A first prototype of docConnect was finished in February 2007, after only six months of development. Due to its modularity, the program can be extended easily by adding new modules, so called plug-ins. Besides video and audio conferencing it already supports several other functionalities.

The prototype offers the following capabilities. Medicians can exchange and view DICOM pictures with docConnect. DICOM is a medical picture format, that contains meta data and allows to highlight particular properties of the picture, e.g. by changing the contrast dynamically. Another plug-in allows to give presentations with docConnect. Conference participants can open powerpoint presentations and transmit the slides individually to other conference partners. This way real time presentations can be held.

Users that do not have cameras or a microphones can also take part in conferences with the chat functionality of docConnect. Additionally with the web browser plug-in users can view web pages directly in docConnect, e.g. in a hospital intranet or the internet. If a user considers a page interesting, he can spread the page to all other conference participants.

The prototype was handed out to the Charité and is now tested there intensely. Already before the end of the project, we had the opportunity to test docConnect successfully in EMISHPHER, the satellite network of the Charité. EMISPHER is an EU project, that helps hospitals in the Mediterranean region to get access to modern health technology. In this test, we could hold a video conference over a satellite channel on Eutelsat.

Furthermore we had the possibility to present docConnect on trade fairs and conferences. We had a fair stand at the "Telematik" conference in Potsdam and drew very much attention from the conference visitors. Hence we gathered a lot of contacts to representatives of medical institutions and got inspiration for new use cases and functionalities. Moreover we gave a presentation at the Multimedies conference. The listeners there came mostly from academic institutions. Their interest in docConnect proves that the software can be used for a wide range of application areas, such as eLearning. Finally the project and the software were presented to the public at the Bachelor Podium of the Hasso-Plattner-Institute. This presentation found much favor with the audience and also provoked a lot of very positive press echo.

A modular video conference system shall be implemented in the scope of the bachelor project. On the one hand, it shall provide the real time transmission of video and audio to one or more receivers, on the other hand it shall facilitate recording video and audio signals. The biggest challenge is the field of application of the system. The user interface and the necessarily easy usability are core requisites for the success of the project. The system shall use the most modern video and audio compression algorithms and be based on up-to-date internet technology. By using a service-oriented approach, the system architecture shall allow the integration of other devices, e.g. a connection to picture archives (PACS systems). Furthermore security mechanisms have to be included, which identify and authorize the user and avoid abuse of the system.

Bachelor project M3 Development of a video conference system for the virtual hospital of the Charité, Hasso-Plattner-Institute at the University of Potsdam
D-14440 Potsdam, Germany
Phone: +49 331 5509-318
Room: A-E.11