Scenario:

Neftegorsk - Interorganization Collaborations

Description:

The scenario is based on an actual set of collaborations that have occurred between Imagery Analysts at the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and Geologists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The purpose of this scenario is to explain how collaborative computing capabilities could be used to support collaborations on the study of the Neftegorsk Earthquake in Russia.

This scenario is primarily useful for collaborations between 2 or 3 people, although it can easily be extended to many others, as the scenario suggests that others can passively look at end products or pose questions to the primary collaborators.

IC&V Program Objectives Addressed

Enable access via diverse portals, from hand-held through room sized.

By varying the portals through which this scenario is run, the team should be able to:

• Determine if the collaboration tool has an adequate amount of screen space.
• Determine if the collaboration tool has an adequate resolution.
• Determine if the collaboration tool communications infrastructure is adequate.

Enable interoperability across diverse encoding formats, coordination and consistency protocols, and real-time services.

By varying the platforms and applications through which this scenario is run, the team should be able to:

• Determine if the same tool across multiple operating environments (e.g. operating systems, networking protocols) support users.
• Determine if different tools on the same operating environment support users.
• Determine if different tools on different operating environments support users.

Improve task-based performance of collaborators by two orders of magnitude.

By varying the tools and collaboration method (in person compared to CSCW tools) through which this scenario is run, the team should be able to:

• Determine if tasks can be performed more quickly when using a collaboration tool compared with the current method of collaborating.

As this scenario is based on an actual set of collaborations that have occurred between NIMA and USGS, this domain is specifically relevant to the interorganization study of an issue deemed important to multiple government organizations for multiple reasons. For example USGS would be interested in studying Neftegorsk to better understand the nature of earthquakes and their affects on different types of structures. NIMA would also be interested in studying this earthquake to understand its affects on structures; however in addition, NIMA would also be interested in studying Russia's response to the earthquake, as it may be an indicator to Russia's readiness in general.

This scenario is also important because with shrinking budgets, it is less likely that one organization in one location will contain personnel with all the expertise necessary to study the different types of issues that may arise. The actual set of collaborations, from which this scenario is based, was dependent on personnel with expertise in imagery analysis, geology, and Russian linguistics.

Characteristics Tested

This scenario is intended to exercise the ability to:

• Communicate in a synchronous manner.
• Load, view and annotate imagery and other reference materials.
• Interoperate across portals and operating environments.

Application Data and Format

Data needed to conduct this scenario using CSCW tools include:

• Unclassified Softcopy Imagery.
• Softcopy material (map and Russian reference information to be translated).
• Script for scenario
• Integration of the collaborative software with a light table or electronic light table is high desirable.

Scenario Data and Format:

Not Applicable.

Tasks:

The primary task is to follow the script for the purpose of exercising the various testbed characteristics.