over low bandwidth communication networks.