Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

The Access Grid Support Centre

Aims, Activities, Leadership

Michael DawCollaborative Working DevelopmentsManchester Computing

28 November 2006

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Aims of this Talk

• Overview of AGSC

• Provide context for UK AG

• Show current trends

• Future activities

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Origins

• October 2002 – report: “Multi-Site Videoconferencing for the e-Science Programme”

• http://www.nesc.ac.uk/technical_papers/UKeS-2002-04.html

• Support Centre to: “…assure quality across sites…”

• April 2004 – AGSC @ Manchester

• Funded by JISC, managed by UKERNA

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Aims of AGSC

• Improve quality

• Improve interoperability between AG2, inSORS, vic/rat, VRVS, etc.

• Support existing & prospective users

• Strategic leadership

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

• About 70 nodes

• …and rising!

• e-Science

• Virtual Research Environments

• e-Social Science

• Teaching

• Seminars, etc.

• Art

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Support

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Quality Assurance Tests

• Audio

• Video

• Networking

• Other software

• Every 6 months

• Access to services

• “QA Assured Nodes”

– http://www.agsc.ja.net/QAtesting/QApasses.php

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

InSORS Virtual Venue Server & Bridge

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

AG2 Virtual Venue Server & Bridge

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

rcBridge

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

IG Pix

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

IG Recorder

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Arena & ScreenStreamer

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Training Workshops

• Next Workshop – 19 January 2006• Access Grid Support Centre

• New to the AG

• Node Management

• Arena and Memetic

• Node Operation

• Meeting Tools

• Troubleshooting Meetings

• Multicast

• Echo Cancellation

• Successful Meetings – Human Factors

• Teaching Over the Access Grid

• Tom Uram - Argonne National Laboratory

• http://www.agsc.ja.net/training/courses.php

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Coming Up…

• VRVS

– Includes AG Gateway

• Booking System

• New look web pages

• Rollout of new inSORS software (“IG2”)

• New developments…?

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

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

• http://scv.bu.edu/~putnam/ag-audio/misc/poster.pdf

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Automated Video Placement

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Access Grid on the Beach

• Chromakey-like technology

• Provides sense of location

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Beyond Multicast Bridges

• Aspen - http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/aspen-wiki/

Multicast bridge

Aspen – P2P

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

http://www.agsc.ja.net

http://www.mc.manchester.ac.uk/services/accessgrid

michael.daw@manchester.ac.uk

Research Support ServicesManchester Computing