2003 International Conference on CYBERWORLDS

Conference Program

Conference at-a-Glance

2 December, Tuesday
15:00-19:00 Registration: Aries (Conference Secretariat)
Welcome reception, light refreshment
3 December, Wednesday
08:00-17:00 Registration: Aries (Conference Secretariat)
08:30-09:00  Opening: Taurus/Leo
09:00-10:00  IT1 Taurus/Leo
10:00-10:30  Coffee break: Foyer
Sessions Taurus Aquarius Pisces Gemini Libra
10:30-12:00 T1 CB1 CL1 PELS1 Exhibition

IP1, IP2, IP3

 

IP4 and IP5
will be displayed in the foyer
12:00-13:30 Lunch: Capricorn
13:30-15:00 T2 CB2 CL2 PELS2
15:00-15:30  Coffee break: Foyer
15:30-17:00  T3 T4   CI1
 
4 December, Thursday
08:00-17:00 Registration: Aries (Conference Secretariat)
09:00-10:00  IT2 Taurus/Leo
10:00-10:30  Coffee break: Foyer
Sessions Taurus Aquarius/Pisces Gemini Libra
10:30-12:00 SVW1 DSDVE1 IP1 Exhibition

IP1, IP2, IP3

 

IP4 and IP5
will be displayed in the foyer
12:00-13:30 Lunch:  Capricorn
13:30-15:00 SVW2 DSDVE2 IP2
15:00-15:30 Coffee break: Foyer
15:30-17:00 SVW3   IP3
 
18:30-19:15 Cocktail and reception, "Les Oiseaux" restaurant.
19:15-22:00 Banquet,  "Les Oiseaux" restaurant.
 
5 December, Friday
08:00-17:00 Registration: Aries (Conference Secretariat)
09:00-10:00 IT3 Taurus/Leo
10:00-10:30 Coffee break: Foyer
Sessions Taurus Aquarius/Pisces Gemini Libra
10:30-12:00 SVW4 GMV1 DMW1 Exhibition
IP1, IP2, IP3
12:00-13:30 Lunch:  Capricorn                        IP4, IP5
13:30-15:00 CM1 GMV2  DMW2    
15:00-15:30 Coffee break: Foyer                     IP4, IP5
15:30-17:00 CM2 GMV3 IA1  
17:15-18:30 Site Visit to HP Cooltown
 
6 December, Saturday    (post-conference event)
09:00-12:00 Site Visit to NTU campus including NTU Reality Theatre

 

Each conference room will be equipped with a personal computer,
a large screen projector, and a microphone. The presenters will be able to use their own notebooks should they decide to do so.

Invited Talks

IT1: Cyberworlds as the Leading Power of World Evolution
       Tosiyasu L. Kuni
       3 December, 9:00-10:00

This paper solely serves as an initial summary of algebraic topological resources for studying cyberworlds starting from the very elementary set theoretical level. High social impact application cases of e-financing and e-manufacturing are presented at the end.

IT2: Believable Cyberpeople: A True Challenge for the Decade
       Daniel Thalmann
       4 December. 9:00-10:00

We define cyberpeople as people represented on the net using embodiment. These people can be either avatars that are a representation of a real human or completely synthesized virtual humans or embodied agents. In this paper, we discuss the two kinds of cyberpeople and show how it will become difficult in the near future to distinguish avatars from embodied agents. We will demonstrate with examples how embodied agents become more and more intelligent and autonomous.

IT3: This Year in the MOVES Institute
       Michael Zyda
       5 December, 9:00-10:00

The MOVES Institute’s mission is research, application and education in the grand challenges of modeling, virtual environments and simulation (MOVES). The institute’s focus is on 3D visual simulation, networked virtual environments, computer-generated autonomy, human performance engineering, immersive technologies, defense/entertainment collaboration, and combat modeling and analysis. In this talk, we discuss our research vision, and specific projects within that vision.

Tutorials

3 December

T1: Cybersurgery
      Wolfgang Mueller-Wittig, CAMTECH, Singapore

This tutorial is an introduction to the field of using new enabling technologies in medicine focusing on surgical training. It addresses individuals new to the field or those interested in innovative technologies. Moreover, this tutorial will help the surgeon move into the world of virtual surgery. A survey of current use of new technologies in medicine is provided. Possibilities and research challenges in using state-of-the-art medical simulators will be highlighted.

T2: From Macys to Mars, Virtual Environments in Vertical Applications
      Bruce Damer, The Digital Space Commons, USA

This tutorial will cover the commercial and educational use of virtual environments from industrial simulations for NASA to collaborative learning to fashion design. A history of the virtual environments field will be given to set today's context where we see some successful application of the medium. Detailed implementations of some vertical applications built using the new Adobe Atmosphere platform will be provided.

T3: Dancing In Cyberworlds:  Real Medicine, Realtime Art 
      Galen Brandt, The Digital Space Commons, USA

This tutorial focuses on both artistic and medical uses of cyberworlds, and considers them as two faces of the same practice.  We will examine VR as an effective treatment for psychological, perceptual, behavioral and biological disorders, from autism to ADD, phobias to PTSD to Parkinson's Disease.  We will look at VR also as an artistic medium, from classic practitioners to cutting-edge projects, self-constructing art galleries to 3D fashion-spaces, interactive installations to real-time avatar performances.  All involve artful collaborations with machines that re-link mind and body, rethink medicine, re-humanize self and reanimate space.

T4: Effective Strategies in Introducing Synchronous Communication Tool
       Alan Soong, Centre for Educational Development, NTU, Singapore

The tutorial session will provide participants a framework which has been adopted in fostering a flexible learning environment in NTU. Participants will also have an opportunity to experience the various tools which supports flexible delivery. Technical aspects/considerations in implementing flexible delivery will also be discussed.

Industrial Presentations and Exhibitions

4 December

IP1: Silicon Graphics Pte Ltd.
 Talk by Dr. John Kan and exhibition

Accelerating workflow with Visual Area Networking
The vision of Visual Area Networking is to enable universal access to advanced visualization using any computing device, over standard networks.
     Visual Area Networking is the SGI vision of providing universal access to advanced visualization--to any user with any client device located anywhere in the world. Using the SGI graphics server as its core, Visual Area Networking enables remote access to the graphics, compute and I/O power of a visualization supercomputer and multi-user collaborative access to that power using existing network and desktop resources  as well as wireless devices.
     The concept of Visual Area Networking represents a shift from focusing only on advancing pure rendering power to include consideration of the location and availability of visualized data sets across the network. Visual Area Networking makes rendered data available to the user by sending only the pixels of the visualized graphic, rather than the raw data, to be visualized locally. As such, it protects the integrity of the data being visualized by eliminating redundant copies and version control problems, as well as limiting unauthorized access.

IP2: Hewlett-Packard Company 
Talk by Mr. Mark Manners and exhibition

Cool Web services for the Cyber World
 People are nomadic. They move around to work, to shop, or to play. Increasingly the places they enter are computerized. Their workplaces are filled with computers; the stores they browse are computerized; the toys they buy are computerized. And communications networks reach into every corner.
     In Cooltown, technology transforms human experience from consumer lifestyles to business processes by enabling mobility. Cooltown is infused with the energy of the online world, and web-based appliances and e-services give you what you need when and where you need it for work, play, life. 
     Most of our work at Cooltown has focused on extending Web services  technology, wireless networks, and portable devices to create a virtual bridge between mobile users and physical entities and electronic services. We think the physical world and the virtual world would both be richer if they were more closely linked.
     In this presentation, Mr. Mark Manners – Director Mobility Program Office and Cooltown Innovation, will discuss the work, the vision and the impact of Cooltown and webservices on the market.

IP3: Christie Digital Systems, USA Inc 
Talk by Mr. Jonathan Lim and exhibition

Immersive Market: VR and Simulation
The constant aim to recreate realities has first propelled the growth of the simulation market and in the recent years, formed the foundation for the genesis of virtual reality (VR). People are now able to regenerate realities that are more than real as well as to explore actualities that used to be inaccessible to us. This paradigm shift has proposed new potential of a new market, known as the immersive, as a major contributor to societal infrastructures such as science, manufacturing, medicine, marketing, telecommunications, entertainment, education, medicine, art and media. 
     In this presentation, Mr. Jonathan Lim seeks to explore on the market’s formation and the evolution that it has undergone as well as to discuss the driving forces behind its rapid growth and the ways the application has helped in transforming visions into realities.

IP4: NTUC Income 
Exhibition and hands-on demonstrations in the foyer

BigTrumpet project will be showcasing various scenarios and consumer service applications within the portal.
     BigTrumpet.com is a collaboration between Singapore Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) Microsoft and NTUC Income to build community web services for the public sector, private sector and all people. BigTrumpet.com aims to aggregate useful daily-life public sector and private sector services into simple and easy-to-understand scenarios, for the convenience of the people at anytime and any place.
     For organization, BigTrumpet.com will be a place where they can easily integrate and operate their business by simply "plugging-in’ to known standards and processes. It will be an attractive channel through which their services can reach out to the public through the latest web services technology.

IP5: Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Asia H.Q. Pte Ltd
 Exhibition and hands-on demonstrations  in the foyer

Minolta Non Contact 3D Digitizer VIVID 910 is a compact and portable state of the art digitizer that is no bigger than a computer CPU. It comes with 3 interchangeable lenses: Tele, Middle and Wide lens that meets the challenge of scanning objects of different sizes.
    Using a laser light stripe, the VIVID scans over 300,000 points in just 2.5 seconds. VIVID also captures color images that are equivalent to a 3 CCD digital camera with full 24-bit color depth.  With auto focus functions the VIVID does away with the need for lengthy set up and calibration time before and during the scanning process. Just frame the object in the LCD viewfinder and press a button. With an optional Compact Flash Memory Card the VIVID becomes the world’s only truly portable 3D digitizer. Scanning has never been easier.

Paper Sessions

We have accepted and published by the IEEE CS  66 papers out of 130 received from Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and  USA. 

The proceedings can be purchased during the conference at the registration counter, as well as after the conference while stock lasts. To order a copy, email to cw2003@ntu.edu.sg

After the conference, the proceedings will be available from the
IEEE Computer Society both in a printed form and electronically through the digital library.

Extended versions of select papers  will be also printed in special issues of
Computers & Graphics (28:4, 2004),
The Journal of Visualization & Computer Animation, and 
The International Journal of Distance Education Technologies (2:4, 2004) 

The selection of papers for journal publication will be made by Guest Editors in December 2003 after the conference, based on the reviewers comments and comments from the session chairs and conference participants.

For more information about the publication process, contact the Program Chair at cw2003@ntu.edu.sg.

3 December

CB1: Cyberbusiness
 Chair: Amitabha Das

  • An Efficient Framework for Business Software Development
         Ivan Ho, Zentaro Komiya, Billy Pham, Hisato Kobayashi, 
         Kazuo Yana
  • Development of a Recommendation System with Multiple Subjective Evaluation Process Models
         Emi Yano, Emi Sueyoshi, Isao Shinohara, Toshikazu Kato
  • Making Recommendations Based on Profitability Analysis in a Hybrid System
         Jing Qiu, Min Xu, Yuhui Qiu

CB2: Cyberbusiness
 Chair: Arthur Lee Gilbert

  • Enhanced Approaches of Content Management for the Collaborative Semiconductor Business
         Hyun Song Jang, Young Joong Lee, Jae Cheol Lee, 
         Chung Sam Ahn, Joong Min Choi
  • Design and Development of Neural Bayesian Approach for Unpredictable Stock Exchange Databases
         Rashid Hafeez Khokhar, Mohd Noor Md Sap
    (also presented at DMW1 session)
  • Application of P2P (Peer-to-Peer) Technology to Marketing
         Kato Tomoya, Yokoi Shigeki

CL1: Cyberlearning
 Chair: Murali Damodaran

  • Educative Distributed Virtual Environments for Children
         Jean-Pierre Gerval, Mircea Popovici, Jacques Tisseau
  • Virtual Experiment Environments Design for Science Education
         Young-Suk Shin
  • Virtual Spaces as Artifacts: Implications for the Design of Educational CVEs
         Ekaterina Prasolova-Førland

CL2: Cyberlearning
Chair: Anton Nijholt

  • Computer-aided Course Major Decision Making Tool for Remote Students
         Qing Zhou, Li-Qiang Yuan
  • Top-down eLearning Tools for Hardware Logic Design Course
         Norihiro Fujii, Tomomi Abe, Hiromitsu Katsumata, Atsutoshi Imai, 
         Niki Suzata, Shuichi Yukita, Nobuhiko Koike, Tosiyasu L. Kunii
  • HumaniZing E-Learning
         Lee Chye Seng, Tan Tiong Hok, Daniel
  • MASCARET: Pedagogical Multi-Agents System for Virtual Environment for Training
         Cédric Buche, Ronan Querrec, Pierre De Loor, Pierre Chevaillier

PELS1: Philosophy, ethics, law and security of cyberworlds
Chair: Lau Chiew Tong

  • A Social Process Model for Cyber Mind in the Mobile Internet
         Toshihiko Yamakami
  • Cyber Crime Information System for Cyberethics Awareness
         A.B. Patki, S. Lakshminarayanan, S. Sivasubramanian,
         S.S. Sarma    (failed to attend)
  • Technology Development Trends for Cyber Civilization
         A.B. Patki, M.D. Kulkarni, S. Sivasubramanian,
         Dhanvanti D. Patki    (failed to attend)
  • Law and Regulation in Cyberspace
         Yee Fen Lim

PELS2: Philosophy, ethics, law and security of cyberworlds
Chair: Jagdish Chandra Patra

  • Sharing Culture
         Thomas Grill, Reinhard Kronsteiner, Gabriele Kotsis
  • Lifestyles of Virtual World Residents, Living in the On-Line Game, “Lineage”
         Leo Sang-Min Whang, Geun-Young Chang
  • Dematerialised Data and Human Desire: the Internet and Copy Culture
         Matthew Allen

CI1: Cyberinformation
Chair: Matthew Allen

  • CyberparaBLAST: the Parallelized BLAST Web Server
         Qi Yutao, Lin Feng
  • Webspace Surfing Patterns and Their Impact on Web Prefetching
         Javed I. Khan, Q. Taq   (failed to attend)
  • Utilizing Statistical Characteristics of N-grams for Intrusion Detection
         Li Zhuowei, Amitabha Das, Sukumar Nandi

4 December

DSDVE1: Distributed simulation and distributed virtual environments
 Chair: Cai Wentong

  • A P2P Groupware System with Decentralized Topology for Supporting Synchronous Collaborations
         Jianhua Ma, Makoto Shizuka, Jeneung Lee , Runhe Huang
  • Robust Collaboration and Interaction in a Multi-agent System Basing on Hierarchical Networks
         Z.W. Zhao, I-Ming Chen, Jun Zhang
  • Mobile Agent-Based Architecture for Large-Scale CVE
         Zhang Liang, Lin Qingping, Choo Tian Fook

DSDVE2: Distributed simulation and distributed virtual environments
 Chair: Stephen Turner

  • A Novel Approach for Addressing Extensibility Issue in Collaborative Virtual Environment
         Choo Tian Fook, Lin Qingping, Zhang Liang
  • A Consistency Model for Evaluating Distributed Virtual Environments
         Suiping Zhou, Wentong Cai, Stephen J. Turner, Hanfeng Zhao
  • Developing A Web-enabled and Graphics-enhanced Collaborative Environment for Integrated Research of Cardiovascular and Atherosclerotic Clinical Biology
         Y.Y. Cai, L.P.Khoo, Z.W. Xiong, B.F. Lu, Y.Q.Guan, S.Wong,    
         C.R.Cao, T.K.Tan, Kenneth Yu, M.Opas, S.C.Fok

SVW1: Shared and virtual worlds
 Chair: Tony Chan

  • Architectural Design and Simulation in the Heterogeneous Collaborative Virtual Environment
         Seon-Min Rhee, Eun-Cho, Hyo-Sun You, Myoung-Hee Kim
  • Disappearing Computers, Disappearing Social Actors, Appearing Embodied Agents
         A. Nijholt
  • Bakhtinian Understanding to Web Graphics
         Pavol Elias, Andrej Ferko, Markus Grabner

SVW2: Shared and virtual worlds
 Chair: Wolfgang Strasser

  • Optimized Neighbor Prefetch and Cache for Client-server Based Walkthrough
         Zhi Zheng, Tony K.Y Chan
  • Capture Configuration for Image-based Street Walkthrough
         Dong Hoon Lee, Soon Ki Jung
  • How to Build Virtual Environment Systems with Component Frameworks
         Manuel Oliveira, Mel Slater, Jon Crowcroft

SVW3: Shared and virtual worlds
 Chair:  Annie Luciani

  • A Virtual-Reality Based Integrated Driving-Traffic Simulation System to Study the Impacts of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
         Ming Jin, Soi-Hoi Lam
  • Mapping Cityscapes to Cyber Space
         Jiang Yu Zheng, Min Shi
  • Context Modeling based Depth Image Compression for Distributed Virtual Environment
         Paul Bao, Douglas Gourley, Youfu Li   (no show)
  • Combining Polygonal and Subdivision Surface approaches to Modelling and Rendering of Urban Environments
         A.M. Day, D.B. Arnold, S. Havemann, D. Fellner

5 December

SVW4: Shared and virtual worlds
 Chair: Wolfgang Müeller-Wittig

  • Reducing Optical Crosstalk in Affordable Systems of Virtual Environment
         Stanislav V.Klimenko, Igor Nikitin, Lialia Nikitina
  • The Enigma of the Sphinx
         Tolga Abaci, Rachel de Bondeli, Jan Ciger, Mirelle Clavien, 
         Fatih Erol, Mario Gutierrez, Stephanie Noverraz, Oliver Renault,
         Frederic Vexo, Daniel Thalmann
  • PRESENCE: The sense of Believability of Inaccessible Worlds
         Annie Luciani, Joel Chevrier, Daniela Urma, Sylvain Marliere

CM1: Cybermuseums
Chair: Bruce Damer

  • Embodied Tour Guide in an Interactive Virtual Art Gallery
         Xiang Yuan, Yam San Chee
  • Construction of Cyber Science Museum
         Bu Young Ahn, Ji Young Kim, Chung Sik Oh, Soon Chan Hong
  • The Empty Museum. Multi-user Interaction in an Immersive and Physically Walkable VR Space
         Luis Hernández, Javier Taibo, Antonio Seoane, Rubén López, 
         Rocío López

CM2: Cybermuseums
Chair: Galen Brandt

  • Interactive Distributed Guided Tours of Historical Sites
         Dorin-Mircea Popovici, Serge Morvan, Eric Maisel, Jacques Tisseau
  • A Distributed Global 3D Cyberworld for Archaeological Research and Education
         Damian Green, J.Cosmas, R.Degeest, M.Waelkens
  • eGaLab - a New Dimension for Artists
         Michal Masa, Jiri Zara, Pavel Smetana

GMV1: Geometric modelling and visualisation for cyberworlds
 Chair: Andrzej Sluzek

  • Mesh Generation and Refinement of Polygonal Data Sets
         V.Savchenko, N.Kojekine, M.Savchenko, I.Semenova, O.Egorova,
         I.Hagiwara
  • Detail-Preserving Variational Design of B-spline Curves and Surfaces
         Gang Zhao, Shuhong Xu, Weishi Li
  • DPBP:A Sort-First Parallel Rendering Algorithm for Distributed Rendering Environments
         Huabing Zhu, Kai Yun Chan, Lizhe Wang, WenTong Cai, 
         Simon See

GMV2: Geometric modelling and visualisation for cyberworlds
 Chair: Vladimir Savchenko

