Virtual Window
ANSPAG has been developing the "Virtual Window" concept, where
high quality video conferencing connects two geographic locations, with
a permanent video link. This is left running even when not in use.
As such it becomes a permanent space for interaction with the other site,
which can be integrated into a normal working day. Workers at each location
can simply walk to the virtual window and look into the other location.
If a colleague is there and not doing something else, you can simply ask
them a question, or share some news.
It is interesting to see how this affects social and business interaction
between sites. It has been shown to be highly useful in a research environment,
where skills are often scarce, specialised and geographically distributed.
The technology for this type of interaction is still not widely accessible,
using up to 10mbit/s bandwidth and expensive video codecs. However, it provides
an interesting platform for networking and social research.
