Newsgroups: comp.parallel,fj.comp.parallel,comp.sys.transputer,comp.sys.concurrent
From: knut@vltava.uni-paderborn.de (Knut Menzel)
Reply-To: knut@uni-paderborn.de
Subject: Vacant Research Positions in Multimedia Project
Keywords: Multimedia, Server Design, Virtual Museum, Parallel, Multiprocessor
Organization: University of Paderborn
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 1995 00:59:16 GMT
Message-ID: <3ttsbf$kfg@news.uni-paderborn.de>

====================
General Information:
====================

The University of Paderborn, Department of Computer Science has an
immediate need for Research assistants to work within the EU/ACTS 
funded multimedia project

	SICMA - Scalable Interactive Continuous Media Server
		and Application.

The general aim of the SICMA project is  to  design  a  scalable
server   for  the  delivery  of  images,  data  and  continuous
multimedia information  and  to  demonstrate  its  efficiency  by
applying  it  to  a  relevant  application,  namely the so called
``Virtual  Museum''. The project duration will be three years.

The Department of CS offers three three temporary employments that 
will begin on 1 September 1995. All contracts are based on full time 
work (38.5 hours/week) with a payment following the public wage 
agreement (i.e. BAT IIa).

It should be noted, that especially women and disabled persons are 
encouraged to send their application. In case of equal qualification 
disabled persons will be preferred. If desired the local staff 
council for scientific employees can be integrated into the contract 
negotiations.

More information about the SICMA project can be found at the end of 
this message. Information concerning the activities of this research
group can be found via World Wide Web using the address
http://www.uni-paderborn.de/fachbereich/AG/monien/index.html.

===============
Contract No. 1:
===============

	Activities:

		+ Conception of server system software in close
		  cooperation with other project partners
		+ Efficiency analysis of different concepts done by
		  simulations and theoretical research with respect
		  to real time aspects
		+ Realization of server system software moduls in
		  close cooperation with other project partners
		+ Conversion of existing or new standards (i. e.
		  DAVIC) and its further developments

	Qualifications:

		+ Masters in Computer Science or related field is
		  required
		+ Experience and good knowledge in the area of 
		  parallel and distributed programming is required
		+ Experience in the realization auf multimedia 
		  information systems.

	Contacts to:

		Contract ID-Code: 17.400-DM7

		Reinhard Lueling
		University of Paderborn
		Germany
		Tel: +49 5251 60-3331
		Fax: +49 5251 60-3515
		email: rl@uni-paderborn.de
		WWW: http://www.uni-paderborn.de/fachbereich/AG/monien/
		     PERSONAL/rl.html

===============
Contract No. 2:
===============

	Activities:
	
		+ Conception of server system software in close
		  cooperation with other project partners
		+ Analysis and realization of scheduling strategies
		  with respect to real time aspects
		+ Adaption and development of Admission Control
		  algorithms for the realization of DAVIC gateway
	 	  bricks		

	Qualifications:

		+ Masters in Computer Science or related field is
		  required
		+ Experience and good knowledge in the area of 
		  parallel and distributed programming is required
		+ Experience in the realization auf multimedia 
		  information systems.

	Contacts to:

		Contract ID-Code: 17.400-DM8

		Reinhard Lueling
		University of Paderborn
		Germany
		Tel: +49 5251 60-3331
		Fax: +49 5251 60-3515
		email: rl@uni-paderborn.de
		WWW: http://www.uni-paderborn.de/fachbereich/AG/monien/
		     PERSONAL/rl.html

===============
Contract No. 3:
===============


	Activities:

		+ Basic research in the area of parallel computer
		  graphics. Especially in the design of parallel and
		  distributed global illuminations of three dimensional
		  scenes based on radiosity methods.
		+ Realization of the multimedia application "Virtual 
		  Museum" in close cooperation with other project 
		  partners.
		+ Related administration work

	Qualifications:

		+ Masters in Computer Science or related field is
		  required
		+ Experience and good knowledge in the area of 
		  parallel and distributed programming is required
		+ Experience and good knowledge in the areas Computer
		  Graphics, Computer Animation
		+ Experience in the use of 3D interfaces and set top
		  boxes 
	
	Contacts to:

		Contract ID-Code: 17.400-DM9

		Dr. Knut Menzel
		University of Paderborn
		Germany
		Tel: +49 5251 60-3325
		Fax: +49 5251 60-3515
		email: knut@uni-paderborn.de
		WWW: http://www.uni-paderborn.de/fachbereich/AG/monien/
		     PERSONAL/knut.html


