Abstract
Mechanical maintenance of F-16 engines is carried out as a team effort involving 3 to 4 skilled engine technicians. This paper presents the development of a mechanical maintenance simulator for their training. This simulator aims to enable technician training to be enhanced with cooperation and context prior to the training phase with actual physical engines. We describe the requirements that were identified with the Portuguese Air Force, the overall software architecture of the system, the current stage of the prototype, and the outcomes of the first field tests with users. (C) 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B. V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the scientific programme committee of VS-Games 2012

Abstract
Groupware specification and development has always been a complex task, requiring special attention to issues such as notification of cooperative actions and ensuring consistency of shared data. Some years ago SAGA was developed as a framework to build groupware applications based on a set of core web services that provide the most common cooperative functionalities. Despite its potential, the last few years brought some technological developments that placed new challenges. This paper presents a new generation of the SAGA platform that adds to the original framework features that emerged recently, namely the regulation of social interaction, incorporation of new communication technologies, connectors to several external services and interaction environments, and the addition of contextual information.

Abstract
The development of groupware systems can be supported by the perspectives provided by taxonomies categorizing collaboration systems and theoretical approaches from the multidisciplinary field of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). In the last decades, multiple taxonomic schemes were developed with different classification dimensions, but only a few addressed the socio-technical perspective that encompasses the interaction between groups of people and technology in work contexts. Moreover, there is an ambiguity in the use of the categories presented in the literature. Aiming to tackle this vagueness and support the development of future groupware systems aware of social phenomena, we present a comprehensive classification model to interrelate technological requirements with CSCW dimensions of communication, coordination, cooperation, time and space, regulation, awareness, group dynamics, and complementary categories obtained from a taxonomic literature review. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Abstract
The maintenance of military aircraft is complex and exhaustive, requiring an accurate training program. This process is not fault tolerant and requires certification renewal periodically. Furthermore, the process involves many professionals and resources, requiring phases of maintenance and verification of the tasks. Cooperation between professionals in the overall process is essential and requires strong team coordination. It is a highly costly process, since aircrafts are scarce and their readiness is essential for missions, and it requires a scheduling effort between all team members and aircrafts. The availability of tools that allow intensive training without aircraft presence is an asset to the maintenance squadrons. Virtual worlds have simulation and collaboration capabilities to implement this process. This paper presents a software architecture developed for training engine maintenance squadrons for certification, using virtual worlds platforms. This architecture is being tested in cooperation with the Portuguese Air Force and an engine maintenance squadron of F-16 aircrafts.

Abstract
Nowadays it is possible to disseminate information to the all world in real time using current communication tools supported mostly by the Internet. The work of several organizations reporting a multitude of problems that our society faces can be sustained by participatory platforms, which stimulate the collaboration of participants all over the world. In this paper we present a technological platform that provides a shared environment for collaborative social activism. We adapted the platform to a particular organization, Machsom Watch that reports human rights abuses in Israelis checkpoints. Finally we present some preliminary results obtained by ethnographic research using the developed platform.

Abstract
Besides services traditionally available in wireless networks, new ones may be offered that transparently adjust and adapt to the user context. The user would have more choice and flexibility if not only could he use platform and third-party services, but also compose his own services in an ad-hoc way, making it available to other users, involving them collaboratively in the construction of a wide set of services. Moreover, collaboration among users can be fostered by the availability of awareness services in mobile environments that enable them to execute joint tasks and activities. This paper presents iCas, an architecture to create context-aware services on the fly, and discusses its main modules. Also a collaborative application scenario is briefly described.