Context-Linked Intelligent User Interfaces for Distributed Teams: An Astrophysics Case Study

There is a growing need for distributed teams to analyze complex and dynamic data streams and make critical decisions under time pressure. Although intelligent software capable of making decisions is becoming more and more prevalent, some highly ambiguous situations still demand the guidance of human experts. Via a case study, we discuss potential guidelines for the design of software tools to facilitate collaborative decision-making when automated programs are not enough. We introduce the term context-linked to characterize systems where both task and context information are included in a shared space. We describe a novel, lightweight, context-linked event notification/virtual assistant system developed to aid a cross-cultural, geographically distributed team of astrophysicists to remotely maneuver a custom-built instrument under challenging operational conditions, where critical decisions must be made in as little as 45 seconds. The system has been in use since 2005 by a major international astrophysics collaboration. We describe the design of the event notification system and then present a case study, based on event log analysis, exemplifying the types of interactions facilitated by the system. Author