Microsoft Research Community Technologies Group: Recent Work

About

The Microsoft Research Community Technologies group focuses on the study and enhancement of computer mediated collective action systems. In this talk I will present recent developments in two projects that highlight and attempt to enhance computer mediated collective action: Netscan and AURA.

Netscan is a set of tools and services for online communities. We have recently developed faster data update models, new Web service interfaces, a custom community portal page, and a new information visualization application (‘Usenet Views’) that makes it simple to map and chart newsgroup communities.

The Advanced User Resource Annotation system (AURA) is a platform for Pocket PCs, Smartphones and mobile PCs that have various kinds of sensors such as barcode readers, digital cameras, WiFi signal strength detection, radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers, and GPS. Using AURA today, users can scan the barcodes on everyday objects in the home, office, or store and gain access to related information and services such as competitive pricing and product reviews. Other kinds of tags, such as tags placed on art or equipment asset tags, can be easily linked to related data through Websites or Web service interfaces.

This talk covers several developments in the mobile annotation space and describes future directions for AURA and related services.