JPH09198350A - Method and system for setting environment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a system for setting an environment, which effectively execute work in a group and privacy protection between the individual groups, by extending the concept of a place showing a situation and explicitly setting rules, restrictions or agreements existing in it and utilizing them. SOLUTION: The environment setting method is to set the operation environment of a program in a network (LAN) environment to which plural computers are connected. Setting information on the operation environment is stored (601b) in accordance with the concept of the virtual place where work is executed, the place is designated (611b) and setting information is obtained. The operation environment of the programs is set (611a) by using setting information. The storage of setting information is made to correspond to a user or a user group and setting information is obtained in accordance with the place, the user or the user group.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an environment setting method and system thereof, and in particular, in a situation where a group of a plurality of people collaborate on a computer, setting of the group work environment and software to be used. The present invention relates to an environment setting method and system for facilitating the operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional computer environment, an individual use environment and software are generally customized.
For example, customization of a personal desktop layout, key binding of software used by an individual, and the like. In order to realize the environment setting, a method of managing each customized information for each individual and storing it as a file or the like is adopted. Even when similar customization settings are used for the same work content or the same department, each person has accumulated the same duplication.

On the other hand, with respect to shared information referred to by a plurality of people on a network, a protection code has been provided for the purpose of protecting data in files, directories and databases.

[0004]

We have separately proposed to provide a method for setting a common environment within a group to a group of a plurality of people. However, in recent years, the form of network use has begun to expand not only to sharing information via such files and databases, but also to wider application forms such as tabletop video conferences and observing camera images at remote locations. . FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing such a working environment.
Multiple workstations or PCs using
01 and 202 are connected, and by exchanging information of each other through a network such as a LAN, it is possible to share a video conference and a drawing tool (drawing tool).

[0005] With the development of such a network usage pattern, it is necessary to further expand the concept of the environment to be set even in a program that works through the network. The factors of environment setting that are a problem here are, for example, the setting of the access right (file protection code) for the data to be created, the privacy setting for the video conference (for example, permission of other people's listening), and collaborative work. These are rules for passing the chair right or the operation right in the tool.

In the conventional environment setting for each individual,
For such a collaborative work environment, for example, the following problems have occurred. (1) Since the environment setting is fixed, it takes a lot of time and effort to change the setting according to the situation. (2) Since the concept that clearly shows the situation does not appear on the surface,
Even members who belong to the same group are confused because work methods are performed in different environment settings. (3) It is difficult to support dynamically generated groups.

[0007] Here, when observing the behavior between related parties in the real world from the viewpoint of collaborative work, the behavior pattern or rule of each person does not depend only on the data to be worked, but simply in the group. It is not decided only by the members that make up the group, but it is considered that there are many cases where rules are set according to the situation in which the activities of the group are carried out. However, in a computer-based cooperative work system (groupware), a method for more effectively performing work in a group has not been realized by utilizing the concept of the situation as described above.

Access to the network is performed by using space as a metaphor, like the word cyberspace or media space, which is a word representing the information world formed by networked computers.
Representing the above situation as a "place" where some work is performed can be considered as an analogy from space. One of the current methods of using computers for such cases is a directory as a set of files. However, as described above, the information associated with a directory is only the protection code for the directory, and there is no way to make the protection code for a file newly created in the directory common in the group.

The main purpose of the present invention is to extend the concept of a field that represents a situation so that rules, constraints or agreements existing therein can be explicitly set and utilized, thereby making it possible to perform work in a group or between individual groups. To provide an environment setting method and system for effectively protecting the privacy of the user. That is, a first object of the present invention is to provide an environment setting method and system for easily setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an environment setting method and an environment setting method for easily setting an operating environment of a program in accordance with information of a work target or work place and information of a user or a user group. It is to provide a system. A third object of the present invention is to provide an environment setting method and system that facilitates setting of the operating environment of a program, and particularly management by centralizing the information to be set.

