Networking, videoconferencing and collaborative environments Original Research Article

Collaborative environments supporting point to point and multipoint videoconferencing, document and application sharing across both local and wide area networks, video on demand (broadcast and playback), and interactive text facilities will be a crucial element for the development of the next generation of HEP experiments by geographically dispersed collaborations. We discuss recent developments in packet videoconferencing and their integration with circuit switched systems over the past two years, with a focus on the needs of HENP and other scientific fields, and the work of the Caltech and LBL groups in collaboration with the HEPNRC in particular. We also briefly review the move towards international standards, developments on the open market, and remark on the likely impact on collaborative research and the key issues for the immediate future.