Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Modelling Shared Contexts in Cooperative Environments: Concept, Implementation, and Evaluation

  • Published:
Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Users who work together require adequate information about their cooperative environment: about other group members’ presence and activities, about shared artefacts, etc. In the CSCW literature several concepts, prototypes, and systems for providing this group awareness information have been presented. In general, they capture information from the environment, process it, and present it to the users. This paper addresses the processing aspect; in particular, we present a concept for processing awareness information by means of awareness contexts. With this concept we address the problem of contextualising event notifications enabling the presentation of notifications in the appropriate user situation. We describe a lightweight model and its integration into an event and notification infrastructure. We report on an empirical study, and draw some conclusions for the design of context-awareness for cooperative environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abiteboul, S., P. Bunemann and D. Suciu (1999): Data on the Web – From Relational to Semistructured Data and XML. Morgan Kaufmann

  • A. Agostini G.d. Michelis M. Grasso W. Prinz A. Syri (1996) ArticleTitleContexts, Work Processes, and Workspaces Computer Supported Cooperative Work: The Journal of Collaborative Computing 5 IssueID2–3 223–250

    Google Scholar 

  • W. Appelt (1999) WWW Based Collaboration with the BSCW System SOFSEM’99 Springer-Verlag Milovy, Czech Republic, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Begole M.B. Rosson C.A. Shaffer (1999) ArticleTitleFlexible Collaboration Transparency Supporting Worker Independence in Replicated Application-Sharing Systems ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 6 IssueID6 95–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Borning, A. and Travers, M. (1991): Two Approaches to Casual Interaction Over Computer and Video Networks. In Proceedings of the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI’91. Apr. 27–May 2, New Orleans, LO. N.Y.: ACM, pp. 13–20.

  • J. Cadiz G. Venolia G. Jancke A. Gupta (2002) Designing and Deploying an Information Awareness Interface Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, CSCW 2002 ACM Press New Orleans, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Dey, A.K. (2000): Providing Architectural Support for Building Context-Aware Applications. Ph.D. thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology.

  • Dourish, P. and Belotti, V. (1992): Awareness and Coordination in Shared Workspaces. In Proceedings of the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work – CSCW’92. Oct. 31–Nov. 4, Toronto, Canada. ACM N. Y., pp. 107–114.

  • Erickson, T., D.N. Smith, W.A. Kellogg, M. Laff and J.T. Richards (1999): Socially Translucent Systems: Social Proxies, Persistent Conversation, and the Design of Babble. In Proceedings of the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – CHI’99. May 15–20, Philadelphia, PE, New York: ACM, pp. 72–79.

  • Fitzpatrick, G., T. Mansfield, S. Kaplan, D. Arnold, T. Phelps and B. Segall (1999): Augmenting the Workaday World with Elvin. In Proceedings of the Sixth European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work – ECSCW’99. Sept. 12–16, Copenhagen, Denmark, Dortrecht, NL: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 431–450.

  • G. Fitzpatrick S. Parsowith B. Segall S. Kaplan (1998) Tickertape: Awareness in a Single Line CHI’98: ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing ACM Press Los Angeles, CA, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs, L. (1999): AREA: A Cross-Application Notification Service for Groupware. In Proceedings of the Sixth European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work – ECSCW’99. Sept. 12–16, Copenhagen, Denmark, Dortrecht, NL: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 61–80.

  • H.W. Gellersen A. Schmidt M. Beigl (2002) ArticleTitleMulti-Sensor Context-Awareness in Mobile Devices and Smart Artefacts Mobile Networks and Applications 7 IssueID5 341–351

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutwin, C. and S. Greenberg (1998): Design for Individuals, Design for Groups: Tradeoffs Between Power and Workspace Awareness. In Proceedings of the ACM 1998 Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work – CSCW’98. Nov. 14–18, Seattle, WA, NewYork: ACM, pp. 207–216.

  • Gutwin, C., M. Roseman and S. Greenberg (1996): A Usability Study of Awareness Widgets in a Shared Workspace Groupware System. In CSCW’96: Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work. Nov. 16–20, Boston, MA., New York: ACM Press, pp. 258–267.

  • Heath, C. and P. Luff (1991): Collaborative Activity and Technological Design: Task Coordination in London, UK Underground Control Rooms. In Proceedings of the Second European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work – ECSCW’91. Sept. 24–27, Amsterdam, NL, Dortrecht, NL: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 65–80.

