Book Description

Multimedia techniques enable the production of non-traditional documents containing enourmous amounts of information. The production of such documents by a group, as opposed to an individual, is the main subject of this book. A group needs to communicate, and multimedia technology can be used to enhance group communication. How multimedia documentation and communication and groups of authors fit together are the main questions tackled. The book describes the construction of a conceptual framework and the prototype system, CoMEdiA, as well as how the system was used to conduct a group effectiveness study involving two applications: cooperative software engineering and data production. Thus the work relates to multimedia communication, cooperative editing, and group support and effectiveness.