Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Introduction to Access Grid Andrew Rowley Collaborative Working Developments Manchester Computing

2 Contents  What is Access Grid?  Access Grid in the UK  Some Developments

3 Origins  Invented in 1998 at the Futures Lab, Argonne National Laboratory  Based on concept of virtual venue  “Designed space”

4 Typical Views of Access Grid

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7 CSAGE

8 Access Grid at Manchester  Existing nodes: –Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning –Smith Building –Kilburn Building (X2) –Jodrell Bank –Stopford Building (X2) –Hope Hospital –Humanities (X2) –George Begg

9 Growth of UK Access Grid Nodes

10 Access Grid Support Centre  Support  Documentation  Services: –Venue servers –Multicast bridges –H.323 bridge –VRVS bridge –Recording –Shared presentations  Quality Assurance  Training

11 Access Grid 3  Easier navigation of virtual venues  Quicker connection times  More resilient networking features  More usable interface

12 InSORS Grid 2  Integrated audio/video tool  Improved video  Desktop sharing  Home broadband capability

13 Media Tool Developments  VIC & RAT – SUMOVER project (UCL) –Simplified user interface –Automatic bug reporting –Padlock security icon –Integration of new video codecs: H.264, H.263 –Full screen video/arbitrary video resizing –Who's speaking functionality –Desktop sharing –Video subtitling/watermarking –Firewall/NAT traversal –Low bandwidth support

14 Visual Cues & Audio Localisation  WIP, but may solve the problem of “who’s speaking?!”  Highlight the vic window  Adjust audio to location of displayed window –Determined by position on screen –Changes when the window moves 

15 Access Grid on the Beach  Chromakey-like technology  Provides sense of location

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17 Memetic

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19 Joint MA in History of Political Discourse – Hull & UEA

20 DTAGMATHS  A-Level Further Maths tuition by School of Mathematics  Tutors originally drove to schools –Altruistic = schools couldn’t resource this themselves –Selfish = enables University to pinpoint bright students  Save 80 mile round trip  Future course delivery  Widening Participation  Evaluate effective whiteboard sharing

21 Shared Whiteboards

22 Mathematics Access Grid: Instruction and Collaboration (MAGIC)

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Manchester Computing Providing Research Infrastructure & Support Research Support Services Manchester Computing