A fourth object of the present invention is, in a desk conference system for conducting a conference using a plurality of computers connected by a network, in particular, information on a work target or work place and information on a user or a user group. It is to provide a tabletop conference system that easily sets an environment according to information. A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a camera control system including a plurality of computers connected to each other via a network or a camera module capable of communication control, particularly in accordance with information of an observation target and an observer or an observer group. It is an object to provide a camera control system that easily sets an environment.

[0012]

In order to solve this problem, an environment setting method of the present invention is an environment setting method for setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected, Corresponding to the concept of a virtual place where work is carried out, setting information of the operating environment is stored, the setting information is specified by designating the place, and the operating environment of the program is set using the setting information. By
Easily set the operating environment of the program.

Here, the setting information is stored in association with the user or the user group, and the setting information is obtained according to the location and the user or the user group. Also consider. Further, the setting can be freely performed by further including the step of changing the setting information. Further, the environment setting method of the present invention is an environment setting method for setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected. Based on the procedure for obtaining the environment setting information and the procedure for setting the operating environment of the program using the environment setting information, the operating environment of the program is easily set.

Further, the environment setting method of the present invention is an environment setting method for setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected, and specifies a user or a user group who performs a work. The operation of the program includes a procedure, a step of specifying a place where the work is performed, a step of obtaining environment setting information based on the place, and a step of setting an operating environment of the program using the environment setting information. Easily set up the environment.

The environment setting system of the present invention is an environment setting system for setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected,
Corresponding to the concept of the virtual place where the work is performed, a storage unit that stores the setting information of the operating environment, and a location specifying unit that sets the concept of the virtual place and identifies the place where the work is performed The setting of the operating environment of the program is made possible by having the setting information acquisition means for obtaining the environmental setting information corresponding to the location and the operating environment setting means for setting the operating environment of the program using the environment setting information. Easy to do.

Here, the system further comprises a user specifying means for specifying a user or a user group, and the setting information acquisition means obtains environment setting information according to the place and the user or the user group. Also consider users or groups of users. Further, the storage means is realized by a database having environment setting information as an attribute for each place, thereby increasing the versatility of the system. Further, the concept of the virtual place is associated with the actual place, so that the environment setting information is made realistic.

The environment setting system of the present invention is an environment setting system for reading predetermined data from a storage medium and setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected. The medium is characterized by storing the setting information of the operating environment corresponding to the concept of the virtual place where the work is performed and the user or user group.

The environment setting system of the present invention is an environment setting system for reading a predetermined program from a storage medium and setting an operating environment of the program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected. The medium includes a procedure code for identifying a user or a user group who performs work, a procedure code for identifying a place where the work is performed, a procedure code for obtaining environment setting information based on the location, and the environment setting information. It is characterized by having an environment setting program including a procedure code for setting an operating environment of the program by using the program.

Further, the desk conference system of the present invention is a desk conference system for conducting a conference using a plurality of computers connected by a network, and a conference management program having the above-mentioned environment setting system as a constituent element is provided. It is characterized by Further, a camera control system of the present invention is a camera control system composed of a plurality of computers connected by a network or a camera module capable of communication control, and has the environment setting system described above as a constituent element. And

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. <Concept of environment setting method> FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a system for realizing the environment setting method of the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows a structure.

Reference numeral 100 is target information constituting a target information space targeted for environment setting, and 110 is target information 1
00 is a working memory for setting a necessary environment. Reference numeral 101 denotes a place specifying unit that specifies a place where work is performed or a target place. A user identification unit 102 identifies a user or a user group who uses the tool or the program included in the present embodiment. 103 is a place information acquisition unit that acquires information related to a place. A constraint setting unit 104 sets necessary constraints and the like in the work memory and the target information space based on information associated with the location. Reference numeral 105 denotes a working unit that realizes the main work of the tool or program included in this embodiment.

The place specifying unit 101 uses the information specified at the time of starting the program, the user's environment variables, and the information in the accessible target information space of the program to identify the place where the program works or the work target. The location is determined and stored in the working memory. Similarly, the user specifying unit 102 refers to the information specified at the time of starting the program, the user's environment variables, and the information in the accessible information space of the program, and determines the user of the program and a plurality of related programs. When it is used by the human being, the user group is determined and stored in the working memory.

