1. 1 Fostering Asynchronous Collaborative Visualization Francis T. Marchese and Natasha Brajkovska Pace University New York, NY 10038 fmarchese@pace.edu

2. 2 Collaboration Work Communication Artifacts Synchronous Real Time Asynchronous Any Time

3. 3 Collaboration + Visualization + Annotation Issues : Synchronous –Powerful idiom for bringing groups of individuals together over a distance –Basis for all collaborative visualization environments (CVE) –Minimal annotation capabilities Asynchronous –Essential part of group process –Much collaborative scientific research is asynchronous –Basis for computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) –Software supports text-based collaboration

4. 4 Asynchronous CVE System Requirements 1.Interactive real-time visualization. 2.Visualization session recording. 3.Playback by means of replay by re-execution. 4.Support for disconnected use. 5.Information foraging. 6.Annotation. 7.Isolation of work practices. 8.Support for replication of data. 9.Automatic resolution of conflicts. 10.Version control.

5. 5 Asynchronous CVE by Mash-up Wiki Engine –Hundreds of Wikis –Written in … (Perl, PHP, Python, Java, C, etc.) –JSPWiki selected Visualization Software –Jmol selected Embedding –Create plugin (e.g. MoinMoin, MediaWiki) –Use HTML/JavaScript

6. 6 Jmol Open-source molecule viewer for chemistry Written in Java Reads many molecular structure files, including CML Directly manipulates 3D molecular data Reads command scripts that control data display Uses LiveConnect –JavaScript's ability to call methods of Java classes within existing Java infrastructure –Connects Jmol's functionality with UI objects embedded within HTML

7. 7 Asynchronous CVE by Mash-up

8. 8 JSPWiki 1.Isolation of work practices. 2.Support for replication of data. 3.Automatic resolution of conflicts. 4.Version control. 5.Information foraging. 6.Annotation. JMol 1.Interactive real-time visualization. 2.Session recording. 3.Playback by means of replay by re-execution. 4.Support for disconnected use. 5.Information foraging. 6.Annotation.

9. 9 Usage Scenario Scientist 1: 1.Creates wiki entry with descriptive text and embedded Jmol commands. 2.Attaches a molecular coordinate file to the wiki page. Scientist 2: 1.Explores wiki page using embedded Jmol scripts or interactive pop-up console for interactive script entry. When done, collaborator may: –enter a comment –edit the document to include the new scripts –download the molecule structure file to refine the data analysis on a local machine. 2.After analysis has been completed, a new commentary may be uploaded to the wiki.

10. 10 Summary Scientific document and data delivery Hypermedia publications with embedded interactive visualization software Links between visualization systems and documentation Collaborative asynchronous visualization Wiki-based mash-up creation Use of open source technologies

11. 11 Opportunities for Future Work Authoring Expanding Wikis for visualization Expanding applets with LiveConnect Fostering emergent collaboration