As part of the UK government CSCW Computer Supported Co-operative Work programme, British Telecommunications Plc is leading a consortium called Virtuosi which over the next three years will be looking to promote research into the use of computer systems to support groups of people working together in industry or commerce. The total budget for the project is around 3m with a government contribution of about 1.2m. The idea is to enable people to participate in team meetings and discussions while disparately located in different offices across the world. Two pilot services are being developed. One concerned with improving communications between BICC Group Plc factories in the UK and abroad to help managers and staff co-operate as if working in a single virtual factory. A compact three-dimensional representation of the total organisation will be generated on a computer screen and users will be able to move around it to find specific people at remote sites. The system will integrate video windows and computer-based data into this virtual world to support conference calls between participants. The second pilot project, in a textile and clothing environment, will use virtual reality techniques to create visualisation of garments on which changes can be made, with the design then being transferred to the factory immediately for manufacture. British Telecom and GEC Plessey Telecommunications Ltd will be involved in developing the telecommunications aspects of the project. Other organisations involved include Division Ltd, Manchester and Nottingham Universities, and Lancaster and Nottingham County Councils.