The location information acquisition unit 103 searches a database or the like using the location information in the work memory, obtains information such as constraints associated with the target location, and stores this in the work memory. Here, if there is information according to the user or user group as well as the place, this is used. The constraint setting unit 104 refers to information such as a constraint attached to a location in the working memory, and sets information related to the program in the working memory or the target information space. The working unit 105 refers to information such as constraints set in the working memory or in the target information space to carry out the work.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an information space for briefly showing the concept of place. As a program for searching (or browsing) the information space spreading in such a network, for example, the NCSA (National Cent) in the United States is used.
er for Supercomputing Applications) is distributed by source code such as Mosaic. In the example of this figure, assuming floors F2 and F3 of a building in which a plurality of virtual conference rooms (A201 to B302) are gathered, various locations in the building can be selected by clicking a specific place with a pointing device such as a mouse. Can be referred to. If you specify each meeting room, the information will be expanded and displayed. Data based on such a metaphor of a place or space can be created by a person skilled in the art without difficulty. Incidentally, such a place may be associated with a real place.

The location metaphor provides a user-friendly interface. On the other hand, situational factors that are naturally perceived by humans, such as privacy being respected in private spaces, information is not hidden in public spaces, and information between participating members (usually collaborating group members) in meeting rooms. Disclosure is the principle, and group managers do not have restrictions on entry to the conference room, and explicitly set items such as withdrawal of transfer of operation rights adopted by members regarding tools commonly used by participating members in the conference room. No framework for use has been provided so far.

In the present embodiment, by explicitly using the concept associated with such a field, a more natural user interface can be constructed and a plurality of users who use the same resource can easily use the environment. Provide a mechanism that enables the behavior according to. <Example of Desktop Group Conference System> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a process configuration of the desktop group conference system according to the present embodiment.

Here, 401 is a meeting server that manages the entire conference, 402 to 404 are personal environment servers that manage the environment of individual users who participate, and 405 to 410 are shares used in the personal environment. These are draw tools and video conference rules. The meeting server 401 controls the place where the conference is held,
Prior to the start of the conference, the participating members and the venue are designated and activated. The personal environment servers 402 to 404 receive the common environment information necessary for performing the conference from the meeting server 401, and based on this, start the necessary tools, here, the common draw tool and the video conference tool. The shared draw tools 405 to 407 allow each user to share information at the same time by exchanging necessary information with each other, and the video conference tools 408 to 410 mutually convey the images and sounds of the users. Some common draw tools or video conferencing tools are provided as PDSs, which can be easily configured.

As the meeting server and the like, a general-purpose database or the like can be used to hold various setting information used therein. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the meeting server 602 itself is the user 6
It is configured as a client for the database 601 (DB) together with 03. Below, it demonstrates based on the structural example using this database.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the meeting server 602. (Configuration example of DB) The DB connected to the DB server 601 includes a group list DB 601a and a setting information DB 601.
b and are stored. Group list DB 601a
Stores the group name (Gr. Name) and the constituent members of the group corresponding to the group number (Gr.) As shown in FIG. Note that the storage format is not limited to that shown in FIG. 8, and constituent members may be entered for each group.

The setting information DB 601b is, for example, as shown in FIG.
It has a configuration as shown in FIG. The first column, Room, is a symbol indicating the location, and Gr. Indicates the group to be used.
Gr. Has a special symbol * corresponding to unspecified, and if there is no setting for the specified group, the setting for * is used. UserClass is Chair / Own (meeting chair or manager), Member (meeting member), Manage
It takes five values: r (boss of group), Collegue (member of the same organization), and World (external person), and the attributes for each UserClass are set in the subsequent columns. Read / Peep is a protection code against reading conference materials or watching the state of the conference. Good (permit), As
It is possible to set 3 levels: k (confirmation required) and Nogood (not allowed). Write / Join is a protection code for writing meeting materials or attending a meeting, Meta-Write is a protection code indicating whether or not these protection codes can be changed, FloorPol
icy is a protection code related to acquisition of operation right, Automat
ic (automatically acquired), OnRequest (explicitly requested), etc.

