SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN If we build it will they come? Creating the right cyberinfrastructure for dispersed collaboration Thomas A. Finholt School of Information University of Michigan

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Outline n The field of dreams n Recommendations of the NSF panel n Challenges –Group –Cultural n Prospects

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN If we build it, they will collaborate n Data and access to data represent fundamental barriers to dispersed collaboration n Efficient movement of vast amounts of data is a prime rationale for cyberinfrastructure n Federating, visualizing and mining data are principle challenges

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Researchers DataFacilities n Synchronized data n Synchronized data and images n Data discovery n Automatic archiving n Simulation codes n Hybrid experiments n Teleoperation n Teleobservation n Synchronous communication n Asynchronous communication The collaboratory concept

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NEESgrid The collaboratory component of the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES)

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Bhuj, India. One of the towers of this apartment complex totally collapsed,and the central stairway leaned on another building of the complex. Photo courtesy of Dr. J.P. Bardet, University of Southern California

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Shake table: Nevada, Reno

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Reaction wall: Minnesota

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Centrifuge: UC Davis

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Wave basin: Oregon State

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Field structural: UCLA

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Field geotechnical: Texas

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NEESgird interface

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NEESgrid: Simulation and observational data

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NEESgrid: Simulation

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Cultural challenges n NEES –“earthquake engineers” vs. “IT specialists”

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Earthquake engineers – in Hofstede’s scheme n Power distance –Hierarchical –Bias toward seniority n Individualist –“My lab is my empire” –Solo PI model n Masculine –Adversarial –Competitive n Uncertainty avoidance –Highly skeptical of new technologies –Extremely risk adverse

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IT specialists – in Hofstede’s scheme n Power distance –Egalitarian –Bias toward talent n Collectivist –Use the Internet to create worldwide communities –Project model n Masculine –Adversarial –Competitive n Uncertainty avoidance –Extremely open to new technologies –Extremely risk seeking

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Agreeing on terms

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Building it so they will come… n Dispersed teams performed poorly relative to collocated teams n Performance suffered due to coordination overhead n More successful dispersed teams adopted explicit coordination mechanisms The ideas on this slide are from an NSF report by Cummings and Kiesler (2003), available at:

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Use of H.323 videoconferencing UNR Demo b cd a = initial ES-TF meeting; b = ES-TF meeting time changed; c = succession to new ES-TF chair; d = change to biweekly ES-TF meetings a NSF LAN meetings

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Prospects n How important is data federation? –Some earthquake engineers use data from others…but they all have remote collaborators

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Some use data from others…

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN …but everyone has remote collaborators Item MeanSDMeanSD Number of collaborations you are currently involved with Number of collaborations with remote participants Number of collaborators on your primary collaboration Number of collaborators from prior collaborations in primary collaboration

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Conclusions n The cyberinfrastructure vision places great emphasis on collaboration primed by access to data n Evidence suggests that communication and coordination may be stronger determinants of collaboration success n Observation of dispersed teams shows great energy expended on ad hoc coordination n Transformation of scientific and engineering work via cyberinfrastructure may be more easily achieved by solving problems of coordination and communication