========================================================================
	SICMA - Scalable Interactive Continuous Media Server
		and Application.
========================================================================

Project Partners: 

	Parsytec (Aachen, Germany), German Telekom Research
	(Darmstadt, Germany), University of Paderborn (Paderborn,
	Germany), Multimedia Information Systems Institute of 
	Crete (Crete, Greek), Tongeren Museum (Tongeren, Belgium),
	Natural History Museum (London, UK), 3D Scanners (London,
	UK), Atelier for Informatics and Architecture (Frauenfeld,
	Switzerland), Cap Gemini (Milano, Italy), Burger Breedband
	Net (Belgium).

Main Objectives:

	The general aim of the SICMA project is  to  design  a  scalable
	server   for  the  delivery  of  images,  data  and  continuous
	multimedia information  and  to  demonstrate  its  efficiency  by
	applying  it  to  a  relevant  application,  namely the so called
	``Virtual  Museum''.   The  server  will  be  used  within  various
	testbeds  showing  the potential to serve a large number of users
	under various conditions. It is the aim of the project to  design
	a cost efficient server  making  interactive  access  to  various 
	forms of media feasible this way.

	The server will  fully  realize  the  DAVIC   standard.   Special
	emphasis   will   be  put  on   the connection  of  a  number  of
	servers  within  one  larger  network,  realizing  a  distributed
	information network in this way.

	Workplan References: Area A01: Task AC120, AC121 and Area AG : 
	Task AC10, AC20

Technical Approach:

	The server being realized within this project will  be  based  on
	European  MPP  technology  being  used in embedded supercomputing
	applications. In a first working  phase  a  detailed  requirement
	study  for  interactive services will be performed. Together with
	network requirements this leads to a  first  system  design.  The
	server  development  and  the  application  development  (Virtual
	Museum) will be done in parallel. The server  development  mainly
	focuses  on  the  realization of the server system software, the
	integration of the data base and the server hardware integration.
	The  realization  of  the  server software layer will take up the
	emerging DAVIC standard. Thus, it will  be  possible  to  realize
	other  services  using  the SICMA server if the DAVIC standard is
	taken into account.

	The application development will build the Virtual  Museum.  This
	application  aims at realizing an intelligent information browser
	(3D interactive photorealistic graphic) for  the  display  of  an
	interactive gallery of the museums being partners in the project.
	This  interface  can  also   be   extended   to   realize   other
	applications, e.g. home shopping, VOD or others.

	Two  integration  phases  will  finish  each  development  phase,
	leading to an demonstration afterwards.

Key Issues:

	+ Requirement Analysis for Interactive Multimedia Services
	+ Design of scalable parallel communication systems
	+ Network of interactive multimedia servers
	+ Realtime algorithms for data delivery
	+ Virtual Museum Application
	+ 3D image  generation to realize an intelligent information browser 
	+ Interconnection of ATM networks to realize cultural network

Expected impact:

	The SICMA project will have an impact on the design  of  scalable
	interactive  media  servers  as  one  of its special issues is to
	optimize the price/performance ratio. This will mainly be done by
	using  standardized  processing and communication devices  and by
	carefully observing the buffering, communication and  computation
	requirements  being  necessary  to  realize  the  server.  If  an
	optimized price/performance ratio can be realized, this will have
	a strong impact on the costs of online services.

	The second impact of the project is due to the realization of the
	``Virtual  Museum''  application.  This application will open new
	ways  the  cultural  richness  of  Europe  can  be  accessed   by
	connecting schools, universities and other public places to these
	networks.

Testbed and verification:

	Verification of the concept will be done in 3 phases:  At  first,
	performance benchmarking of the server as well as the application
	will be done at the site of a project partner, using an  in-house
	ATM  network.  The  first public trial will be done by connecting
	the Natural History Museum (London) and the Gallo Romeins  Museum
	Tongeren  (Belgium)  via  the  European  ATM trial and the UK ATM
	SuperJanet. Installing one server in each of the museums, it will
	be  possible  to  realize  a network of servers demonstrating the
	efficiency of caching mechanisms in this  way.  A  second  public
	trial  will  be  done  by  installing  the  server  in the Burger
	Broadband Network, which is a Belgium cable TV network acting  as
	a National Host.

EOT.