The setting information shown in FIG. 9 gives default settings for holding a conference, and the organizer of the conference can explicitly change these settings. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a menu for changing the setting information. Privac
y (Protection code), Tools (Tools to start, eg TV
Meeting and shared drawing tools), FloorPolicy (protection code for transfer of operation rights), Members (meeting participants)
and so on. For the protection code, use Private Meeting (Chair and Member) as a submenu of Privacy.
er), Regular Meeting (Chai
r, Member, Manager, Collegue access right), De
Tail Setting (set individually) can be selected. Such a menu can be easily constructed using a general-purpose window system, and the contents of the working memory are updated as the operation result.

(Example of Configuration of Meeting Server Terminal) FIG. 6
In the above, 610 is a CPU for calculation / control for controlling the meeting server terminal, 611 is a ROM for storing fixed data and programs, and the environment setting program 611a and the floor display program 611b according to the present embodiment.
have. 612 is a RAM that is a working memory, and is an environment setting list 612a obtained by the environment settings.
Is stored. Reference numeral 613 denotes an external storage device such as a floppy disk, a CD or an MO, which is an environment setting program 6
13a and floor display program 613b are stored,
The environment setting of the present embodiment may be performed by loading the areas 612b and 612c of the RAM 612. Furthermore, the group list DB 601a is stored in the external storage device 613.
The setting information DB 601b may be stored, and a database may be provided in the meeting server terminal.

Reference numeral 614 denotes the DB server 60 via the LAN.
1 is a communication control unit for communicating with the user terminal. Further, a keyboard, a mouse, and a display unit are connected via the input / output interface. (Configuration Example of User Terminal) FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the user terminal 603.

Reference numeral 701 is a calculation / control CPU for controlling this user terminal, and 702 is a ROM for storing fixed data and programs. Reference numeral 703 denotes a RAM that is a working memory, which stores the personal environment server 703a of the user terminal based on the environment information set by the meeting server, and in this example, a shared draw tool 704a stored in the external storage device 704. It has areas 703a and 703b for loading and executing the video conference tool 704b. A communication control unit 705 communicates with the DB server 601 and the meeting server terminal via the LAN. Further, a keyboard, a mouse, a display unit, a speaker, and a microphone are connected via the input / output interface.

<Operation Example of Meeting Server> FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure example of the meeting server 401. Step S501 is a group information acquisition procedure for acquiring information on a group participating in a conference, Step S5
02 is a place acquisition acquisition procedure for acquiring information on a (virtual) place where a conference is performed, 503 is an access right (file protection code) setting based on group information and place information, Privacy protection settings for video conferencing (for example, permission of other people to listen), rules for passing chair right or operation right in collaborative work tools, etc. An acquisition procedure, step S504, is a setting information setting procedure for setting the setting information so that the program can use it.

The meeting server 401 executes step S
The conference setting conditions are obtained by 501 and 502, the corresponding conference setting information is obtained in step S503 based on the group and place information, and this setting information is made available to the program in step S504. By setting, it becomes possible to use the environmental factors necessary for the operation and execution of the conference.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the details of step S501 in more detail. Step S601 is a group menu acquisition procedure for acquiring a list of registered groups (see FIG. 8), and step S602 is a group menu display procedure for presenting this to the user, step S
Reference numeral 603 is a selection item acquisition procedure for obtaining the group selected by the user from the displayed menu. Then, the selected group is stored in the working memory, and step S501 of the procedure for acquiring group information ends.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the details of step S502 in more detail. Here, an embodiment of forming a user interface using a map as shown in FIG. 3 will be described, but this can also be realized by a menu in a list format or a format in which a user directly requests text input. Step S701 is a mouse position acquisition procedure for acquiring an input event such as a mouse position and a button specified by the user on the map.
Is a correspondence search procedure of an image map for finding an object in the map corresponding to the specified mouse position, and step S703 is a link destination for acquiring the linked map when the specified object is a link. Information acquisition procedure, step S704 is a map update procedure for displaying the given map.