  • C. Heath M.S. Svensson J. Hindmarsh P. Luff D. Vom Lehm (2002) ArticleTitleConfiguring Awareness Computer Supported Cooperative Work: The Journal of Collaborative Computing 11 IssueID3–4 317–347

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Ishii M. Kobayashi K. Arita (1994) ArticleTitleIterative Design of Seamless Collaboration Media Communications of the ACM 37 IssueID8 83–97

    Google Scholar 

  • OrbiTeam. BSCW - The Knowledge Management System of OrbiTeam. OrbiTeam Software GmbH, http://www.bscw.de/index_en.html, 2004. (Accessed 23/7/2004)

  • U. Pankoke-Babatz A. Syri (1997) Collaborative Workspaces for Time Deferred Electronic Cooperation GROUP’97: International ACM SIGGROUP Conference on Supporting Group Work ACM Press Phoenix, AZ, New York 187–196

    Google Scholar 

  • W. Prinz (1999) NESSIE: An Awareness Environment for Cooperative Settings ECSCW’99: Sixth Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work Kluwer Academic Publishers Copenhagen, Dordrecht 391–410

    Google Scholar 

  • W. Prinz U. Pankoke-Babatz W. Graether T. Gross S. Kolvenbach L. Schaefer (2003) Presenting Activity Information in an Inhabited Information Space D. Snowdon E. Churchill E. Frecon (Eds) Inhabited Information Spaces: Living with Your Data Springer-Verlag NewYork 181–208

    Google Scholar 

  • Rittenbruch, M. (1999): Atmosphere: Towards Context-Selective Awareness Mechanisms. In Human-Computer Interaction: Communication, Cooperation and Application Design - HCI’1999. Aug. 22–26, 1999, Munich, Germany, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

  • M. Roseman S. Greenberg (1996) ArticleTitleBuilding Real-Time Groupware with GroupKit, A Groupware Toolkit ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 3 IssueID1 66–106 Occurrence Handle10.1145/226159.226162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O. Sandor C. Bogdan J. Bowers (1997) Aether: An Awareness Engine for CSCW ECSCW’97: Fifth European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work Kluwer Academic Publishers Lancaster, UK, Dordrecht 221–236

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandor, O., C. Bogdan and J. Bowers (1997b): Aether: An Awareness Engine for CSCW. In Proceedings of the Fifth European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work – ECSCW’97. Sept. 7–11, Lancaster, UK, Dortrecht NL: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 221–236.

  • B.N. Schilit N.I. Adams R. Want (1994) Context-Aware Computing Applications Proceedings of the Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications Computer Society IEEE Santa Cruz, CA 85–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Simone, C. and Bandini, S. (2002): Integrating Awareness in Cooperative Applications through the Reaction-Diffusion Metaphor. Computer Supported Cooperative Work: The Journal of Collaborative Computing. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publisher, vol. 11, no. 3–4, pp. 495–530.

  • M. Sohlenkamp W. Prinz L. Fuchs (2000) ArticleTitlePoliAwac – Design and Evaluation of an Awareness Enhanced Groupware Client AI and Society – Special Issue on CSCW 41 IssueID1 31–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, J.C. and M. Rua (1994): Montage: Providing Teleproximity for Distributed Groups. In Proceedings of the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – CHI’94. Apr. 24–28, Boston, MA, New York: ACM, pp. 37–43.

  • M. Weiser J.S. Brown (1997) The Coming Age of Calm Technology P.J. Denning R.M. Metcalfe (Eds) Beyond Calculation: The Next Fifty Years of Computing ACM NewYork 75–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Wisneski, C., H. Ishii, A. Dahley, M. Gorbet, S. Brave, B. Ullmer and P. Yarin Ambient Displays (1998): Turning Architectural Space into an Interface between People and Digital Information. In Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Cooperative Buildings: Integrating Information, Organisation, and Architecture Workshop – CoBuild’98. Feb. 25–26, Darmstadt, Germany, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Media, Bauhaus-University Weimar, Bauhausstr. 11, 99423, Weimar, Germany

    Tom Gross

  2. Fraunhofer Institute of Applied IT, Schloss Birlinghoven, 53754, St. Augustin, Germany

    Wolfgang Prinz

Authors
  1. Tom Gross
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wolfgang Prinz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tom Gross.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gross, T., Prinz, W. Modelling Shared Contexts in Cooperative Environments: Concept, Implementation, and Evaluation. Comput Supported Coop Work 13, 283–303 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-004-2804-6

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-004-2804-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation