Collaboration, modeled
Computational methods for making collaboration easier, more effective, and more efficient.
A system of relationships
E-CARGO represents collaborative systems through six connected elements. Role-Based Collaboration uses roles as the primary mechanism for facilitating collaboration activities.
- E
- Environments
- Element 1 of the E-CARGO acronym
- C
- Classes
- Element 2 of the E-CARGO acronym
- A
- Agents
- Element 3 of the E-CARGO acronym
- R
- Roles
- Element 4 of the E-CARGO acronym
- G
- Groups
- Element 5 of the E-CARGO acronym
- O
- Objects
- Element 6 of the E-CARGO acronym
Role-Based Collaboration framework
concepts
- Object
- Class
- Role
- Agent
- Environment
- Group
- Messages
problems
- Role negotiation
- Agent evaluation
- Role assignment
- Role playing
- Role transfer
relations
- Inheritance
- Request
- Promotion
- Report-to
- Conflict
- Couple
applications
- Systems engineering
- Industrial engineering
- Production and human-resource management
- Complex systems
- Cloud computing
- Internet of Things
- Social simulations
- Industry 4.0
- Big data
- Cyber-physical systems
Research areas
- Role-Based Collaboration
- Adaptive collaboration
- E-CARGO model
- Group performance optimization
- Software engineering
- Service computing and cloud computing
- Computer-supported cooperative work
- Human-computer interaction
Scholarly Research Projects/Grants
A chronological record of 32 funded initiatives and collaborative systems projects, presented newest first.
2020s
2026.5-2031.4
Adaptive Dumpster Management Using E-CARGO
NSERC Discovery Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $215,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2026.5-2027.4
Research Internship
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)
- Funding
- $35,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2025.9-2026.8
E-CARGO Learning Materials
IEEE SMCS TEAM Projects
- Funding
- CAD$27,114.39
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2025.2-2026.1
Research Internship
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)
- Funding
- $35,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2024.5-2026:4
Adaptive Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Scheduling for the Arctic Region Logistics Using E-CARGO
NSERC Discovery Development Grants, Canada
- Funding
- $44,000
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2023.5-2028.4
Social Simulation on Refugee Resettlement and Canada's Policy Making
SSHRC Insight Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $341,716 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2010s
2019.9-2022.8
Effective Human-Machine Cooperation with Intelligent Adaptive Autonomous Systems
DND/NSERC IDEaS Program, Canada
- Funding
- $913,235.00
- Role
- Co-Investigator (Co-I) (17%)
2018.5-2024.4
Dynamic On-Demand Vehicle Services for Small or Medium-sized Cities based on the E-CARGO Model
NSERC Discovery Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $186,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2015
An Interactive Physician Scheduling Tool
NSERC Engage Plus Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $25,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2014
Automated and Optimized Assignment of Physicians in the Emergency Department
NSERC Engage Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $24,976 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2014
Development and Test of a Volunteer and Member-based Platform
Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $57,200 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2013-2015
Wireless Sensor Networking Simulation Platform based on the E-CARGO model
Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
- Funding
- CNY¥300,000
- Role
- Co-PI (1/3)
2012-2018
Online Auction-Based Scheduling of Health Care Services for Outpatients
NSERC Discovery Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $89,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2012
Dynamic Project Scheduling Software Package
NSERC Engage Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $19,905 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2011
Heuristic Solution to the Outpatient Scheduling Problem in Health Care
Nipissing University Internal Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $5,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2010
Role-Based Interaction
Nipissing University Internal Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $5,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2000s
2009
Operator Interface Technologies for Network Enabled Operational Environments Using Complex System Analysis
Defence R&D Canada (DRDC)-Toronto, Canada
- Funding
- $23,150 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2008-2009
Commercialization of Role Transfer Software Tool
Ontario Partnership for Innovation in Commercialization, Canada
- Funding
- $10,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2006-2009
Role-Based Collaboration
NSERC Discovery Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $33,500 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2005
“Introduce Roles into Eclipse,”
IBM Faculty Grants
- Funding
- $29,600 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
79 winners out of 360 competitors.
