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base. We propose a mechanism for dynamic creation of a CIAS according to
a user's current position. Users' information access activities form the virtual
information access spaces.
To construct a CIAS, the necessary functions are divided into the follow-
ing points. The first is a space management function to create multiple virtual
spaces, make connections between spaces, and traverses a space to reach other
spaces. The second is an access to an information base to obtain context data
that satisfy the query condition. The third function is a database record reifi-
cation mechanism to instantiate the data in a context. After necessary data are
obtained, the data should be materialized by appropriate media objects.
We have been implementing these functions as software components, using
the IntelligentBox(IB) system [5] as the basis for constructing CIAS. The IB
is a constructive visual software development system for interactive 3D graphic
applications. The IB represents objects as interactive 3D visual objects, called
Boxes, which can be manually combined with other Boxes. It provides a uniform
framework for the concurrent definition of both geometrical compound structures
among Boxes and their mutually interactive functional linkages. Each Box has
its own state values that are stored in variables, called slots. Each Box also has
a unique function associated with its slot value. We use the IB system as the
basis for constructing CIASs, since it allows the integration and collaboration of
existing and future developing tools. It allows expansion of the application fields
of this system.
Figure 1 shows the functional linkage of components to construct CIAS based
on the context data in the contextualized information base. This mechanism
provides the dynamic creation of necessary context spaces and object spaces by
following the user's information space traversal. In the following sections, we
describe each mechanism and process to materialize a CIAS.
Space Ports.
To construct a CIAS, we need a mechanism that addresses e-
cient access to information objects within a restricted 3D display space. Space
ports enable us to embed multiple 3D spaces in a single virtual environment and
navigate through these different spaces. An embedded space can be represented
by a 3D media component. The user can see the contents of the embedded space
from outside, and jump into the embedded space to change the current working
place. Such space port functions are provided as OSP/CSP Boxes in IB [6].
The right-hand side of Figure 1 shows a prototype system displaying a CIAS.
In this example, the context space contains four OSPs that are connected with
corresponding object spaces. When a user approaches one OSP, the user will be
navigated to the object space that includes instantiations of an object. The ref-
erence is a CSP that also contains OSPs. When a user approaches that reference
CSP, the user can enter it. In the same way, users can continuously explore the
information spaces via the paths.
Access to Information Base.
A Query Definition Box generates query state-
ments by a predefined template query and arguments. A Query Definition Box
