About ViDe
Mission
The Video Development Initiative (ViDe) promotes the deployment
of digital
video in research and higher education. Leveraging our collective
resources
and expertise, ViDe advances digital video deployment through promotion
and
development of interoperable, standardized, and cost-effective technologies.
Affiliations and Collaborations
ViDe was founded by representatives from universities and education
networks; ViDe members today include those interested in improving
and
deploying scalable, standards-based digital video architecture and
services
for use in research and higher education. ViDe has recently co-sponsored
workshops and digital video projects with the Southeastern Universities
Research Association, Internet2, the Coalition for Networked Information,
and leading industry consortia.
Our Projects
ViDe projects include:
º ViDeNet, the global, virtual network providing video and
voice-over-IP to
advanced networking communities. The ViDeNet mesh of over 80 H.323
zones is the largest network of its kind in the world. The ViDeNet
architecture has
been adopted for use by the Internet2 Commons, and integration of
videoconferencing with directory services is being explored through
ViDe's
participation in the Internet2 VidMid program.
º The ViDe Video Conferencing
Cookbook, recognized by industry and higher education as the
premier "how-to" manual for getting started with Internet
videoconferencing.
º ViDe workshops bring you the latest developments in
digital video services for higher education. The annual SURA/ViDe
Digital
Video Workshop has become a significant annual event for learning
about
digital video. Additional training and outreach activities take
place at
meetings such as Internet2, EDUCAUSE, TeleCon, and Megaconference.
º ViDe members participate in active working groups focusing on
specific
advancements in videoconferencing, video streaming, video asset
management,
and data collaboration.
º ViDe promotes use and development of tools for performance
measurement and analysis that make the deployment of high quality
video feasible.
Organization and Membership
ViDe is an active collaboration of non-dues paying members.
ViDe enjoys and believes in the importance of working in the broadest
user/contributor community; at the same time, we've found that by
recruiting members who can commit energy and resources we have built
valuable working associations that are on a manageable scale and
that produce successful projects and deliverables.
ViDe is organized as follows:
º a Steering Committee, led by an elected Chair
º Working Groups and Project Groups
º Regular information sharing and planning meetings among steering
committee members, working group chairs and project leads (complete
list of members)
Working groups focus on specific technical issues and areas; an
interested
ViDe member identifies the need, volunteers to Chair and organize
the group,
and along with others interested in starting the new activity determines
appropriate membership guidelines for that group. Working groups
may spin
off special project groups; for example, to organize a workshop,
or to
collaborate on a specific activity across ViDe groups or with other
organizations.
Any individual participating in a ViDe Working Group or a ViDe
Project Group
is considered an active ViDe member.
Coordination and planning across ViDe working groups occurs at
bi-monthly
meetings of the steering committee and working group/project leads.
All
ViDe activities are reported on by the leads to the Steering Committee.
Each steering committee member is responsible for regular reporting
on their
group's activities and projects. The Chairs assemble reports from
the
Steering Committee for distribution to the full ViDe membership
and for
reporting on ViDe activities through the web site and elsewhere.
The ViDe Steering Committee selects new steering committee members
from
among the active ViDe membership. Steering Committee members commit
at
least 5% of their time to ViDe activities. The Steering Committee
seeks
coherence to ViDe's many activities and interests by identifying
common themes and research directions. The Steering Committee handles
administrative duties such organizing meetings, is responsible for
the web
site and outreach, and obtains resources to support ViDe and its
projects.
The Steering Committee should be a small group of those persons
who have
proven themselves to be valuable members of ViDe through exceptional
service
in the working groups or project groups.
The chair-elect of the Steering Committee will be elected at the
annual ViDe Steering Committee meeting. Newly elected chairs will
serve in the position of chair-elect for three
months before becoming Chair. The Chair who is stepping down serves
as
past-chair throughout the term of the Chair. The Chair's term of
office is
for the period of time from becoming Chair until replaced by the
chair-elect.
ViDe membership is based on active participation: the specific
definition of
active participation is determined by each working group. When a
member has
been determined by their group to have been inactive for 6 months
or more,
their name will be removed from the active membership roll. The
steering
committee will use similar criteria for removal of steering committee
members.
Active members are subscribed to ViDe mailing lists and are recognized
on
the ViDe web site.
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