Tutorial on Web-Based Collaborative Tools Introduction

1. Tutorial on Web-BasedCollaborative ToolsIntroduction March 1 2001ERDC Vicksburg Geoffrey Fox, Ahmet Uyar Florida State University Department of Computer Science and CSIT (School of Computational Science and Information Technology) 400 Dirac Science Library Tallahassee Florida 32306-4120 fox@csit.fsu.edu http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

2. Topics to be Covered I • 1. Introduction: What is a Collaboratory and Collaboration Technology; Tools, Standards, Portals • 2. Web Conferencing Tools (Centra, WebEx, PlaceWare, Latitude) + demos of Centra and PlaceWare • 3. Learning Management Systems (Blackboard and WebCT) + demos of Blackboard and WebCT using WebEx. • 4. Shared display in WebEx and VNC • 5 Management Tools: TMD (Training Management Database) and Virtual Classroom Manager (“NPAC Grading System”) • 6. Learning Object standards: IMS and ADL http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

3. Topics to be Covered II • 7. Authoring and Authoring Standards from Macromedia, Adobe, .. Flash, SVG, VML, OpenOffice.org • 8. HearMe Voice over IP including demo • 9. Access Grid high end audio-video conferencing • 10. Instant Messengers (Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Jabber) • 11. Calendars and Schedulers • 12. Palmtop Interfaces and Comments on Palmtop Technology • 13. Portals for education and computing. http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

4. What are we Trying to do I? • Build web-based support for people to interact with each other and with other resources: computers, documents, instruments • This was originally called a Collaboratory by Bill Wulf in a famous Science article in volume 261, 13 Aug 1993 • We must do this while technology is rapidly changing and while we are not certain what collaborative tools, scientists will actually use i.e. requirements are not known • We will find a set of successful capabilities where some consensus exists as to what they do and how they look to users – these are typically (now) commercialized • There are some clearly useful technologies and standards on which to build – we will mention these en passant • Need to identify those areas where there is a potential requirement and Industry will not provide (or render our solution invalid) in next year or so http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

5. What are we Trying to do II? • Object Web technology suggests how systems ought to built today • Program in Java • Data Structures in XML • Use multi tier architecture • There are some important internet trends which suggest where systems will go – • Bandwidth and latency of networks (Gilder’s law) • growing use of Palmtop devices • Advising you as to what systems work and how to support them • Discussing differences and similarities between support of training, administration and research http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

6. Collaboratory Applications • Distance Education including advanced seminars and training • Help Desk including • Microsoft helping user debug problem on home PC (connected to Internet) • MSRC consulting staff interacting over distance in real time with a user with a program bug • Yahoo staff asking in depth questions from users browsing either their knowledge or Shopping sites • Scientists brainstorming difficult research issues in distributed locations • Virtual communities around the world from children chatting to each other or integration of distributed organizations (like ARL) • Indian Nation remaining in their homeland but participating electronically in modern economy (digital.indigineousworld.org) • Implementing next round of PET activities • Crisis Management and Command and Control for Military http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

7. Basic Principles in Building Systems Object 1 Object 2 • Everything electronic is by definition an Object • Some objects are easier to deal with than others • All (systems) software will be written in Java • As it has best software engineering properties • All Object (meta)data and data streams will be defined in XML • Whether you use COM, CORBA, Jini/RMI, SOAP, HLA Object Model • All Systems built in multi-tier fashion so front end rendering and back end functionality are disassociated XML Datastream XML Interfaces http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

8. Object Web Portals think of things as objects and services System View User View RenderingEngine CORBA or Java Broker or Server Objects XML Requestfor service followed byreturn of XMLresult XML Browser(HTML) RenderingEngine Universal Interfaces IDL or XML “Computing Portals”portalML Interface www.computingportals.org “Grid Forum”resourceML Interface www.gridforum.org http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

9. Use of Object Technology in Computing I • Basic Principle: Use object technology wherever possible • This will give you a more productive development environment which are easier to maintain • Objects can be used at different granularities • Fine and Very Fine Grain • The computational kernel • The linkage of different kernels as different routines • Characterized by low latency (memory access or subroutine call or at worst MPI invocation) -- a few nanoseconds to a microsecond • Object technologies are not essential here although eventually languages like C++ and Java will be preferred solution here • Maybe you have a lot of legacy Fortran code in this category • Converting to Java is probably not the best use of scientists’ time http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

10. Use of Object Technology in Computing II • Coarse Grain objects characterized by modest latency ( but maybe high bandwidth) are where you use Object web technology immediately • All programs, sensors, datasets, simulations are objects • There are many competing object models -- Java, COM, CORBA, SOAP but doesn’t matter -- use XML to define all objects -- we can convert • Data format is not 16I5 or 8F10.4 or even a Java or C++ data structure -- it is defined in XML. This ensures interoperability between sensors and programs • Objects can have multiple views -- Oracle can think in rows and columns; the user as a correlated time series -- Internet technology filters convert very easily • Each Science field should set these XML based coarse grain object standards for its area • IMS and ADL are doing this for education and training. Thousands of other efforts http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

11. Example of XML Specifying a Program as an Object <?xml version="1.0"?> <!DOCTYPE application SYSTEM "ApplDescV2.dtd"> <application id=”Casc2d" installable="No"> selected application <target id="aga.npac.syr.edu"> selected host <status installed="Yes"/> <installed> <CmdLine command="/npac/home/haupt/CASC2D/casc2d" /> <input> <inFile Path="/npac/home/haupt/CASC2D/lms/" Name="sand.map"/> <source Host="maine.npac.syr.edu" Path="C:\LMS\fromEdys\" Name="S.map" > </input> <output> <outFile Path="/npac/home/haupt/CASC2D/lms/" Name="sed.out"/> <dest Host="maine.npac.syr.edu" Path="C:\LMS\toEdys\" Name="sed.out" > </output> <stdout Host="aga.npac.syr.edu" Path="/npac/home/haupt/CASC2D/history/" Name="job2001.out" > <stderr Host="aga.npac.syr.edu" Path="/tmp/" Name="haupt_job2001.err" > </installed> </target> </application> how to run it it expects this input file it generates this output file Actual location of the file store it permanently here save stdout and stderr http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

12. Aspects of Collaboration • Collaboration means Sharing and we identify three classes of capability • Share the people: Audio/Video Conferencing • Basic Tools: email, Instant Messenger, Bulletin Boards, White board • Shared resources i.e. shared objects (Basic tools are special case where object is a text message or simple drawing) • Objects can be shared in several ways • Shared display • Shared export • Shared event • Which trade off ease of use versus flexibility versus ease of implementation • If we share objects and we have a lot of them, then we must have management capabilities so we can store and retrieve them • Management issues have special needs in some areas e.g. store grades and homework in learning systems http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

13. Collaborative Visualization Output Filter Map Transform Shared “events” Event Adapter Object Broker A Input Custom W3C Input Filter Map Transform Event Adapter Object Broker B Output Master User BCollaboratorsA and C SharedDisplay Output C • Consider a computer program (object above) and then its output and input wend their way through multiple filters(tiers) until they are finally rendered onsome sort of device: CAVE through PDA. • One can share “object” at any stage in pipeline http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

14. Architecture of Collaboration I • The web is full of objects – web pages sitting on web servers – and these support asynchronous collaboration • You post a web page and I later look at it in my own time • Replacing web document by a “CGI script” or servlet (web interface to program, database etc.) gives general multi-tier object sharing • This is Publish/Subscribe mechanism • If add some mechanism (automatic email or word of mouth) to tell viewing client when new information is posted • We use JMS (Java Message Service) as Industry standard for publish/subscribe systems • Synchronous Collaboration provides “real-time” notification and automatic update of changed objects http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

15. Architecture of Collaboration II • All forms of Collaboration are Event based • Different modes: Display, Export, “Event” correspond to events generated at different places in object rendering pipeline • Shared Display – Events contain updates to frame buffer • Shared “Event” – Events contain updates to state of either original or transformed object • Shared Export – Convert (rendering of) object to some standard form that is more flexible than bitmap of Shared Display. Build a custom sharing for this exported form • WebeX uses “patented sharing of virtual printer” which is equivalent to sharing export to PDF • I like shared HTML (web pages) or SVG described later http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

16. Architecture of Collaboration III • Objects are all “copies” of each other with events maintaining state • Result can be identical or different renderings – e.g. one can choose on subscribing client to resize rendering to a larger (so can see) or smaller (as PDA) size Pub/SubServer Receive eventson subscribedchannels PostEvents Subscribe Exported Object SubscribingObject II SubscribingObject I http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

