Abstract only given, as follows. Video conferencing has become an alternative way to get people to communicate with each other without having to travel long distances. Though it has proven to be very useful in many occasions, in order to have a successful video conference, (1) it requires preliminary scheduling to have all involved parties present at the same time, (2) all parties need to be fully prepared and give quick responses to minimise expensive "dead space", and (3) there never seems to be enough communication bandwidth. Of course, as is common in most conference settings, people inevitably try to rush for conclusions near the end. With the above in mind, we are developing new data management techniques to conduct video conferences in which all parties need not be present at the same time, people can communicate at their own pace, and network bandwidth is utilized more effectively. We briefly describe the basic ideas behind such a system and show a prototype system.>

A novel methodology to represent the contents of a video sequence is presented. The representation is used to allow the user to rapidly view a video sequence in order to find a particular point within the sequence and/or to decide whether the contents of the sequence are relevant to his or her needs. This system, referred to as content-based browsing, forms an abstraction to represent each shot of the sequence by using a representative frame, or an Rframe, and it includes management techniques to allow the user to easily navigate the Rframes. This methodology is superior to the current techniques of fast forward and rewind because rather than using every frame to view and judge the contents, only a few abstractions are used. Therefore, the need to retrieve the video from a storage system and to transmit every frame over the network in its entirety no longer exists, saving time, expenses, and bandwidth.

This paper presents a novel approach to processing encoded video sequences prior to decoding.Scene changes may be easily detected using DCT coefficients in JPEG and MPEG encoded video sequences.In addition, by analyzing the DCT coefficients, regions of interest may be isolated prior to decompression, increasing efficiency of any subsequent image processing steps, such as edge detection.The results are currently used in a video browser, and are part of an ongoing research project in creating large video databases.The procedure is presented in detail and several examples are exhibited.

A conceptual framework for image information systems is presented. Current research topics are surveyed, and application examples are presented. The design issues for the next generation of active image systems are discussed. It is suggested that the next generation of active image information systems should be designed on the basis of notions of generalized icons and active indexes, resulting in smart images.>

The knowledge regarding design flow management is described and modeled by predicate-transition Petri nets and production rules. The approach offers a clear and flexible tool control mechanism within a CAD framework such that both static and dynamic behavior of a design flow are supported. The authors also demonstrate how different forms of knowledge can be implemented by a rule based system, OPS83, and be integrated in the HILDA CAD framework to guide the users through the design process.>

The requirements for CAD framework user interfaces and the implementation of the DEBBIE user interface system in the HILDA CAD framework environment are discussed. By using DEBBIE designers are allowed to work on a conceptual level, free from data/tool management, to do creative design work. Many design tasks are automated to speed up the design processes. With a configurable user interface, designers can make the system look/act the way they want it to instead of trying to learn what the system forces on them. By allowing them easy integration and activation of tools, designers can pick and choose the best design tools available without worrying about compatibility of different tools. With standard tool interface programs, designers also spend much less time learning to use new tools. An overview of DEBBIE and general requirements of user interface for CAD frameworks are presented.>

No abstract available.