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Quality of Semi-Synchronous Bridged Multi-modal Internet Protocol Communication. A Social Temporal Addition to Quality of Service Propagation Metrics via Critical Action Research in South Africa William D. Tucker PhD student @ UCT with CVC Senior Lecturer @ UWC with BANG.
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Quality of Semi-Synchronous Bridged Multi-modal Internet Protocol Communication A Social Temporal Addition to Quality of Service Propagation Metrics via Critical Action Research in South Africa William D. Tucker PhD student @ UCT with CVC Senior Lecturer @ UWC with BANG
Semi-synchronous Bridged Multi-modal Communication • Modalities are text, voice, video and VR • Bridging adapts communication modalities with conversion utilities • Bridging introduces more temporal variation (conversion) in addition to network propagation characteristics • These delays force real-time services to become semi-synchronous William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Research Questions Are carefully controlled Quality of Service (QoS) metrics (latency, jitter and packet loss) enough to provide Communication Quality (CQ) for bridged multi-modal Internet Protocol (IP) services experiencing temporal variation? Is there a significant sociological temporal component in addition to these QoS metrics? How do we measure and cater for this social phenomenon with system design? William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Motivation and Relevance • QoS protocols such as IntServ & DiffServ • Are actually afterthoughts to the Internet Protocol • Are targeted to the temporal nature of concurrent single modality services • Do not really consider the end user of the system • CQ expands on QoS metrics to • Include a sociological angle to IP best-effort metrics • Bridge multi-modal services in “almost” real-time • Include users in the measurement of service quality and therefore in the design of the services they actually require and will use William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Research Hypothesis • There exists a social component to bridged communication that impacts CQ in addition to, and more significantly than, QoS metrics, especially with respect to the inherent temporal variation found within bridged services • Further, this social component is a measurable phenomena William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Methodological Approach • Mixture of Social temporal phenomena & QoS metrics phenomena requires a mixed approach • Combine Critical Action Research (CAR) with the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Critical Action Research • Do not hide the research objectives from the target community • Constant critical reflection on interaction with target community • Elucidate end user needs for a given service via rapid prototyping • Yield appropriate software systems • Learn from the interaction process how to improve and measure CQ William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
More Research Questions • What defines the nature of semi-synchronous applications and how do we build them? • What defines the nature of bridged applications and how do we build them? • Can QoS be extended with a social temporal component in addition to standard metrics? • Can CAR help determine how to measure this social component? • Can CAR also improve the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) for building these applications? William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
How To Answer Them • Demonstrate general applicability with 3 apps • Distance Learning • SMME applications • Deaf Telephony (textual English as a 2nd language) • BuildSoftBridge platform for rapid prototyping • Target CAR to: • cyclic SDLC • Human Access Points (HAPs) for effectiveness • Learn from CAR how to: • Build semi-synchronous multi-modal bridging IP apps • measure social temporal component William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Anticipated Results • The social temporal component is more significant than QoS propagation metrics • CAR will yield a “get what you pay for” model for bridged services • CAR will yield an understanding of this social component addition to QoS William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Testing Strategy and Implications • Use Null Hypothesis to show that QoS metrics are more significant than the social component to manifest and measure CQ • If QoS metrics are less significant, the social component is shown to be the primary factor of system design, development and measurement of bridged IP services • If the Null Hypothesis is proven correct, then the current telco approach to 5 9’s and circuit-switched-based billing is justified in the context of IP services William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Bibliography and Previous Systems • Not aware of a SoftBridge-like concept: existing multi-modal apps do not bridge, e.g. NetMeeting, Omnitor, IM, MBone (?) or do not operate in real-time (Universal Messaging) • Deaf Telephony – Teldem is a failure, but our DT prototypes evolved due to CAR (Glaser) • Rural and Urban Distance Learning and SMMEs community telecentres failed due to lack of CAR (www.bridges.org) • Social aspect of “place” as opposed to space (Dourish) William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Unique Contribution(s) • Addition of social temporal component to Quality of Service temporal metrics to define Communication Quality • Targeted Critical Action Research via Human Access Points to build bridging services for South Africa • Use of Critical Action Research to measure the extent of social effect on Communication Quality William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
The Bigger Picture • Towards Real-time Universal Messaging • InfluenceTelecommuncations policy in South Africa (and the rest of the 3rd world) • Leap frogging the 3rd world into the 1st world • Blend of social and computer science to yield innovative telecommunications services • Communications applications and platforms that bridge and scale across multiple Digital Divides (communication modality, networks, enduser capabilities, user interface, etc.) William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Related Work (in progress at UCT) • SoftBridge Platform – John Lewis • Wireless VoIP Community Access Points – Marshini Chetty • Laid Back Computing – Richard Schroder • Deaf Telephony – Meryl Glaser William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Related Work (in progress at UWC) • Hand-held Fast-track Feedback & Presence – Adesemowo Kayode • Hybrid Text/Voice Web Board – Anita Benjamin • Handheld VR for QoS Management – Clement February • SoftBridge over Softswitch – Tao Sun • COLLAN – Tania Paulse William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC
Links for more Information • www.cs.uct.ac.za/~btucker • www.cs.uct.ac.za/cvc • www.cs.uwc.ac.za/~btucker • www.cs.uwc.ac.za/bang William D. Tucker Computer Science UCT & UWC