5th International ICST Conference on Collaborative Computing: Networking, Applications, Worksharing

Research Article

GColl group-to-group videoconferencing system: design and first experiences

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  • @INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/ICST.COLLABORATECOM2009.8344 ,
        author={Petr Slov\^{a}k and Pavel Troubil and Petr Holub},
        title={GColl group-to-group videoconferencing system: design and first experiences},
        proceedings={5th International ICST Conference on Collaborative Computing: Networking, Applications, Worksharing},
        proceedings_a={COLLABORATECOM},
        year={2009},
        month={12},
        keywords={Buildings Cameras Collaborative tools Collaborative work Echo cancellers Microphones Open source software Portable computers Teleconferencing Universal Serial Bus},
        doi={10.4108/ICST.COLLABORATECOM2009.8344 }
    }
    
  • Petr Slovák
    Pavel Troubil
    Petr Holub
    Year: 2009
    GColl group-to-group videoconferencing system: design and first experiences
    COLLABORATECOM
    ICST
    DOI: 10.4108/ICST.COLLABORATECOM2009.8344
Petr Slovák1,*, Pavel Troubil1,*, Petr Holub1,*
  • 1: CESNET z.s.p.o., Zikova 4, 16000 Prague, Masaryk University, Botanická 68a, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
*Contact email: slovak@ics.muni.cz, pavel@ics.muni.cz, hopet@ics.muni.cz

Abstract

We present a videoconferencing tool, GColl, which aims to support collaboration among remote groups of participants. GColl supports mutual gaze as well as partial gaze awareness for all participants, while still retaining a modest technical requirements: a camera and an echo-canceling microphone at each site; and a laptop with two USB cameras for each user. The environment is also easily deployed and allows quick changes in numbers of participants at individual sites. It is therefore suitable even for ad-hoc groups or teams with small budgets. A quantitative user study has been conducted in order to evaluate functionality of GColl with promising results. Additionally, the tool is available for download as an open-source project.