Framework for virtual collaboration emphasized by awareness information and asynchronous interaction

In this paper, we propose a framework which allows remote users to form conversation groups based on spatial relationship in a shared virtual space. Our proposed framework can transport awareness information of real world by capturing and transferring user´s audio visual information. Our framework also provides functions useful to CSCW, which allow each user to simultaneously join different conversation groups, and communicate with others asynchronously exchanging awareness information. We show a reference implementation architecture to realize the framework in an ordinary computing and networking environment.