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Internet technologies provide ubiquitous infrastructure for Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) applications, many of which share similar fundamental requirements for coordination, collaboration and information management services. However, there is a lack of structured architectural support for building and maintaining these systems. This thesis is directed towards an investigation of development mechanisms for integrated internet CSCW applications which promote reuse and rapid reconfiguration of CSCW services. A model-based approach to development of internet CSCW systems is proposed, based upon definition of reusable CSCW services and a specification language which describes user interaction with those services within an application context. At runtime, the specification is used to drive a Web user interface generator that dynamically integrates access to required CSCW services. This development approach enables many application changes to be affected quickly at the modelling level, rather than requiring code recompilation. Hence, investigation of the approach was directed towards rapid prototyping and evolutionary maintenance of internet-based CSCW systems. A proof-of-concept system architecture was implemented and applied to a case study cooperative working scenario within a large telecommunications enterprise. Assessment of the implementation found the approach to be useful in reducing iteration cycle times following change requests, thereby enhancing participatory design of CSCW systems. The value of the approach is in increasing communication and feedback between application builders and users by enabling rapid exploration of evolving system designs. |