The system first acquires the position of the mouse designated by the user in step S701, and then in step S70.
Find the object in the map for the mouse position specified in 2. Here, each object in the map has a list of selection object ranges such as object X: 150 ≦ x ≦ 200, 100 ≦ y ≦ 150, and this list is compared with the specified mouse position. By doing this, the object is searched. The objects include a conference room, a link, and others, and it is determined in step S703 whether the selected object is a link. In the case of a link, the map of the link destination is acquired in step S704, the map displayed in step S705 is updated, and the user waits for designation again. If it is not a link, it is determined in step S706 whether or not it is a conference room. If it is not a conference room, it waits again for the user's designation. If it is a conference room, step S70
At 7, the location information of the conference room in charge of the designated object is read from the database, stored in the working memory, and the process is terminated.

In this way, the meeting server 401
Environment is set appropriately according to the location of the meeting and the participating groups, and common draw tools 405-407
The video conference tools 408 to 410 can use this to interact with appropriate users. For this reason, individual members do not have to set individual preferences individually.
It is possible to obtain a common environment setting that enables good group work.

From the viewpoint of customizing the user environment, as the setting contents, the above-mentioned setting of the access right (file protection code) for the data to be created, the privacy protection setting for the video conference, etc. In addition to the rules for passing the chairman's right or the operation right in the collaborative work tool), for example, the following items can be set by the same method.

Software to be used In order to guarantee the exchangability of data, the drawing tools and document editors used in the group are made common. Further, even if the same type of data is used, the type of operation tool is switched between the edit group and the presentation group. Screen layout Place the time in the upper left corner and share conventions such as arranging iconified windows at the bottom of the screen within the group.
Also, windows for specific applications such as group meetings are given a common background in the group.

Screen background The same background is displayed for each group. by this,
When working across multiple groups, it becomes easier to switch moods. Menu setting Even if the same user uses the same application, the menu contents are changed according to the group performing the work.

<Other Embodiments> Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, a remote camera operation system is shown in which the location information is associated with the actual location, and the situations of various locations can be observed using the cameras distributed in each office. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a process configuration of a remote camera operation system including this embodiment. Here, 1101 to 1103 are camera servers (Camera Server) for operating and managing the cameras, 1
Reference numerals 104 to 1105 are video viewers (Video Viewers) for observing the image sent from the camera. Here, the present invention is applied to both the camera server and the video viewer.

Similar to the first embodiment, a database server (not shown) connected by a LAN has a database of protection codes and the like for each place in the office. However, here the location corresponds to a real location.
The database also has a database showing correspondence between places and cameras. FIG. 15 exemplifies a part of a database showing correspondence between places and cameras.

First, a method of using the video viewer will be described. The operation of the video viewer largely corresponds to the flowchart of FIG. More specifically, the video viewer is launched by a particular user or group of users. In this case, the acquisition of the group information is realized by storing the user information in the working memory at the time of activation. Subsequently, the user designates a place to be observed by pointing the map as shown in FIG. 3 with a pointing device such as a mouse. The details of this procedure are the same as the procedure for acquiring the object from the map shown in FIG. The video viewer retrieves the setting information regarding the location stored in the database as shown in FIG. 9 from the user information and the location information, and uses this to determine whether or not the observable camera at the target location can be operated. to decide.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing the contents of the information acquisition procedure of the setting information for extracting the setting information from the desired location information and user information. In step S1201, the video viewer program acquires a protection code or the like for access to the place to be observed, and in step S1202.
, To determine if this is observable. If the observation is not permitted, a non-permission message is output in step S1207, and the process ends. If observation is allowed,
In step S1203, the camera at the location is searched. The correspondence relationship between the camera and the place is stored in the database according to the correspondence table shown in FIG. 15, and the camera is searched by searching this. In step S1204,
It is determined from the search result of the previous step whether or not there is a camera that can observe the location. If not, step S120
An error message is output at 5 and the process ends. In some cases, in step S1206, the information necessary for accessing this camera (communication port to the camera server, etc.) is acquired from the database, stored in the working memory, and the process ends.

