Livespaces
Livespace

A Livespace is a technology-enabled environment supported by a Livespace Bus that integrates the various services and devices available in the environment, and provides capabilities to federate multiple environments.

One liner:

The Livespace research platform aims to explore the application of ubiquitous computing and novel human interactivity approaches to support intense collaborative activities such as those undertaken for military planning.

Key Components

• Livespace Deployment Server: OSGi-based central deployment system. Provides a single repository for all Livespace software configurations delivered to client and server host PC's.

• Livespace Bus: provides a global publish/subscribe space for accessing shared data. Services may publish shared entities that represent their state, and which can be discovered, monitored and changed by clients. The bus may be federated across sites. The bus is implemented on top of the Elvin event router, which can be accessed directly if lower-level service require it.

• Livespace Services: services are provided on the bus by software bundles delivered via the OSGi deployment server to hosts in a Livespace. The core services include:

  • Lights: discover and control lights in the room.
  • Displays: control projector or other large displays.
  • Video and audio: control video/audio switching (e.g. screen forwarding to the room displays, controlling audio sources and volume).
  • Computer control: advertises the presence of the various servers and client laptops in the room, desribes who's logged in and provides the ability to remote control the computer, such as opening documents or displaying videos.
  • Livepoint: remote mouse/keyboard control for any computer in the room. Most often used to control shared displays connected to main projector displays.
  • Meta applications: set up predefined sessions in the room and provide automated briefings.

• Livespace Applications: applications running on the room touchscreen and client PC's that enable control of the Livespace. These include:

  • Ignite: runs on the touchscreen and also on any client. Allows full control of room including starting sessions, screen forwarding and volume/light controls.

  • Livespace Browser: shows all services in a browsable tree.

  • Client info applet: allows you to customise who is advertised as logged in and the video port the computer is connected to for screen forwarding.

• Livespace Groupware: applications supporting group collaboration:

  • Access Grid: video teleconferencing.

  • Shared clipboard: provide a single shared clipboard for the entire room.

  • TeamThink: group document editing.

  • Sticker: instant messaging.