****Apologies for cross-posting****

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 International Journal of e-Collaboration
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Call for Papers: Special Issue on 
 
Collaborative Usage and Development of Models and other Visualizations
(CollabViz)
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Guest Editors:
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* Michael Prilla, Ruhr University of Bochum, Germany
* Alexander Nolte, Ruhr University of Bochum, Germany
* Thomas Herrmann, Ruhr University of Bochum, Germany
* Stephan Lukosch, TU Delft, Netherlands
* Gwendolyn Kolfschoten, TU Delft, Netherlands

IJeC editor:
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Ned Kock, Texas A&M International University, USA

Important Dates:
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* Submissions due on January 6, 2012
* Special Issue out in Winter/Spring 2012/2013

Links:
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* IJeC:
http://www.igi-global.com/journal/international-journal-collaboration-ijec/1090
* Topic of Special Issue:
http://www.imtm-iaw.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/events/ecscw/index.html.en

Theme and Topics:
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Graphical representations are commonly used tools in many organizations,
ranging form process models to conceptual models and mind maps. They are used
to support multiple tasks such as software development, design and engineering,
process optimization and reengineering, knowledge explication and transfer as
well as marketing, strategic development and cooperation planning. These
representations should not only be used by single users for special purposes,
but rather to support a wide range of users and organizational issues such as
shared understanding of work practices. This accounts for their development and
their usage for everyday tasks. However, in practice they are hardly used by or
available for non-experts – even if they are created collaboratively they
still have little impact on actual work in these processes.

Today, we only know little about the interaction of non-expert users with
models, that is, how people can make use of them in practice and interact with
them. Supporting such interaction needs insights on means for increasing the
usage and availability of models after their creation and on suitable tools and
modes of interaction with models for people who are not modeling professionals.
Also, there is a lack of knowledge on collaborative development of graphical
representations, including processes of cooperation and settings for such
development. Fostering the collaborative development of models and including
non-expert users into this process needs ways to enable users to contribute
actively to creation and maintenance, whether they are co-located or
dislocated, synchronous or asynchronous in time or possess different levels of
expertise in modeling. 

This special issue intends to shed light on the collaborative usage and
development of graphical representations such as models. For this, we welcome
submissions dealing with theoretical frameworks, empirical and case study
research as well as applications in the context of this area. Examples of
topics for submissions include, but are not limited to the following:

* Designing means and functionality for user interaction with models and
visualizations, e.g. contributing to models (formally and informally) and using
them in daily work. 
* Supporting work and collaboration with models and visualizations, e.g.
communicating about models, using them for learning, reflection, documentation
or knowledge transfer as well as collaborative design and engineering.
* Supporting collaborative development of models and visualizations, e.g. tools
supporting collaborative modeling in collocated and remote settings, typical
settings and roles in collaborative modeling.
* The influence of users on models (e.g. collaborative modeling participants’
influence on model outcomes) and the influence of models on users (e.g. users
discussing a model and behavior changes) 

Additional information:
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Additional information, news, updates and the extended Call for Papers on the
Special Issue can be found on the CollabViz website:
http://www.imtm-iaw.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/events/ecscw/index.html.en

Submission:
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All submissions must be in English, and should represent the original work of
the authors. Improved versions of papers previously published in conference
proceedings are welcome, provided that no copyright limitations exist.
Submissions must be made electronically via e-mail to the guest editors
(collabviz@iaw.rub.de). The manuscript should be included as an attachment in
MS Word format. Further information on submission format etc. can be found in
the extended Call for Papers available from the CollabViz website.

Contact
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The editors of the Special Issue can be contacted via collabviz@iaw.rub.de
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