Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
mediated participation, known as telepresence, includes everything from
videoconferencing to virtual-reality interaction. Telepresence offerings
provide opportunities for greater community involvement, as well as sub-
stantial cost savings through reductions in travel and lodging costs neces-
sary for physical participation in meetings at remote sites.
Videoconferencing
By transmitting video and audio between two locations, a virtual “win-
dow” can be shared between participants. Videoconferencing systems
allow organizations to span the globe and still conduct real-time “face-
to-face” meetings between key stakeholders without requiring constant
travel. Personal videoconferencing systems can be used to communicate
directly with traveling staff members and between family members liv-
ing far apart, using commonly available Web conferencing software
and standard IM clients. Videoconferencing systems have also been
used successfully for medical diagnosis of patients located in inacces-
sible or remote locations, and for remote assessment in dangerous or
hazardous environments.
Because participation requires little preparation and only minimal
specialized equipment, videoconferencing can improve efficiency in an
organization by eliminating the time normally spent in travel for physi-
cal meeting attendance. Participants can also attend videoconference
meetings without concern over local contagions, common workday tim-
ing, and all of the other details that make coordinating meetings trou-
blesome over long distances. These systems are widely used in distance
education to allow classroom participation by remote or geographically
isolated students.
Tele-operation
Remote users provided with the means to control local technologies
remotely can participate in a more robust manner than simple videocon-
ferencing. Remote operators have successfully performed training, system
management, and even medical procedures. Supervisory control and data
acquisition (SCADA) systems allow operators to control large, complex
equipment and devices located in geographically disparate or inhospitable
