(from the HUMAINE Technical Annex:)

Aims of the HUMAINE portal

In the past, websites representing European projects were minimalist and low-profile. Often they were not held up-to-date after their initial setup, and presented only partial information about the state and results of the project. In most cases, their scope did not reach beyond the project that launched them, so that they attracted only a small audience.

The electronic portal to be produced by HUMAINE is of a totally different kind. It is meant to become the source of information for interested researchers in emotions and human-machine interaction research worldwide.

The principle underlying the portal will be maximum access. Some areas must necessarily be restricted (because of issues involving privacy or IPR). However, restriction will systematically be minimised, and the area open to the general public maximised.

From an early stage, it will present the current state of the art in the various thematic domains, thus providing a centralised source of information even before the integration activities of the network will have produced any results by themselves. It will be properly advertised on the numerous communication channels to which the partners have access. By providing this information service, the portal will attract a relevant audience, and will thus be well placed for spreading the know-how developed through the integration and research activities of the network.

DFKI will be in charge of setting up the electronic portal. Its ability to do so is illustrated by the high-profile language technology portal LT-World.

The portal will consist of sections addressing different information needs. It will

• inform about current events and relevant news;
• list existing teams and players in the field, link to their website, and optionally present a short profile;
• collect existing and newly created resources and tools;
• advertise the activities of the network;
• encourage readers to take an active role in the creation of certain parts of the website.

This last point will draw in a qualified way on the so-called "wiki" principle. It allows visitors to edit specific web pages and thus contribute their know-how. Content produced in the wiki area of the web page would be selected before insertion into the "reviewed" area of the portal. That allows it to contribute to the richness in content. Additionally, though, the method appears to be extremely powerful in building a virtual community, as it gives visitors the feeling that this is "their" web page rather than a one-way information channel.

See also:

• Scope - What to put into the Know-how melting pot
• Know-how melting pot
• Information about the Network of Excellence HUMAINE