Designing Tabletop Interfaces for Asymmetric Distributed Collaboration

Complex task domains such as emergency response and command and control often involve collaboration between operational personnel in the field and tactical personnel in a central command centre responsible for coordinating the efforts of those operational personnel. The asymmetry in their respective work environments, job responsibilities, available information, and situation constraints produce distinctly different technological requirements for potential support systems for these different personnel. This research focuses on the use of a tabletop display to support the planning and coordination duties of the tactical personnel. A primary goal is to address the inherent challenges of designing large-screen tabletop interfaces that support synchronous interaction, data sharing, and coordination with remote collaborators who have significantly diminished technological capabilities, particularly in terms of available display size.