ACL'2000: Infrastructures for Global Collaboration Workshop

[Priscilla Rasmussen]

       Workshop Announcement and Invitation to Contribute

          "Infrastructures for Global Collaboration"

                     organized by ELSNET

                in conjunction with ACL 2000

                   Hong Kong, October 2000


Background:

Language and speech technology are different from most other
technologies in that the complexity of the problems addressed
('how to gain enough insight in human language behaviour in order
to be able to automate certain communication tasks') is
multiplied by the number of languages (every language comes with
its own unique problems), and even by its square if one thinks of
communication across language barriers.

At the same time it is clear that solutions found for problems in
one language may be fully or partially portable to other
languages.

Within the European Union, the above (and other) observations
have led to the creation of major R&D programmes such as Language
Engineering, and Human Language Technologies, where parties from
all over Europe (and even outside) join forces in order to
address the common problems. In addition, a number of
infrastructures have been set up at the European level, such as
ELRA (dealing with creating, sharing and distributing language
resources), ELSNET (a network of key players in the European
field of human language technologies, aiming at sharing
information and expertise), and EAGLES/ISLE (aimed at developing
standards in an international context).

The existence of transnational infrastructures is not limited to
Europe, as is demonstrated by e.g. the main international
professional organisations in the field of language (ACL) and
speech (ISCA) technology, and the Linguistic Data Consortium
(LDC), but what is lacking is a clear overview of what
transnational infrastructures exist world-wide, and how these
infrastructures can be optimally exploited for global
collaboration.


Topics:

This workshop will address the following questions:
- what are the existing infrastructures world-wide
  = are they optimally exploited from the point of view of global
    collaboration
  = if not, how could this be improved
- what infrastructures or interconnections are missing
  = what can we contribute to their creation
  = what are the main actors (institutions, organisations)
  = what are the main instruments we have at our disposal to
    build and operate such infrastructures


Output:

The intended output is a strategic report, containing an analysis
of the present situation, and an outline scenario for steps to be
taken (actions, actors, calendar). The workshop should be seen as
a first consultation and round-table discussion on this topic,
and will be followed by similar events at other events, where
other parts of the language and speech communities (both thematic
and geographic) will be consulted.


Structure and audience:

It is a half day workshop. It will start with a number of invited
presentations addressing one or more of the topics of the
workshop, followed by a round-table discussion in which everybody
is invited to participate. The intended audience are people
interested in R&D policies and infrastructures.


Invitation to contribute:

Everybody, both workshop participants and others, is invited to
send his or her views on the topics addressed by this workshop to
the organisers by email. At the workshop a summary of these
contributions will be presented.


Organisers:

The workshop is organised by ELSNET, the European Network of
Excellence in Human Language Technologies, http://www.elsnet.org


Contact and Information:

Steven Krauwer (ELSNET Co-ordinator)
steven.krauwer at elsnet.org
Utrecht University
Trans 10 3512 Utrecht
The Netherlands

URL: http://www.elsnet.org/acl2000workshop.html