SC Global

Primer
The information below tells you everything you need to know if you’re interested in participating in SC Global as a participating site.

To join the SC Global 2003 community mailing list, send mail to majordomo@bu.edu with a blank subject line and the words "subscribe scg-03-community-l" in the body of the message (omit the quotes).

You may also want to watch a RealMedia archive of a presentation given over the Access Grid on January 15, 2003. This presentation is encoded for high quality over broadband connections, and available either as streaming media (for those with high-speed connections) or as a download for local playback. Please note that firewalls can interfere with RealMedia streaming playback; if you are unable to access the streamed archive, please download the file to playback locally instead. It is recommended that viewers also download the PowerPoint slides from this presentation separately; they are visible only briefly in the webcast.

PowerPoint slides: http://www.bu.edu/av/scv/scg-overview.ppt

Streaming media presentation: http://realserver.bu.edu:8080/ramgen/a/v/av/scv/scglobal.rm

Download for local playback:

– Browse to www.bu.edu/av/scv/
– Right-click on scglobal.rm, and select "Save Target As. . ." or "Save Link Target As. . ." (depending on your browser).
– After downloading the file, you should then be able to launch and play it locally.

Questions and Answers

  • How can my organization participate in SC Global as a remote site?
    There are three categories of remote sites for SC Global, and each has its own level of involvement in required preparations (for some sites, no formal preparations are necessary). We invite all AG locations to participate in SC Global; there is no charge for registering as any of the types of site. We hope you will invite your local community to participate in SC Global at your AG node, to make a local mini-conference out of this opportunity which allows people to network with others from their area.

    Constellation Sites are AG locations which are presenting sessions in the SC Global program. Constellation sites have been selected through the proposal process, and will be required to participate in many technical and production preparations during the summer and fall.

    Satellite Sites are AG locations which participate in an interactive, multimedia way. For example, the people attending at Satellite Sites can ask questions through AG audio and video channels during Panels, and participate in Birds of a Feather session discussions. Satellite Sites must register by September 15, and participate in a Certification Session over the AG with the Remote Sites Manager by October 15 to verify that their node is in good working order.

    Observer Sites are AG locations which observe the proceedings, but which do not transmit audio or video to the Phoenix conference node or other participating sites. They may have the option to submit questions and comments through a text interface. They are not required to participate in any particular preparations, but instead are encouraged to simply ensure that their AG node is in good working order.

  • If my proposal to be part of the SC Global program was not accepted, how else can I participate?
    You can participate as part of the audience either at a remote site, or at the Phoenix conference site; some sessions (such as Birds of a Feather) will be very participatory. The SC Global program room will be open to all conference attendees, including those with Exhibits-only and Exhibitor badges.

  • What sites are participating in SC Global?
    Constellation Sites are listed in the Preliminary Program (see link above), the list of Satellite Sites will become know in late October, and the list of Observer Sites will be known only after the event. We hope to have participation from well over 100 sites all over the world.

  • How is it decided which sessions each remote site will participate in?
    The SC Global program will be made available in August, and sites will have the opportunity to RSVP for their desired sessions. We reserve the right to limit the number of sites participating interactively in a given session if the number of sites grows large enough as to be unmanageable.

  • I'm planning to attend SC03 in Phoenix. How can I participate with SCG on site?
    The SC Global program room will be open to all conference attendees (including those with Exhibits-only and Exhibitor badges), and located just off the main registration lobby.

  • What factors were considered in reviewing proposals?
    For SC Global Papers, Panels, and Birds of a Feather, there was a two part review process, involving both the SC Global committee and the other appropriate part of the Technical Program committee. SC Global Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions, for example, must be accepted both by the SC Technical Program BoF Chairs and by the SC Global committee. The BoFs Chairs reviewed proposals based on their usual criteria; the SC Global committee considered whether presenting the BoF in question over the AG would be a feasible use of the AG.

    For SC Global Showcase, the proposals were be reviewed solely by the SC Global committee (which is a subcommittee of the Technical Program Committee). They considered:

    • - Compelling experience for remote sites
    - Technical and/or artistic merit in its own relevant field (painting, scientific visualization, etc)
    - Contribution to understanding of the use of distributed collaboration technologies
    - Extent and effectiveness of collaboration
    - Possibility of rolling out the work this session reflects to a larger community (such as those with low-bandwidth connections, economically disadvantaged people, and/or people with disabilities)

  • How is SC Global 2003 different from SC Global 2001?
    SC Global 2003 will build on the successes of the 2001 event by continuing to feature innovative uses and discussions of collaboration technologies, and encourage participation from a large number of Access Grid locations around the world. It is responding to the challenges faced in 2001 with improved technical and production preparations, and an entirely new process for proposal submission and review.
    Because of the continuing exponential growth of the Access Grid, we expect to have more than twice as many participating locations in 2003 as we did in 2001. Also, there will be only one SC Global session at a time in 2003, unlike the four concurrent sessions in 2001.