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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/J53812/01
Title: VIRTUOSI : SUPPORT FOR VIRTUAL ORGANISATIONS
Principal Investigator: Rodden, Professor T
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
BT Division Ltd Pre Nexus Migration
Department: Computing & Communications
Organisation: Lancaster University
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 March 1994 Ends: 30 April 1997 Value (£): 255,162
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Human-Computer Interactions
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
VIRTUOSI is a three year project focusing on the development of a sound computational framework for the construction of groupware applications. Specific VIRTUOSI objectives include: The provision of support for large geographically dispersed and loosely structured groups by the development of pilot cooperative applications to support the delivery of expertise across manufacturing sites. The development of a pilot application to support fully 3D collaborative design and marketing of clothing involving designers, manufacturers and buyers in the textile industry. The development and assessment of metaphors employing a spatial model of the cooperative world based upon the experiences gained from the VIRTUOSI applications. The assessment of a range of methods for analysing work and the development of requirements for cooperative systems based upon these methods. The identification and development of novel architectures for multi-user distributed user interface management systems to support a range of interaction technologies. ProgressThe first year of the project has focused on the investigation of user needs and the development of novel VR techniques and systems. This work has produced a number of important results including: The development of a series of populated information terrains which place organisational information in populated virtual environments. These terrains have used information drawn directly from the commercial partners within the project. The development and testing of a spatial model of interaction in a series of field trials linking academic and industrial sites. These have used widely available communication facilities to support real time update across these virtual worlds. An extensive investigation of user needs by undertaking ethnographic studies within both the manufacturing and fashion industry. This has including the outlining of a series of facilities to support the cooperation taking place within the work setting. The development of an abstract virtual representation of a portion of one of the organisations which provides remote access to the physical layout of users in a working environment. The production of guidelines for the use of social science based techniques in requirements capture and guidelines for assessing CSCW technologies aimed at supporting work practices. Many of these results are in advance of original expectations for the project and we anticipate the development of significant technical demonstrators to be complemented by methodological advances in the development of cooperative systems.
Key Findings
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Summary
Date Materialised
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Organisation Website: http://www.lancs.ac.uk