2005
Role-Based Collaboration
Nipissing University Internal Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $5,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2005-2007
The Provincial Summer Experience Program (Ontario, Canada)
- Funding
- $6,000 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
2004
“Role-Based Collaboration,”
IBM Eclipse Innovation Grants
- Funding
- $33,300 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
78 winners out of 278 competitors.
2003
Role-Based Collaboration
Nipissing University Internal Grant, Canada
- Funding
- $4,700 CAD
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
Foundational systems, 1987-1999
1999-2002
A Collaborative Toolkit for Group Decision
National Science Foundation (NSF) of USA
- Role
- Advisor
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This project was partly sponsored by NSF of USA. As an advisor, Dr. Zhu designed the system and managed a group of 15 graduate students to implement the system. The system was implemented on the Windows/NT platform using Microsoft Active Server Page (ASP).
1997-1999
The Beidou-I Ground Information Processing Subsystem
DOD, China
- Funding
- CNY¥5,000,000
- Role
- Co-PI (1/4)
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It is a Distributed Real-Time System for the Chinese Positioning System. The quality of the system followed ISO 9000 standard. The system was implemented on Digital UNIX with real-time kernel. This system was a part of Chinese own positioning system. As the vice general engineer for this project, Dr. Zhu made the proposal, wrote the engineering plan, designed the system, evaluated the whole system performance and coordinated the technology issues of the whole project. Also, as a director engineer, he designed a subsystem, created the plan, and managed a group of 15 programmers to implement the subsystem.
1994-1996
YHCS: A Client/Server System with Collaborative Hypermedia
- Funding
- CNY¥2,000,000
- Role
- Co-PI (1/6)
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This system was designed with object-oriented methodology and implemented with C++ on Windows for Workgroup. This system was a flagship project of China to design and implement her self-owned software platform. As one of the six chief designers, Dr. Zhu designed a collaborative subsystem, managed the testing and evaluation, and managed a group of 10 programmers to implement the subsystem.
1994-1996
OOTOOLS: An Object-Oriented Software Engineering Environment
National Hi-Tech (863) Plan of China
- Funding
- CNY¥60,000
- Role
- Principal Investigator (PI)
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This system was designed with object-oriented methodology and implemented with C++ on Windows 3.0. As the project leader, Dr. Zhu made the proposal, wrote the engineering plan, designed the structure of the system, evaluated the whole system performance, and managed a group of five programmers to implement the system.
1993-1994
YH-MMDT: A Hypermedia Management System Based on Object-Oriented Paradigm
National Hi-Tech (863) Plan of China
- Funding
- CNY¥300,000
- Role
- Co-PI (1/2)
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This system was designed with object-oriented methodology and implemented with C++ on Windows 3.0. As a chief technical leader, Dr. Zhu designed the system and managed a group of five programmers to implement the system.
1990-1992
Object-Oriented Computer Architecture
National Science Foundation (NSF) of China
- Funding
- CNY¥30,000
- Role
- Co-PI (1/2)
1988-1993
YH-ITM: An Intelligent Computer System
National 863 Hi-Tech Plan, China
- Funding
- CNY¥2,000,000
- Role
- Co-PI (1/5)
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This system was a very large project from hardware to software. This system was one of the four flagship projects to demonstrate that China is one of the several countries that can design intelligent computers in the world. Dr. Zhu was one of the five chief designers and a chief technology coordinator. He designed the instruction cache board of this computer and implemented the Smalltalk virtual machine on this computer.
1987-1991
GWOOSE: An Integrated Object-Oriented System
National Hi-Tech (863) Plan of China
- Funding
- CNY¥300,000
- Role
- Co-PI (1/3)
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This system is the first object-oriented system in China. As one of the three chief designers, Dr. Zhu designed and implemented the Smalltalk virtual machine, the key component of the system, on a VAX/VMS system.
Keynote themes
- E-CARGO and Role-Based Collaboration
- Group Role Assignment with Constraints
- Computational Social Simulation using E-CARGO and RBC