The Qualitative Research Commons and Studio (QuRCS) is a state-of-the-art multimedia research facility that allows for high-speed audio and video connectivity among multi-site national and international research groups. The facility was built in 2004 as a Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) infrastructure project funded under Dr. Janice E. Graham’s Canada Research Chair. The QuRCS consists of two suites located on the Carleton Campus of Dalhousie University: the Research Commons in the Tupper Link, and the Studio in the basement of the Tupper Tower.

QuRCS provides the physical platform for Dr. Graham’s innovative, interdisciplinary, and participatory qualitative research programme. Inspired by the traditions of medical and visual anthropology and ethnographic film, this facility enables interactive access among participants and communities in multi-sited research projects. The Research Commons has seven computer workstations including video editing and qualitative analysis software for Dr. Graham’s research team who are exploring pharmaceutical grammars and the regulation of biologics and new genetic therapies. The Commons also includes a conference area and Dr. Graham’s research office. The Studio is a dedicated site for research interviews including patient and clinician encounters, focus groups, and community meetings, with full video recording and transmission capabilities.

The QuRCS built capacity for sustained research collaborations in the Maritimes as well as nationally and internationally. Using the available equipment, researchers are able to view, record, and participate in events from any location that has IP (internet) connectivity. With the near ubiquity of high-speed internet access, IP-based networks are faster, have a much more extensive range, and are considerably less expensive than the dedicated ISDN lines that previous generations of videoconferencing equipment used.

In the QuRCS, researchers are able to do the following:

•   Live, continuous (24/7) multi-site internet video-connections (up to 12 sites)

•   One-way “streaming” (broadcasting) of video sessions for large audiences

•   Live, multi-site data conferencing for teaching and presentation purposes

•   Digital video recording of live and off-line performances for later analysis

The available equipment includes the following:

•   Polycom MGC-25 bridge, allowing multi-point conferencing of 3 to 12 sites

•   Polycom iPower 9400 VC codecs with ImageShare interfaces (in both rooms)

•   Smart Technologies SmartBoards (in both rooms)

•   Sony DVD/VHS players (in both rooms)

•   Elmo Visual Presenter document cameras (in both rooms)

•   Built in ceiling mics and speakers, and Shure wireless mics (in both rooms)

•   High-end PC workstations for video editing and analysis (in the Lab)

•   Polycom ViaVideo desktop video communication systems (field sites)

•   DV Camcorders, digital audio recorders, video-capable laptops (field sites)

Both the Commons and Studio suites, as well as the bridge, are connected via fast 100 megabit per second (mbps) Ethernet lines to the University’s fiber-optic “backbone” network, which is in turn connected both to the public Internet as well as to Canada’s high-speed research network, CA*Net4 (run by CANARIE). A list of the institutions connected to Ca*Net4 is available at http://www.canarie.ca/members/membermap.html . Through Ca*Net4 the QuRCS has connections to international high-speed research networks, including the US, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.