Vue Regional Planning Authority Meeting 1 – 23 rd April 2007

1. Vue Regional Planning AuthorityMeeting 1 – 23rd April 2007

2. Agenda 1. Objectives 2. Membership and Democracy 3. Membership of Vue Regional Planning Authority 4. Vue Terraformers and Builders Group 5. News and Progress 6. Budget and Financial Arrangements 7. Requests for Plots on Vue Island 8. Plans for Vue Island 9.Next Steps 10. Date of Next Meeting

3. Objectives • To act as a coordinating group for the development of the shared Virtual University of Edinburgh Second Life Vue island and surrounding areas. • To promote the facilities to the wider University group interested in virtual worlds for education, research, knowledge transfer and collaboration.

4. News & Progress • 12-Mar-2007 - Vue group established and decision to acquire an University of Edinburgh island in Second Life. • 18-Mar-2007 - Vue Mailing List - University of Edinburgh staff, students and visitors may join in the initial mail group. For now, send a request to be added to the list to Austin Tate. • 26-Mar-2007 - Top level University domain name vue.ed.ac.uk assigned to group. • 29-Mar-2007 - A Vue Wiki is to be created as a pilot project under the University of Edinburgh Central Wiki Service which uses the Confluence Wiki Software. Initially, it will be run for the group by Anne-Marie Scott and James Stewart. • 11-Apr-2007 - Second Life island with name "Vue" now available with Fiona Littleton of Education making the arrangements. • 20-Apr-2007 - Initial meeting of the "Vue Maintenance Group" to begin development of the Second Life Vue island. • 23-Apr-2007 - Initial meeting of the "Vue Regional Planning Authority" to discuss initial uses of the Second Life Vue island.

5. Membership, Structure, etc • Initial membership is largely self selected to begin the development process. It comprises a single representative (along with potential alternates) of the schools or offices most likely to be active in initial shared developments. Other members are those most likely to be able to assist in the early phases of the development of the Vue island. • Initial Membership of Vue Regional Planning Authority is: • Sian Bayne (alternate Fiona Littleton) (E-Learning, Higher and Community Education) • Aghlab Al-Attili (Edinburgh Stanford Link and Entrepreneurship MSc) • Ian Graham (Management School) • Hamish Macleod (Centre for Teaching, Learning & Assessment, Education) • David Richardson (Informatics Commercialisation) • James Stewart (Research Centre for Social Sciences) • Austin Tate (Informatics and AIAI) • Morag Watson (Information Services) • The plan is that in early 2008 a more democratic and representative arrangement for membership of the Vue Regional Planning Authority will be put in place.

6. Managing the Vue Island • One island "Owner" formally owns the island and handles billing from Linden Labs and any permissions needing charging, and "Estate Managers" can transact a number of management items related to use of the estate. • Owner: Fiona Littleton - avatar Frank Lassard • Estate Manager: Hamish Macload - avatar Kimberley Pascal • Austin Tate - avatar Ai Austin • A "Vue Maintenance" group has been formed to perform shared area terraforming and building to involve those people actually doing the initial shared island construction and zoning. • Initial Vue Maintanance Group membership is: • Aghlab Al-Attili - avatar ESLink Voom • Fiona Littleton - avatar Frank Lassard • David Richardson - avatar Davie Munro • Austin Tate - avatar Ai Austin • It is proposed that Second Life groups be the primary way to manage areas of the island. Plots would be allocated to groups so they can control building through that. Group name already created which we can use to organise things are: • Edinburgh - Hamish Macleod - avatar Kimberley Pascal • Edinburgers - Austin Tate - avatar Ai Austin • Vuer - Austin Tate - avatar Ai Austin • Vue Maintenance - Austin Tate - avatar Ai Austin

7. Budget & Finance • The initial purchase of the island (US$1695 with 50% educational discount) and maintenance fees (currently $295 per month with 50% educational discount) for 12 months (to 10th May 2008) has been funded by Information Services (budget holder Nora Mogey). The island is "owned" in Second Life by Fiona Littleton - avatar Frank Lassard. • Annual maintenance billing after the initial payment is to be handled via avatar Frank Lassard, who can request a purchase order instead of a credit card payment by e-mailing concierge@lindenlab.com one month in advance. • The agreement with Nora Mogey is for Information services to fund maintenance of the island for 3 years initially to 10th May 2010. The maintenance arrangements will be reconsidered annually (by the VRPA) and rolled forward for further years with the agreement of Nora Mogey. If funding is terminated for any reason, the VRPA will seek an appropriate continuation strategy for anyone still actively interested in the facility. • A further budget of $200 is available from Information Services.

8. Plans for Vue Island Plans • Initial terraforming, allocation to a named avatar (who can the reallocate to appropriate groups, etc) and set up of temporary plots for experimentation to be first priority. • Initial Group Plot Developers Meeting in June to exchange experience, discuss constraints, avatar capacity, primitives use, build guidance, etc. • Review arrangements in September 2007. • Use Vue Wiki to share experience and plans. • Vue Usage Guidelines for Plots to be developed – E.g., island always open, PG, no use of no entry areas, may block specific avatars causing grief, 5 minute object return for "all residents", limited terraform, covenant states constraints, no sell or pass on to others.

9. Vue Island Topography

10. Vue Island Constraints • Class 5 Server in use • Island area 65,536 sq.m • Possibly 32,768 sq.m could be built upon • 15,000 primitives limit • 40 concurrent avatars limit by default • On class 5 server so 70 is okay, 100 has been used.

11. Vue Island Requests • Alumni & Development 4096 • Library 2048 • Information Services 2048 • Disability Office 2048 • Education 4096 • Management School 4096 • Arts & Social Science 2048 • Divinity 1024 • Informatics 2048 • Edinburgh-Stanford Link 2048 • AIAI 4096 • Cognitive Studies 2048 • Media Showcase 2048 • Arts Vue 2048 • Mountain Vue (amphitheatre) 4096 • First Vue 512 X 8 • ----------- • 44032

12. Regional Development • The 8 adjacent island squares are only available to uses permitted by the owner of Vue. • Currently, island are likely to be purchased by: • Edinburgh-Stanford Link - within 2007 • Others TBD • An outline plan of development would allow for: • Informatics related areas to go to the NW • Education related areas to go to the SW and S • Development and Alumni areas to go to the E • Information Services, Support Groups, Library and Central University Offices to go to the SE

13. Next Steps • Initial terraform • Make initial allocation of plots to individuals • Experiment with numbers of concurrent people able to be supported on the island • Arrange meeting in June 2007 for plot developers to exchange experience • Encourage use of Vue Wiki