An Approach to Interaction Interoperability for Distributed Virtual Environments

Abstract

We present a preliminary framework for interaction interoperability in Distributed Virtual Environments (DVEs). The goal is to allow each user to use a different input devices and interaction techniques and yet collaborate seamlessly. The framework adopts Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and use a knowledge base in the form of three ontologies. The ontologies use Web Ontology Language (OWL) to describe input devices, interaction techniques and interaction tasks. In addition, two directories contain application and user profiles. An inference engine searches for the best possible combination of input devices, interaction techniques and tasks. The resulting user's mapping file is then accessed using web services. Two proof-of-concept framework implementations demonstrate how to develop a new application and how to support a legacy application.