TR-IIS-04-012   

Abstract

This work is part of the integrated project “ShareTone”, which aims to build a web-based collaborative problem-solving environment for scientific collaboration. The whole plan is composed of three main portions, i.e., (a) a knowledge management mechanism, (b) a tele-conferencing system, and (c) a computer supported collaborative work (CSCW) system. This paper involves the first part of the whole plan. Accompanying papers will cover the other two parts. In this paper, we propose an efficient knowledge management mechanism. We integrate clustering and mirroring features into the Zope/Plone shareware, and extend it to support different levels of collaboration, i.e., data sharing, software warehousing, application sharing, and workflow. The ShareTone tele-conferencing and CSCW systems can also be plugged in this framework. Therefore, it is developed not only as an excellent knowledge management portal, but also as online communication and synchronous collaboration vehicles.

Index Terms: collaborative problem-solving environment, knowledge management, tele-conferencing, computer supported collaborative work (CSCW), data sharing, software warehousing, application sharing, and workflow.