Title
Network-aware support for mobile distributed teams
Author
van der Kleij, R.
de Jong, A.
te Brake, G.M.
Greefe, T.E.
TNO Defensie en Veiligheid
Publication year
2009
Abstract
An experiment evaluated network-aware support to increase understanding of the factors that are important for successful teamwork in mobile geographically dispersed teams of first responders. Participants performed a simulated search and rescue team task and were equipped with a digitized map and realtime situation updates on the location of other participants in a simulated disaster area. The connection to a server, however, was made deliberately error-prone, leading to occasional losses of network connections. Consequently, participants were not provided with real-time situation updates. To deal with this problem we equipped team members with a network-aware application that signaled network loss to them and adapted the graphical representation of the location of fellow team members accordingly to the quality of location information present. The experiment revealed that presenting complete and reliable geospatial information improves teamwork. Teams connected to a server over a fast and reliable link showed superior performance over teams with no network connection whatsoever to a server. The present study failed, however, to demonstrate the added value of network-aware support when teams had to collaborate in the presence of an unreliable communications infrastructure. Although participants indicated a slight preference for the network-aware application over a condition without support signaling network loss, no differences were observed in team process and outcome measures.
Subject
Sociology
Distributed teamwork
Mobile computing
Mobile groupware
Network awareness
Network-aware support
Virtual teams
Distributed teamwork
Mobile groupware
Network awareness
Network-aware support
Virtual teams
Disaster prevention
Graphic methods
Groupware
Mobile computing
Signaling
Wireless networks
teamwork
virtual environments
collaboration
decision support
virtual teams
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:30b246e0-0226-46df-b3ff-6062a6448de1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2009.04.001
TNO identifier
90110
Source
Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 940-948
Document type
article