Abstract
This paper concerns the use of new media technologies, including virtual worlds and web 2.0, for on-line collaborative activities, and specifically for the provision of expert advice about the response to large-scale crises. Internet technologies in general offer rich possibilities for interactions involving remote experts; however, the diversity, novelty and power of these technologies are such that to introduce them into problem-solving episodes without first developing a model of the nature of those episodes and the type of collaborative support they require, risks confusing and discouraging users. After a brief discussion of the nature of distributed collaboration and the implications this has for any technical support, we describe a virtual collaboration environment that has been developed to foster task-focused communities and support them through specific problem-solving episodes, and present some of the results of evaluation experiments.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM 2011) |
Subtitle of host publication | Lisbon, Portugal, May 2011 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Publication status | Published - May 2011 |