Realization of computer supported cooperative work environments using the object deputy model

In conventional computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) systems, usually only one video-based environment is shared by all the users. In this paper, we show that multiple environments are required and they can be realized by utilizing object-oriented database technology. A cooperative work environment can be regarded as a room where users work together by sharing documents and equipment through available communication facilities. In one environment, users, documents and equipment are handled as objects, and these different types of objects have some attributes and methods in common, such as location attributes and layout methods. However, using the existing concepts of the conventional object-oriented model, such as classes, complex objects and collection objects, it is difficult to define one environment: namely, a set with different types of elements but having some attributes and methods in common. The object deputy model, introduced by the authors, can be extended to formulate such environments. Since the object deputy model can uniformly handle object views, roles, migration and multiple inheritance, we can realize flexible, dynamic and powerful environments based on object-oriented databases.