Collaboratory life: Observations on scholarship via the Internet

Thomas A. FinholtCollaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

School of InformationThe University of Michigan

finholt@umich.edu

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

A problem statement

• “There is a growing mountain of research...the investigator is staggered by the findings and conclusions of thousands of other workers...”

• “...our methods of transmitting and reviewing the results of research are generations old and by now are totally inadequate for their purpose...”

• “The difficulty seems to be, not so much that we publish unduly in view of the extent and variety of present-day interests, but rather that publication has been extended far beyond our present ability to make real use of the record.”

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

“As we may think” -- 1945

• “memex” -- a device in which individuals store all their books, records, and communications, and which...may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility

• “links” -- associations between information

• “trails” -- persistent records of information searches across multiple sources

Vannevar Bush, author of“As we may think”

www.netspot.unisa.edu.au/tutorial/vbush/as-we-may-think.html

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

As we may work...

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

• gains for scholars are possible...but not automatic

• the challenge: How to maximize the likelihood of positive change?

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

An old pattern

More

Time

Performance

Less

hype

raw performance of technology

“real performance”

“reality gap”

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Interdisciplinary synergy

Behavioral & Organizational Science

Computer & Communication Science

The User’s Domain

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Human-centered design

Build:Rapid prototyping

Trials: Deploy, use, evaluate.

Modify: extend design,evolution

Conceptualize:Interview, Observe & Define objectsin current practice; establish baseline.

“living specification”

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

A testbed for human-centered design

• “a laboratory without walls”

• support for work among geographically distributed scholars

• 1993 National Academy Report– National Academy Press

2101 Constitution Ave., NWWashington, DC 20418

• fund several prototype systems

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

The collaboratory vision

Digital libraries &electronic publishing

groups-to-information groups-to-facilities

people-to-people

Communication,Collaboration

Services

Distributed,media-richinformationtechnology

Remote instruments

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

University of Michigan Digital Library (UMDL)

• one of 6 large projects funded under the NSF/DARPA/NASA Digital Library Initiative

• centerpiece of a range of digital library projects at Michigan

• initial deployment in schools

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

The UMDL approach

• a system to support large-scale information collections and services in a heterogeneous environment

• “agent-based” -- software that mediates between information sources and users

• easy integration of new and legacy collections

• services tailored to users’ abilities and history of use

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

UIA TPA

RACIA

Registration process

CIA

Registration of collections

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

UIA TPA

RACIA

Registration processCollection search -- find CIAs

CIA

Collection search

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

UIA TPA

RACIA

Registration processConspectus search -- find CIAsInformation retrieval -- get documents

CIA

Information retrieval

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

UIA TPA

RACIA

Registration processConspectus search -- find CIAsDocument search -- get documents

CIA

The entire agent-based system

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

The UMDL interface

UMDLIndexes

Numeric Data

Spatial Data

Books

Encoded Texts

Reference Works

ImagesJournals

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Upper Atmospheric Research Collaboratory (UARC)

• NSF-funded, 1992 to the present

• an experimental system for collaborative research over wide-area networks

• focused on data from ground-based observatories, spacecraft, and supercomputer models

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

The UARC approach

• Java-based -- to overcome platform dependence

• designed to accommodate a wide range of “quality of service”

• used by an international community of 300 scientists

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

The nature of space physics

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Remote observatories

Kangerlussauq, Greenland

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

The UARC testbed

Chat window

Radar displays

TING model

Session manager

Polar UVI

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

UARC scope, 1997

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Access to complementary expertise

• Past: access limited by time and distance– single PI campaigns

– dependence on face-to-face meetings

• Hypothesis: UARC should increase access– diverse expertise should be available during UARC

campaigns

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Pattern of participation, April 1997

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Interaction network, 1997

Utah State

Millstone

SRIRice

EISCAT

HAO

NSF

SwRI

SPRL-3Scientist

Post-doc

Student

Student

ScientistScientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

SPRL-1Scientist

0 - 5 exchanges

6-10 exchanges

> 10 exchanges

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Interaction network, 1997

Utah State

Millstone

SRIRice

EISCAT

HAO

NSF

SwRI

SPRL-3Scientist

Post-doc

Student

Student

ScientistScientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

SPRL-1Scientist

0 - 5 exchanges

6-10 exchanges

> 10 exchanges

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Interaction network, 1997

Utah State

Millstone

SRIRice

EISCAT

HAO

NSF

SwRI

SPRL-3Scientist

Post-doc

Student

Student

ScientistScientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

Scientist

SPRL-1Scientist

0 - 5 exchanges

6-10 exchanges

> 10 exchanges

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Opportunities for participation

• Past: limited participation by students– watch, but don’t touch

– secondary analysis of data

• Hypothesis: UARC should create new ways to participate

– students will treat UARC like a computer-mediated community of learners

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

“Lurking”N

um

ber

of

con

vers

atio

nal

tu

rns

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Participants – Most active to least active

FTFUARC

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Experimental paradigms

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

• Hypothesis: UARC should create simultaneous views from multiple instruments

– shift in focus to a global perspective

– emphasis on phenomena, not instruments

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

Design challenges

• Access and participation– need to create shared interpretations

– problem: absence of metaphors for “group” work involving dozens of scientists

• New experimental paradigms– need to provide multiple views

– problem: overwhelm screen real estate

• Technology– need to support tightly-coupled work

– problem: variable quality of service in current Internet

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

A vehicle for change

www.si.umich.edu

Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work

CREW

Finholt

School of Information: Intellectual Linkages

School of Information

Information & Library Science Business Admin.Psychology

Computer Science

CREW

Economics

Org. Theory

Education

Health Care Units:Research & Practice

Design & Fine Arts,Architecture Libraries, Media Union

Law School

Public Policy Studies

Journalism,Communication