17. Architecture of Collaboration IV Exported Object Original Object • For each collaborative model, we are sharing and replicating an object • We just need to choose which version of original object to use This is replicated between each collaborating client.It is “frame buffer”,“original object”,Web/SVG/PDF/.. Exportfor Shared display, eventand export models Render Export http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

18. Requirements of Collaboration I • We have learnt a lot from our own experiments (systems called Tango (synchronous) and WebWisdom/Virtual Classroom Manager (asynchronous)) • and from study of commercial models • WebeX Centra and Placeware (and others) have evolved to more or less identical synchronous models • Yahoo, Excite, NetCenter are asynchronous information portals • WebCT and Blackboard are asynchronous education portals • There are technology trends of importance • Abstract some lessons and requirements for (future) systems http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

19. Technology Trends and Principles • All performance and capability measures of infrastructure continue to improve • Gilder’s law says that network bandwidth increases 3 times faster than CPU Performance (Moore’s Law) • The Telecosm eclipses the Microcosm …. George Gilder Telecosm :How Infinite Bandwidth Will Revolutionize Our World (September 2000, Free Press; ISBN: 0684809303, #146 in Amazon Sales Jan 15 2001) http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

20. Small Devices Increasing in Importance CM5 • There is growing interest in wireless portable displays in the confluence of cell phone and personal digital assistant markets • By 2005, 60 million internet ready cell phones sold each year • 65% of all BroadbandInternet accesses via non desktop appliances http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

21. Palm Tops help define Client Model • One needs to design web systems so they can be accessed from either a PDA or a PCor a Powerwall • This implies that only code in browser should be that immediately needed to relay events between user and web system – all “logic” (state) should be outside browser. • Supports Server based Computing model with clients “just” for rendering http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

22. Requirements of Collaboration II • Need to support both synchronous and asynchronous models in an integrated fashion • Some think asynchronous web based education will replace conventional methods • Maybe role of synchronous (teacher-student interaction) shifts from lecturing to mentoring • Implies need to archive synchronous sessions for later replay • Implies build collaborative portals • Need to support PDA and PC seamlessly • Define content in XML and use style-sheets or other transformation tools to map into HTML (PC) or WML (PDA) • This is part of portalML • Collaboration implies sharing objects – the better object structure exposed, the better sharing is possible • So define everything you can in XML (ResourceML) • We can share Word/PowerPoint best in Web or SVG form as this is universal export. Could build a custom office sharing tool but hard http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

23. Requirements of Collaboration III • Predict that future will see higher quality web pages as Web allows more competition (e.g. between education providers) • So need to understand how to share pages written with Macromedia Flash and other high end authoring tools • Need to migrate to evolving standards whether “sure things” like SMIL (multimedia) or W3C Universal Access or possibles like OpenOffice or WML • Must assume all commercial and indeed academic products will evolve (rapidly) and so generic collaboration framework strongly preferred • Special requirements of Science and HPCC • Share Mathematics (MathML) and other science symbols (e.g. molecules) in scientific whiteboard etc. • Share Computing (submit jobs, visualization etc.) http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

24. Summary of Architecture • Multi-tier with resourceML to define Objects and portalML to define client server interface and dissociate Object and its rendering • Server side logic to allow range of clients and exploit increasing network bandwidth • Automatically gives universal archiving • Publish/Subscribe can be used as universal mechanism for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration • “only” need latencies of fractions of a second as this built already due to browser update time, long distance transmission time etc. (JMS latencies around 0.1 second for modest size message going from publisher to subscriber) • Will need multicast (not in JMS) to scale to lots of clients • Naturally supported by event based model of computing with all transactions expressed as time stamped messages (events) which are archived and forwarded by middle tier http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

25. myPET Portal Interface • Yahoo Messenger is an interesting model for the myPET or more generally myProfessor (Education) or myHPCC (general computing) interface • “Small” Application that invokes browser • Runs on PC or Palmtop and “only” contains summary information suitable for Palms – can we use Java (J2ME) • Has services like file manipulation, send a message and set of custom buttons • Access News, Weather, Stocks etc. • Develop myPET with computers, papers, programs and sensors instead of news and stocks • Develop myProfessor with school events, classes etc. http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

