Integrative, Collaborative Environment in Six Dimensions I

The "Integrative, Collaborative Environment in Six Dimensions", ICE6d, is being developed as a business training and operations platform. First, to explain the terminology:

• ICE6d--simple acronym but real world ice has only been identified in 14 forms 3/06 (Physics)
  
• Integrative--ICE6d should be able to represent, manipulate and extract information from legacy "silo" software applications
• Collaborative--ICE6d's main function is to permit many people to use it to facilitate their interaction with each other and with their productivity tools
  
• Environment--ICE6d is a virtual world where people, software and real world objects can be represented, manipulated and interact

ICE6d's six dimensions are:

• Spatial (3)--the normal x,y,z position and alpha, beta, delta orientation with respect to the x,y,z axises
• Temporal--to the real world constant rate forward, ICE6d adds reverse, variable rate, recording, playback and revision (versioning interventions)
• Informational--a dimension or layer for almost infinite information that can be represented, typically objects with at least position and description, first order breakdown:
  
• Substructure--objects like terrain, weather, lakes and others attributes of the natural real world
  
• Infrastructure--objects like pipes, buildings and others mostly with fixed position and man-made
  
• Resources--objects that can be used to perform a function like trucks, radios and others mostly that are movable
  
• People--object representations (avatars) of the users and others that are computer automated
  
• Social--a dimension or services for communications among avatars (via text, audio, image and/or video) and for interaction with resource objects

ICE6d can be thought of as a viewer of information along these six dimensions (like an advanced browser); or as a communications media (like an advanced video phone with shared white board); or as a social networking tool (like Second Life)...it's all these and more by their synergism.

Since ICE6d is a new environment for almost all of the intended users it needs to have minimal barriers to testing, a short learning curve to first benefits, and some delight and fun in it's use. To get started you need:

1. Enrollment to establish the user's representation (as an avatar) in the environment can be reduced to a simple (fun) process entering (iteratively):
   
1. web cam or other facial picture (a la Digimask )
   
2. body specs (height, weight, age, sex)
3. clothing preferences (business dress, business causal, sporting)
4. fidelity or how closely you want the avatar to look like you (from caricature to realistic within the resolution).
   

1. Commands can start off as hierarchical menu items with shortcuts presented after use becomes familiar or the user may designate their own macros (even gestures) for such actions as:
1. Moving--forward (walk, run, stop), turn, fly (up, down, forward), sit/stand, raise/lower (hand/arm), clap hands, wave
2. Viewing--perspective ("guardian angel", first-person, close-up, god), magnification)
   
3. Actions upon other objects--select/touch, pick up/drop, open/close, push/pull, put-on/take-off, cut/break/shatter, eat, drink
   
2. Communications in most virtual worlds are text-based but typing can be a barrier in itself and it limits expressiveness.
   Voice-based systems using VOIP are now on the verge of roll out. Part of real world communications is carried by expressions and gestures. These could be picked up by web cam and encoded as automatic avatar commands.

( To be continued.)