GATiB-CSCW, medical research supported by a service-oriented collaborative system

Abstract

Medical research is a collaborative process in an interdisciplinary environment that may be effectively supported by a Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) system. Such a system imposes specific requirements in order to allow flexible integration of data, analysis services and communication mechanisms. Persons with different expertise and access rights cooperate in mutually influencing contexts (e.g. clinical studies, research cooperations). Thus, appropriate virtual environments are needed to facilitate context-aware communication, deployment of biomedical tools as well as data and knowledge sharing. We systematically elaborate the main requirements of a medical CSCW system and present a conceptual model, as well as an architectural proposal satisfying the demands. We design a prototypical virtual workbench to support research and routine activities in the context of the GATiB (Genome Austria Tissue Bank) initiative. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.