Communication Management with Presence Analysis

Project Description

The project developed a systems for making the communication within closed distributed groups--such as working groups or project groups--more effective and user-friendly by means of signalling the group members' availability and willingness to communicate.

This prevents unsuccessful communication attempts and enables a better controlling of the point of time for initializing a communication.

This was accomplished by means of a "communication manager", which is able to analyse signals of cameras, microphones, using of mouse and keyboard and some states of a PBX ("line busy", "calls are forwarded", etc.)

Results of that analysis can be deductions such as "person x not at desk", "person x does not want to be disturbed" or "person x has an appointment".

The results of the communication manager's analysis are displayed in the form of icons or text on a computer screen or on a mobile terminal.

In addition, a "smart answering machine" (sAM) was developed that informs the caller on the basis of availability information mentioned above per speech output about the reason of the callee's non-availability and (under some circumstances) about its assessed duration. If the callee has appointed a deputy, the sAM can offer to connect to him/her.

Project Data

Funding: Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology within the programm  PRO INNO II.
Project Period: 1st September, 2006  till 29th February, 2008

Project Partner

tevitel AG