The BCP: An integrated communication and collaboration platform for biosecurity research and incident response workgroups

We present the design and implementation of an advanced collaboration platform that integrates life-size video conferencing and group interactions with a large shared workspace. The platform was developed to support the diagnostics and research scientists who need to work collaboratively with others across a physical biocontainment barrier. The system allows the sharing of a range of data and synchronous interactions on computer applications in this complex work setting. This cannot be simply supported by the “board-room” type of “telepresence” technology and key to the success of the design and implementation is the consideration of ergonomic aspects as well as the integration of communication and collaboration features in the shared workspace in such a way as not to interfere with work practices. The platform has been under routine use and a user study has shown that these design considerations are critical for supporting the distributed scientific collaborations and may be also applicable to other scientific domains