26. Typical Virtual Class(Meeting)room • Invoke this from myACES or myProfessor • See Centra, Placeware, WebEx…. Control buttons for Audio/Video/Floor Control etc. Lecture Page Annotations (student, teacher) Pointers etc. index Alert/Raise Hands Chat Room Invoke Quiz http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

27. Typical MyProfessor Interface My Professor Log Out Main Menu My Courses Home Courses Edit Intro To Java Visible Schedule Next Class: Thursday, 9/14/2000, 4 pm Message: 5 new, 2 unread, 15 total View Messages To Do’s Edit Java: Swing Agents Next Class: Thursday, 9/14/2000, 2 pm Message: 0 Total Preferences View Profile Edit Java: AWT Now Next Class: Tuesday, 9/12/2000, 1 pm Message: 1 new, 0 unread, 3 total Today View 8 Announcements & News FSU announces 50 new online courses. 9 New speech recognition spanish course available. 10 11 Alerts & Notifications Your Java: AWT class starts in 3 min. 12 Routine maintenance for 9/16 @ 1:00 am 13 Java: AWT 14 ScheduleSeptember, 2000 15 View 16 Month Week Su M Tu W Th F Sat 17 Activity 1 2 18 3 4 5 6 Add 7 8 Del 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 2 alerts 6 new msgs 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 • Messages will give you access to email, instant messenger, voice messages, alerts etc. • Agents scan for useful resources you requested e.g. news about Enterprise Javabeans • Calendar and Scheduler supports CDIS, CAP and CIP data Interchange, access and Interoperability standards (see iPlanet Calendar Server 2.1) http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

28. Synchronous Virtual Environments • Several similar systems offering shared display and shared export (for PowerPoint) • Commercial: WebeX Centra Placeware Latitude NetMeeting • Public Domain: VNC shared display • Limited functionality in areas of archiving, export models, management and PDA support • VNC designed for “different problem” – client doing administration on multiple remote machines and not optimized for one master and lots of clients • Audio-Video Support limited – Centra has built in Windows audio (with Java front end). WebeX using Lipstream and perhaps HearMe • Have built in shared annotation of display and chat/whiteboard tools http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

29. Commercial Collaboration and Training Systems I • October 19 2000: WebEx Communications, Inc. the leader in communications infrastructure for Web meetings, today announced record results for its third quarter, ending September 2000. WebEx added more than 700 new customers this quarter, bringing the total number of customers to more than 1800. • During the third quarter, AT&T and Global Crossing announced the integration of WebEx services into their communications solutions, and Commerce One announced that WebEx services have been integrated into their next generation Commerce One.netTM. WebEx's list of new customers this quarter contains industry leaders in aerospace, automotive, computer software, computer hardware, consulting services, financial services, healthcare, real estate and legal services. New customers include 3-M, Aberdeen Group, Ace Hardware, Altera, Associated General Contractors (ACG), BancTec Inc., Blue Martini, Briggs & Stratton, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., CheckFree Corp., Cosine Communications, Emory University, Enron Energy Info Solutions, Fiserve, Inc., FleetBoston Financial, Forrester Research, Grubb & Ellis, Hewlett-Packard, Keystone Solutions, Kyocera Wireless Corp., Medtronic, Motorola, NEC America, Nexprise, Proxicom, Razorfish, Sunguard, Toyota Motors, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, ZDNet and Ziff-Davis among others. http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

30. Commercial Collaboration and Training Systems II • Oct. 12, 2000-- Centra the world's leading provider of software infrastructure and ASP services for live eLearning and Internet business collaboration, today announced results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2000. • Centra added 73 new customers in the third quarter, bringing the total customer base to 350 accounts. Some highlights include: • Centra continues to grow its extensive customer base, serving more than one million users across all industry sectors and geographies. Contributions to this rapid growth in the third quarter were highlighted by: • The selection of Centra by Andersen Consulting, one of the world's largest professional services firms, as the company's standard infrastructure for the delivery of live eLearning to the company's 65,000 employees. • A significant initial deployment at Coca-Cola Company, the world's largest soft drink provider with over 35,000 employees, to provide eLearning delivery infrastructure for global SAP end user training and ongoing change management initiatives. • Siemens AG selected Centra as the corporate eLearning and collaboration standard to support communications and planning among the company's top 1,500 global operations executives. In addition, Siemens, which operates in over 190 countries, will use Centra to support their extensive SAP rollout through hands-on end user training over the Internet. http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

