HumanCollaboration Tools forNet-Centric Operations TyW.Hayden andChris Ward

research anddevelopment byBallAerospace's Collaborative Technologies andSolution Group (CTSG) haveunderscored theneedofanewgenre ofcollaboration andcommunication technology. Ball isdeveloping anewdesktop collaboration toolcalled Net-Centric Operations orsimply "NetOps." NetOpsisacross-platform, companion-tool toKnowledgeKinetics, whichaimstofill avoidfound in current COTShumancollaboration tools. NetOps isadesktop-based (thick client) presence andinstant messenger application providing anextendable setoftools andcapabilities, whichpromote team collaboration andcoordination onalarge scale. NetOps communicates presence andchatinformation using theJabber XML-based XMPP standard, whileWeb-Services handle toolororganizational information tomakecommunications through firewalls anon-issue. Inaddition, NetOps provides the capability ofdomainspecific inter/intra crewtasking, communications, alerting, andpresence management ina24/7operating environment. Ball's integrated Virtual Meeting Application (VMA)tool allows users toschedule virtual meetings, conduct video teleconferences, andexecute instant meetings. BothNetOps andVMA provide openPlug-in architectures andAPisother developers mayusetoextend thebasecapabilities oradddomain specific tools. AtCTS2005,we willprovide aninteractive demonstration ofthecurrent state oftheNetOps technologies andtools. Demonstration attendees will beable toconnect toaNetOps server wirelessly and/or viaEthernet, automatically download theNetOpsclient, andparticipate inthedemo.An interactive demonstration ofVMA,including video teleconferencing using wavelet compression over HTTP/S, will also bepresented.