  • Adaptation of Facial and Body Animation for MPEG-based Architectures
         Thomas Di Giacomo, Chris Joslin, Stephane Garchery, 
    Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann
  • Virtual Surgery System
         Zheng Lei, Edmond Cyril Prakash
  • CyberHeart: The Employment of an Iterative Design Process to Develop a Left Ventricular Heart Graphical Display
         C. Reginald Jegathese, Goo Lay Guan, L. Antony Rajiv, 
         Eddie Y. K. Ng, Dhanjoo Ghista, Edmond C. Prakash

GMV3: Geometric modelling and visualisation for cyberworlds
 Chair: Edmond Prakash

  • Feature Maps: A New Approach in Hierarchical Interpretation of Images
         Andrzej Sluzek
  • Augmenting the World with Interactive Virtual Studio
         Li Li, Hock Soon Seah, Widya Andyardja Weliamto
  • Real-Time Update of Eye Features on the 3D Head Model Texture
         Patricio Inostroza

DMW1: Datamining and warehousing
 Chair: Olga Sourina

  • Parallel Algorithm for Mining Fuzzy Association Rules
             B. Xu, J. Lu, Y. Zhang, L. Xu, H. Chen, and H. Yang (the author attended the conference but failed to present the paper)
  • Efficient Web Log Mining for Product Development
         Yew-Kwong Woon, Wee-Keong Ng, Xiang Li, Wen-Feng Lu
  • An Architectural Framework for XML Data Management: From Practice to Theory
         Khin-Myo Win, Wee-Keong Ng, Ee-Peng Lim

DMW2: Datamining and warehousing
 Chair: Ng Wee-Keong 

  • A Web Mining Approach for Finding Expertise in Research Areas
         Quan Thanh Tho, Siu Cheung Hui, Alvis Fong
  • Intelligent Content-Based Retrieval for P2P Networks
         Rodionov Maxim, Siu Cheung Hui
  • Geometric Approach to Clustering and Querying in Databases and Warehouses
         Olga Sourina, Liu Dongquan

IA1: Intelligent agents
 Chair: Hui Siu Cheung

  • Web Agents with a Three-stage Information Filtering Approach
         Kwang Mong Sim
  • Agent Services Matchmaking for Cooperation
         Hongen Lu  (failed to attend)
  • Negotiation Paradigms for E-Commerce Agents Using Knowledge Beads Methodology
         Zhuang Yan, Simon Fong, Shi Meilin (no show)

Visit to HP Cooltown

In cooltown, technology transforms human experience from consumer lifestyles to business processes by enabling mobility. Cooltown is infused with the energy of the online world, and web-based appliances and e-services give you what you need when and where you need it for work, play, life.

The number of seats will be limited to 20. We will provide a free bus (both ways). Please email us to cw2003@ntu.edu.sg with a Subject
"CW2003: Cooltown Registration" if you are  interested to join this tour. 
[all seats are taken--waiting list--check availability at the registration counter]

Visit to NTU Reality Theatre

A site-visit to NTU, which will include the following, will be organised on 6 December, morning time: 

  1. NTU campus bus-tour (to get an impression of the campus, visit the virtual campus at http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/assourin/VirCampus.html)
  2. NTU Reality Centre (http://www.camtech.ntu.edu.sg/rt/index.html)
    NTU Reality Theatre facilities include: Immersive Virtual Reality Display, 3 high-resolution Colour Projectors, 3.7m-high, 150-degree Cylindrical Screen, High performance SGI Onyx3800 Graphics Computer, Virtual Design 2 VR Software, Auditorium with 60-80 seating capacity and "hot-spot" for 6-8 persons, Active Stereoscopic Viewing Devices, Ultrasonic Subject Tracking for a fully-interactive environment

The number of seats will be limited to 40. We will provide a free bus (both ways) and a light refreshment. It will take about 30 min to get to NTU from your hotel and 2-3 hours on campus. Please email us to cw2003@ntu.edu.sg with Subject "Pre-registration for NTU tour" if you are  interested to join this tour. 

Internet

Internet connection will be available in the conference secretariat room, Aries. For wireless Internet get the logon name/password from the registration counter.

The conference hotel rooms are equipped with a network point however there will be an extra charge of S$25 (~US$14) per 24 hours should you decide to use it.