Role-based collaboration

协作系统是支持人们协作的工具。它们不仅应该支持远距离人员之间的虚拟面对面协作，还应该通过提供更多机制来克服其固有缺陷，从而改进面对面协作。同时，角色是一个复杂的概念和机制。在应用程序中，角色似乎是幽灵。它们无处不在，每一种解释似乎都是合理的，但很难掌握、识别和完全说明它们。因此，在协作系统中引入角色是非常重要、具有挑战性和令人兴奋的。基于角色的协作就是这样一种创新，它通过提供角色说明、分配、转换和协商机制来组织协作。基本的建模思想是，可以使用由服务接口（包括传入消息或消息模式）和请求接口（包括传出消息或消息模式）组成的结构来存储、检索和操作角色。角色是在对象、类、代理、环境和组等其他组件的帮助下指定的。我们的长期目标是开发一个正式的模型，一个适用的基础设施和平台，用于构建大型协作系统，如基于大型网络计算机系统的虚拟团队、虚拟组、虚拟公司和虚拟组织。我们的短期研究侧重于提供合作的模型/方法；以及定义、指定和协商角色的基础设施/平台。在此基础上，我们将实施基于角色的小组支持系统。我们的基本研究方法是实验性的，具有形式化，模拟，实施，应用，反馈和修改的路线图。将建立一个原型平台，以支持新的协作应用，如软件工程、个性化用户界面和生产管理。实际应用将证明本研究的价值。

Collaborative systems are tools which support people to collaborate. They should not only support virtual face-to-face collaboration among people at a distance but also improve face-to-face collaboration by providing more mechanisms to overcome its inherent drawbacks. Meanwhile, roles are difficult concepts and mechanisms. In applications, roles seem to be phantoms. They are everywhere and every explanation seems reasonable, but it is difficult to grasp, identify, and completely specify them. Therefore, introducing roles into collaborative systems is very important, challenging and exciting. Role-based collaboration is one such innovation that organizes collaboration by providing role specification, assignment, transition and negotiation mechanisms. The basic modeling idea is that a role can be stored, retrieved and manipulated with a structure composed of a service interface including incoming messages or message patterns and a request interface including outgoing messages or message patterns. A role is specified with the help of other components such as objects, classes, agents, environments and groups. Our long-term objective is to develop a formal model, an applicable infrastructure and a platform for building large collaborative systems such as virtual teams, virtual groups, virtual companies, and virtual organizations based on large networked computer systems. Our short-term research focuses on the provision of a model / a methodology of collaboration; and an infrastructure / a platform to define, specify and negotiate roles. Based on these, we will implement a role-based group support system. Our basic research methodology is experimental with a roadmap of formalizing, simulation, implementation, application, feedback and modification. A prototype platform will be built to support new collaborative applications such as software engineering, personalized user interface and production management. Practical applications will demonstrate the value of this research.