Collaboratory Life: Support for Science over the Internet

Thomas A. Finholt & Joseph B. HardinSchool of Information

As we may work?

electronic resources (e.g., the Web) represent a tremendous opportunity

gains for knowledge workers are possible...but not automatic

the challenge: How to maximize the likelihood of beneficial change?

A familiar pattern

More

Time

Performance

Less

hype

raw performance of technology

“real performance”

“reality gap”

Interdisciplinary synergy

Behavioral & Organizational Science

Computer & Communication Science

The User’s Domain

SPARC: Facilitating a revolution in space science

A discipline at a crossroads

Emerging predictive phase requires collaboration (e.g., space weather forecasting)

Globally distributed instruments and scientists

SPARC Environment

globalarrays

archivesdigitallibraries

K-12schoolsundergrad.graduate

theory-experimentclosure

SPARC

Education IntegratedModels

Electronic Workshops

Real-timeCampaigns

SpaceWeatherTestbed

ScienceEnvironment

developmentvalidation

test

Past: remote observatories

Kangerlussauq, Greenland

Impact: access to complementary expertise

Past: access limited by time and distance– single scientists doing experiments– watch but don’t touch

Today: SPARC increases access– diverse expertise is available during SPARC

experiments– students are in a computer-mediated

community of learners

Impact: New experimental paradigms

Past: focus on views from instruments– local data; one person = one instrument

Today: SPARC allows simultaneous views from instruments and models– shift in focus to a global perspective– emphasis on phenomena, not instruments

Generic frameworks for collaboration

Custom-coded solutions– WIRED Java application running within NCSA’s

Habanero environment– Distview (SPARC), Tango - sharing applets– tradeoffs of coding time, download costs, software

revision control, etc…; platform independence; network load (needs testing); feature comparisons (e.g., record and playback); possible integration with emerging systems (e.g., Salamander, GLOBUS)

Off-the-shelf solution– Microsoft NetMeeting

Benefits to Research Community

Allows real time interaction

Extends communication with text and images

Expands access to limited resources

Distributes expertise over distance

NCSA Habanero

DOE-2000 at PNNL - Habanero

Real-Time Collaboration Scientist's Notebook Instrument Control &

Experiment Analysis

VisAD - 3D Java Hablet

Microsoft NetMeeting

Combination of OS and Internet based application Windows 95/NT, Sun & HP Unix (via DC Share), Mac

(via Timbuktu) Variable bandwidth usage, standards-based

– Modems/LANs/ISDN/T-x

– Compliant with data and video conferencing standards (e.g., T.128 & H.323)

Features

– Audio, Video, File Transfer, Text Chat, Whiteboard

– ARBITRARY application sharing Free

WIRED Shared via Habanero

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Habanero

WIRED Shared via NetMeeting

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Challenges of Next Generation Collaboratories in HEP

Seamless integration of same-time and different-time collaboration

Across different platforms

Drive advanced networking capabilities

Dramatically more scalable

Security and access control

Opportunities Presented by HEP Collaboratories

Matches model of large international collaborations of the future

Promotes team development and integration Provides some capabilities now, during facilities

construction phase Incentivizes cross-platform design, development

solutions Drives increased network capabilities - positive

feedback relationship