31. Learning Management Systems • Learning Object standards ADL and IMS from DoD and education community • Most education and training stresses asynchronous or web support for conventional delivery • WebCT Blackboard Lotus(IBM) and others offer LMS systems with limited synchronous capability • Support typical educational needs like grading, quizzes, homework, glossaries, group email • Varying database backend and • Varying authoring support • Popular with colleges as supports not so expert faculty • DoD use less clear as don’t need homework etc. • No built in support for areas like “programming labs” (VPL from NPAC did this) http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

32. Learning Management Tools • “Integrated solutions” have problem that cannot compete well in any one area • E.g. Blackboard (initially) did not support Java applets in curriculum pages • Quizzes do not support (yet) CAPA capabilities to personalize them (http://capa4.lite.msu.edu/capa-bin/class.html) • We mention two projects built at NPAC with focused capabilities • TMD supports training at ASC • Virtual Classroom Manager (Mehmet Sen Thesis) which was used for several years in PET to support classes for homework and grading with very simple quizzes • Instant Messenger and Calendar/Schedulers are other generic tools which can be used if you adopt modular approach http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

33. Learning Objects • Given changing technology, need standards to protect investment in authoring and administrative data generated and stored in databases • Educational Environment Educause set up IMS – http://www.imsproject.org Instructional Management System with selection of companies and universities • IMS focus was changed to drop implementation work and is now “Global Learning Consortium” Inc. • Department of Defense (which has huge training needs) set up ADL Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative • www.adlnet.org whose links section includes all other useful URL’s • IEEE (Computing Community) set up P1484 Learning Technology Standards Committee LTSC http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

34. LMS Model used by ADL LearningServer Content Server(s) External systems: “Learning HR, E-Commerce, ERP... Management Course Interchange: System” Course LMS Structure Format (CSF), Metadata Migration Adapter Services or Adapter Learning Server Adapter Server Side Runtime Client Side Environment: Launch, API, Browser Data Model API Adapter Application HTML+ Critical InterchangeCapability Server Client http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

35. Areas (Object Properties) Covered • Metadata from IEEE and IMS • Roughly Properties of educational objects thought of as “documents” (author, title …) • Course Packaging from SCORM and IMS • How to form bigger units of instruction from smaller units • Called Content Packaging by IMS and Course Structure Format (CSF) by SCORM which goes in greater depth than IMS • Tests and Quizzes from IMS • Specialized CSF descriptors from SCORM (via CMI) • Such as objectives, prerequisites, completion requirements • LMS Runtime API from SCORM – I am doubtful about value • Enterprise Properties from IMS • Link to people and organization databases (rather incomplete at present but must be important as probably can agree) http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

36. Audio-Video Conferencing • In Tango training, audio-video conferencing was always problematical • Video may or may not be necessary – Internet only supports “postage stamp” talking heads • Audio only requires a few kilobits per second but quality of service critical and not likely to be supported on current Internet • HearMe desktop audio: Support general mix of internet and “ordinary” phone lines which have: • Quality of service and good echo canceling etc. on high-end phones • Should work with modem (28.8 kilobits per second) • Access-Grid community audio/video: Supports multiple high-quality audio and video streams • Each client client needs 20 megabits per second http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

37. Authoring • Authoring on the Web can include • Basic HTML • Macromedia/Adobe/etc. packages like Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Illustrator • PowerPoint and Word exported • Also can include RealNetworks or Microsoft or .. Format Multimedia • Note Streaming multimedia formats have larger buffers than A/V conferencing formats • Pressure to improve web quality • Training and Education need a lot of material and so custom editing of each page not practical • Using XML to specify content and include this in beautiful framework seems best • SVG and SMIL are 2D vector graphics and multimedia standards • HTML does not give reproducible pages • Flash can be thought of as “proprietary SVG” http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

38. Hand Held Internet • So we will have convenient hand-held devices linked to the “wireless internet” • Wireless Internet is basically the same as conventional Internet except that content is optimized for size and communication limitations of wireless systems • Current bandwidth is around 14.4 kbaud – “poor modem” • Maybe WAN Cellphone bandwidth will be limited for near future • “Bluetooth” standard should give hand-held devices megabit per second communication bandwidth for LAN • Two positives for the wireless hand-held device • Cheaper than a PC (relevant for students) • More portable and more pervasively useable than a PC • Grid on the Go Meeting April 2001 http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

