Christophe Gransart

VRML data sharing in the spin-3D CVE

In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a VRML97 multi-user layer introduced in SPIN-3D, our Distributed Collaborative Virtual Environment. The main consideration of our multi-user extension is the ease of design of multi-user objects from single-user standard VRML97 objects. Any standard VRML97 browser must at least display the single-user content without taking account of the multi-user description. Whereas other approaches use a VRML node insertion mechanism, such as in Living Worlds, our approach uses a substitution mechanism. And beneath our multi-user extension, we use the Common Object Request Broker Architecture to provide a network communication layer for supporting the virtual meetings.

Multi-model architecture for ITS software design improvements

ITS components are more and more software components, so ITS design research seems to join software engineering one. But if communication middlewares are well suited to standard software design, they become insufficient when software aims mobility, and especially ITS. We propose a solution based on a multi-model approach, able to simplify the work of ITS software designers, and to ensure communication between distributed components, however is the quality or availability of the network connection. We also present an application work, applying our multi-model approach to providing Internet access in trains.

FOCALE: Towards a Grid View of Large Scale Computation Components

In the model of grid computing, we have several views of the components of the grid. One would prefer a large grid of small data-driven computations, while another one would rather use coarse grain components with great computing power. This paper presents our project, Fo-CALE, which provides genericity for large components interconnection through Java and CORBA.

Providing information to the users of public transportation by combining Wi-Fi network and satellite communications

In this article, we present the results of a research project aiming at providing information in real time to the users of public transportation. We show that new innovating services can be developed and can offer an access, with a good quality of service (with an average or big bandwidth), to information, multi-media contents and databases. This project merges innovating technologies to transmit information: Wi-Fi network inside of the buses and satellite communications to update on board information. This article describes the software choices and indicates the future improvements for the system.

(Thread and Object)-Oriented Distributed Programming

(Thread and Object)-Oriented Distributed Programming is an unifying model mixing threads and objects to design and implement distributed and multithreaded data structures and programs. This is a new way of imagining reusable components for distributed programming, based on two kinds of same grained entities that are objects for data and threads for concurrent activities.