XML: Modeling Data and Metadata

Rohit Khare, University of California, Irvine, with Adam Rifkin, California Institute of Technology

Intended Audience: This tutorial is intended for CSCW developers evaluating the XML family of standards. No prior knowledge of markup languages, metadata systems, or knowledge representation is assumed.

Abstract: Designers of computer supported cooperative work systems have long sought a portable information delivery format to share knowledge. Extensible Markup Language (XML) provides an effective solution for communicating across time, space, and communities. First, when recording a data structure for future reuse, XML format storage is self-descriptive enough to extract its schema and verify its validity. Second, when transferring data structures between different machines, XML's link model in conjunction with Web transport protocols reduces the burden of marshaling entire data sets. Third, when sharing collaborative data structures between disparate communities, it is easier to compose new systems and convert data definitions to the degree that XML documents are well adapted to the Web.

This tutorial introduces the family of Extensible Markup Language specifications to CSCW researchers and practitioners: XML, Namespaces, XML Stylesheet Language (XSL), XLink, XPointer, Resource Description Framework (RDF), RDF Schemas, as well as XML's interaction with other Web standards such as HTML, CSS, URI, and HTTP.

About the Instructors: Rohit Khare, a UCI doctoral student, was a member of the technical staff of the World Wide Web Consortium and was Editor-In-Chief of the World Wide Web Journal. Adam Rifkin, a Caltech doctoral student, works with the Infospheres Project on the composition of distributed active objects. His work on Infospheres has received two conference best paper awards.

Internet Scale Workflow: Standards for Cross-Enterprise Business Processes

Keith Swenson, MS2

Intended Audience: This tutorial is valuable to those implementing groupware or workflow systems or evaluating workflow systems. The audience is expected to be knowledgeable about collaborative system concepts, but does not need to know any particular system in detail.

Abstract: While workflow systems support processes within an organization, process support breaks down when more than one organization takes part in the process. In the same way that documents are linked across organizations on the web, we now foresee the day when processes will be similarly linked across organizations achieving truly internet scale workflow processes. To do this, standards must exist. This tutorial gives an overview of (1) issues and problems to be solved, (2) standards efforts currently evolving in the Workflow Management Coalition, the OMG workflow RFP, and the IETF SWAP protocol, and (3) complimentary and supporting efforts such as XML, EDI, HTTP, internet notification protocols, LDAP, SMTP/MIME, and common representations for users. Through comparisons, attendees will obtain an understanding of which options are appropriate for different situations, and the near future trend of new workflow technology. References for standards will be supplied.

About the Instructor: Keith D. Swenson is currently at MS2, Inc. in Mountain View, California. Previously, at Netscape he was the architect for Process Manager and Visual JavaScript. At Fujitsu, he lead the development of Regatta Technology, now known as TeamWARE Flow. Previous positions include project manager for Framework at Ashton-Tate and development lead for Open Access at Software Products International. He is a past vice-chair for ACM SIGGROUP. He was elected fellow of the Workflow Management Coalition. He has an M.Sc. in Computer Science with a specialization in public hypertext information systems.

CSCW, Groupware and Workflow: Experiences, State of the Art, and Future Trends

Jonathan Grudin, University of California, Irvine, Steven E. Poltrock, The Boeing Company

Intended Audience: This introductory tutorial is intended for actual and potential users, developers, researchers, marketers, or managers of some CSCW, groupware, or workflow system. Minimal requirements are a general background in HCI and experience working collaboratively. Broad knowledge or experience with collaborative technologies is not expected.

Abstract: Through lecture, video, and group discussions you will learn what groupware technologies are being used, what problems people encounter, and how successes with groupware have been attained. You will learn how different disciplines contribute to use and design of collaborative systems and how these technologies will affect individuals, organizations and society. You will:

• Discover the multi-disciplinary nature of CSCW.
• Learn about state of the art technologies.
• Understand behavioral, social, and organizational challenges.
• Learn development and usage approaches that lead to success.
• Anticipate future trends in groupware and global social impacts.

About the Instructors: Steven Poltrock and Jonathan Grudin, Co-Chairs of CSCW '8, began collaborating in 1986. Jonathan Grudin, Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Computer and Human Interaction, has worked as a developer and researcher, and has published numerous technical and popular articles. Steven Poltrock, a Boeing Technical Fellow, introduces, evaluates, and deploys groupware systems that support information sharing, organizational memory, concurrent engineering, collaborative authoring, and workflow management. Together they have authored several overviews of CSCW and groupware.