39. Collaborative Palm Tops • Shared Display: Share pixels between clients • Shared Event: Share URL between clients – in general have different versions (WAP for Palm-top, HTML/HTTP for PC’s) of display controlled by same XML content Collaboration Server URL or (scaled)frame buffer …………….. HTTP-HTML WAP Web Server http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

40. Hand Held devices and Wireless • Ubiquitous access to resources from palm-top devices will new access modes from simple job submission through visualization of results • Control large screendisplays – Banksand Erlebacher • Control active walls ofFlat Panel screens (Sunray) • Support in Gateway forjob submittal • Collaborativeclient inresearch or training • Shared display or Sharedweb-page with differentmodes for each type of device http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

41. Two Hand Held Prototypes • Latest release of VNC (public domain shared display) for Palm tops is quite impressive – fast and includes server side resizing for reducing “shared display” for smaller hand held display • We have a prototype of a Java client in a Palm controlling 3D object on PowerWall through a wireless connection PalmVNC http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

42. Real Time Collaborative Systems • Real time situations demand immediate response from anywhere expert • spacecraft reports unexpected problem • IMT test surprise • Commanders or field personnel in Crisis Management • Scientific analysis during aftershocks of Earthquake • Collaboration (must bring in special expert) and support of diverse displays – maybe critical person only has Palmtop – are particularly important in these application • Synchronous and asynchronous http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

43. WAKE UP! WAKE UP! page ALARM Caltech quake location, size -- page disp disloc JPL sorted station potential -- modem Dial Stations(and database) USGS station raw files -- page WAKE UP! GIPSY/auto_p JPL station motions -- JPL disloc simplex JPL --maps for civil authorities single-fault model multi-fault model Virtual_California Boulder (University of Colorado) web simplex JPL --graphics --refined fault model collaboration --graphics --hazard model http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

44. SharedBrowserof Simulation Results Will become myACES Chatroom Shared map of faults/sensors SCEC Demo (Sept 99)Collaboration in GEM Earthquake Analysis System Conferencing http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

45. Collaborative Portal Data base Data base WebPage Persistent Store of Earthquake Data Simulations Real Time control And sensor data ResourceML Asynchronous Access Store Real time Share CollaborativemyACES Synchronous Distributed Science PersonalServer PortalML “Client” HTML WML/WAP Rendering Standards http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

46. What is a Web Portal? • It is a “just” a web-based application • Commodity Portal is Web-based Information Source (Yahoo) or Shop (Amazon) • Enterprise Information Portal is “Lotus Notes done right” • Education Portal is a Web-based University • Computing Portal is a “Problem Solving Environment” • Well defined Interfaces based on • Grid Forum -- Computing • IMS/ADL/IEEE LTSC -- Education • And a set of Services and Tools http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

47. Commodity Portals are Web Interfaces for Consumers Yahoo, NetCenter, Amazon.com, Ebay.com etc. are portals fore-commerce, news etc. http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

48. Portals in Computing and Education • Merrill Lynch predicts that Enterprise Information portal market will be $15B by 2002 • Unfortunately it is not trivial to re-use some key commodity systems as they do not provide the right level of interfaces to add capabilities like collaboration and security • We must adopt architecture that maximizes chance that can use new commercial capabilities when they become available • Multi-media, Handheld infrastructure are areas where industry ahead of academia Hardest Problem Wish to re-usecomponents betweenEducation and Computing http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

49. Hierarchy of Portals and Their Technology ……... ……... Portal Building Tools and Frameworks (XUL, Ninja, iPlanet, E-Speak, Portlets, WebSphere, www.desktop.com) Generic Portals Collaboration Universal Access Security ……. Generic Services User customization, component libraries,fixed channels Information Services Databases ……. Enterprise Portals Quizzes Grading ... www.computingportals.org Education Services Compute Services Grid Services Visualization ... MathML etc Education andTraining Portals Science Portals K-12 University Biology GEM http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01

50. GEM Computational Environment Multi-Tier Architecture Geophysical “Web” Info Seismic Sensors Field Data General “Web” Info Databases (HPCC) Computers (Java) Interactive Analysis Client Visualization Backend Services Middleware Bunch of Web Servers and Object Brokers Collaboration SecurityLookup Registration Agents/Brokers Application Integration Visualization Server Seamless Access Clients http://aspen.csit.fsu.edu/project/cctutorialjan01