Here is a summary of responses I received after requesting information about videoconferencing, as a possibility for future meetings of the Governing Board of the Ecological Society of America, or for Board members who can't travel to a particular meeting to participate from their home institutions. The Board meets three times/year, once at the annual meeting and twice in Washington, D.C. (where the Society's office is located). Thanks to those people who contributed suggestions. It looks like there may be some inexpensive (even free) options for voice-only, and maybe for one person to use a video link to the meeting.
David Inouye ************************************** Assuming ESA isn't going to spend *big* money for a corporate-type system, Apple's iChat does a nice job, and is compatible with AIM on the PC side. You do need a fast machine and network connection for whoever is hosting the conference. ************************************** A Skypecast might work for voice-only conferencing: https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/home ************************************** The LTER Network uses PolyCom conferencing units for meetings of its Executive Board. We have had up to 10 conferees at once, and will be attempting a 26 unit conference soon. This technology requires hardware which UNM purchased that allows up to 48 participants at once, or multiple simultaneous conferences. The key issue with any videoconferencing technology is bandwidth. The second issue is firewall interference. ************************************** We use a Polycom (http://www.polycom.com/usa/en/products/video/video.html) video system to communicate between the University of Montana's main campus and UM's Flathead Lake Biological Station. There is also a colleague who connects from his home office in Atlanta. We've had instances of the colleague e-mailing his PowerPoint presentation to the Biological Station and then giving his presentation remotely. The video is good and allows remote control (direction and zoom) of the camera. The communication is via Internet so not appropriate for low bandwidth connections -- when the system is on at the Biological Station, everyone else's Internet slows to a crawl. I don't know much about the specifics, including cost or installation, since it was here before I started my postdoc in June. But I'm impressed with the system -- it is easy to use and works very well. Hope this helps. We also use Skype (voice-only) for daily personal communications and quick conference calls. ************************************** If you hear of any good suggestions, I would love to hear about it myself. We do frequent meetings, mostly teleconference. But when it comes to big ones like Board meetings, many stakeholders feel the need to be right there, burning up untold tons of carbon. For me to get to a meeting at our San Francisco HQ, it requires fully a years worth of my own carbon footprint per trip. And yet, sometimes one's input really does make an important difference. Video conferencing would really make a difference. ************************************** I attended a virtual video interactive powerpoint presentation that worked quite well. After the live slideshow presentation questions were entertained from the audience from across the USA. Unfortunately, I do not know how this was accomplished or the software involved, only that it worked quite well. It was administered by the EPA. So basically, it is very possible to have virtual meetings that are interactive of high quality. Of course, I can not afford to travel to meetings and this would make attendance possible for many people. Also, I do not feel that these national and international meetings are sustainable, and this is a method to have high quality virtual meetings that are sustainable. ************************************** PC Magazine review of video conferencing software 9/18/07 liked GoToMeeting GoToMeeting: https://www.gotomeeting.com/. Says it works with up to 15 attendees. 30-day free trial available. and recommended http://www.sightspeed.com/ as a less expensive alternative. 30-day free trial available. ************************************** TNC often uses WebEx, which presents audio and presentation slides from the meeting location. Outsiders can call in and ask questions over the phone or through a chat feature. This is probably not exactly what you're looking for, but it is a step above a conference call. ************************************** I'm writing in response to your question on Ecolog about video conference recommendations. I am a postdoctoral fellow at the National Center for Earth-Surface Dynamics (NCED). Our main locations are on 8 different campuses and we regularly use videoconferencing to bring together members at 5-6 locations for meetings and presentations. The H.323 based system NCED uses allows both video and sound and also simultaneous projection of a computer screen for PowerPoint etc that is controlled by a master computer. During a meeting, the projected screen at each participating location shows multiple video boxes, one from each participating site. Sound from all sites is also heard at all other sites using phone conference type speakers. Individual locations can turn off their microphones to minimize background noise. There are sometimes issues with feedback and delays but it is generally quite functional. Here is a URL for information about the system. I don't know any more technical details about it. Charles Nguyen is the NCED IT professional ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). He may be able to provide more detailed information. I hope this is helpful, http://www.metnet.edu/img/assets/4923/IPBasedServices.pdf http://www.nced.umn.edu/ Equipment: Polycom ViaVideo 5.0 software Polycom Viewstation ************************************** I don't know too much about it myself, but you might want to talk to your own IT specialists about videoconferencing through Internet2. The Internet2 consortium has built a national network of high bandwidth data connections, and supports efforts to use their network in collaborative ways, including multi-location videoconferencing. Over 200 universities are members, including U. of Maryland, so probably the home institutions of most of your board members are connected this way. Internet2 just provides the backbone and supports a particular protocol, the individual institutions provide one or more videoconferencing setups (usually a conference room or small lecture hall wired with microphones, cameras, projectors, screens etc.). From looking at Maryland's website, and from what I know about Michigan's site, I'll bet most universities, larger ones at least, have facilities like this. My understanding is that you can interconnect both high-bandwidth videoconference suites and lower bandwidth participants using webcams or just the built-in audio in their laptop. ************************************** A few other possibilities I found in a Web search: WebEx MeetMeNow: http://meetmenow.webex.com/. Says it works with up to 10 participants. 14-day free trial available. VoxWire: http://www.voxwire.com/. 7-day free trial. Microsoft Live Meeting: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/livemeeting/default.aspx They also have a RoundTable device that shows a 360-degree view of the meeting room, has microphones, and can record the audio and video. 60-day free trial available. iLinc web conferencing: http://ilinc.com/