CTS 2009 PREFACE

The Internet and web-based services continue to expand with new technologies, but, as can be expected, are accompanied with new human challenges especially in the areas of privacy, trust, and trustworthiness. The Web 2.0 technologies are providing simple light-weight services, for example, those found on smart phones and PDAs for communication and social networking such as Twitter, blogs, and texting. In the future, advanced technologies such as autonomic computing will allow a computer system to understand context and intelligently adapt its behavior to the situation and, when combined with semantic technologies, provide tailored and personalized information. We already see pervasive connectivity expanding with an ever growing high speed backbone combined with computing, sensors, and communication technologies embedded in objects which are located around the world. GPS and other sensors are embedded in the current generation of cell phones and are being added to other devices and equipment -- static items such as highway sensors and to more exotic mobile devices to form sensor networks. Mobile devices already include traditional notebook computers, tablet PCs, and now the new low cost netbooks as well as a new generation of smart phones with enhanced internet access. There will be increased human to human, human to machine, and machine to machine collaboration, but how do we measure trustworthiness and express trust in these interactions? Conventional human computer interaction has been dominated by the mouse, keyboard and LCD display, but new developments in interface technologies have brought multi-touch displays to the cell phone, laptop, and desktop. Telepresence has brought new meaning to face to face collaboration and video teleconferences. Data and information handling has become more intelligent and context aware with the promise of semantic technologies and ontologies to give greater meaning, structure, and insight to volumes of data that confront us. CTS is the premier international conference for technical exchange in the major areas related to collaboration. It offers an exceptional opportunity to interact with world class researchers in this arena and discuss the results of the best research in the domain. The conference will give us an insight into what collaboration is today and what 21st century collaboration will be based on technologies now in research and development. This year we celebrate our tenth anniversary and hope you enjoy and learn from the tremendous exchange of ideas and concepts that will be presented in the conference sessions.