On the other hand, when the camera server starts up, it acquires access information from the above-mentioned database based on its own user category (usually, the location is a group to be used) and its own installation location information. Earned,
This is stored in the working memory, and the procedure proceeds to provide the camera image according to the request from the Viewer program.

With this configuration, the environment can be easily set in the following points. In the concept of control management of the camera itself, it is not clear to set who has what kind of access right, and it is likely to cause confusion. By setting a protection code for the object that gives a concrete image of the place, Privacy with intuitive high consistency
Protection is possible.

If a location can be viewed by multiple cameras, then a uniform and consistent Privacy protection for such location is possible. Further, the setting is also centralized at the same time, which facilitates the setting. The present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices or an apparatus including a single device. Further, as described above, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the case where it is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus. In this case, the storage medium (external storage device of this example) storing the program or database according to the present invention constitutes the present invention.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention, the concept of a field representing a situation is expanded, and rules, constraints, or agreements existing therein can be explicitly set and utilized, thereby working in a group. It is possible to provide an environment setting method and system that effectively protect privacy between personal groups. In addition, the environment for collaborative work is flexibly set so that the collaborative work can be performed smoothly. Further, by using the abstract of location, it is possible to intuitively perform privacy protection with high consistency, and it is possible to perform a centralized setting for a plurality of access routes provided by a plurality of cameras and the like.

That is, it is possible to provide an environment setting method and system for easily setting the operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected. Further, it is possible to provide an environment setting method and its system for easily setting the operating environment of a program according to the information of the work target or work place and the information of the user or the user group. Further, it is possible to provide an environment setting method and system for facilitating the setting of the operating environment of the program, and particularly for the management by centralizing the information to be set.
In addition, in a tabletop conference system for conducting a conference using a plurality of computers connected by a network, in particular, a tabletop conference system for easily setting an environment according to information of a work target or a work place and information of a user or a user group. Can be provided. Also, in a camera control system composed of a plurality of computers connected to each other via a network or a camera module capable of communication control, particularly a camera control system for easily setting an environment according to information of an observation target and an observer or an observer group. Can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conceptual configuration of environment setting according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a work environment imaged by a network.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an information space for briefly showing the concept of place.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a process configuration of a conference system of a tabletop group including the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an information space using a database.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a database and a meeting server terminal according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a user terminal according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a group list stored in a database.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of conference room setting information stored in a database.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a menu for changing setting information.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure of the meeting server terminal.

12 is a flowchart showing the contents of the group information acquisition procedure of step S501 of FIG.

13 is a flowchart showing the contents of the procedure for acquiring location information in step S502 of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a process configuration of a remote camera operation system including the present embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram exemplifying a part of a database showing correspondence between places and cameras.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the contents of an information acquisition procedure of setting information for extracting setting information from place information to be observed and user information.

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An environment setting method for setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected, the operating environment being set in accordance with the concept of a virtual place where work is performed. An environment setting method comprising storing information, designating the location to obtain setting information, and setting the operating environment of the program using the setting information. 2. The storage of the setting information is further made to correspond to a user or a user group, and the setting information is obtained according to the place and the user or the user group. How to set up the network environment. 3. The environment setting method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of changing the setting information. 4. An environment setting method for setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected, wherein a procedure for identifying a place where work is performed and environment setting information based on the place. An environment setting method comprising: a procedure for obtaining the program and a procedure for setting an operating environment of a program using the environment setting information. 5. An environment setting method for setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected, and a procedure for specifying a user or a user group to perform the work and the work to be performed. An environment setting method comprising: a procedure of identifying a place; a procedure of obtaining environment setting information based on the location; and a procedure of setting an operating environment of a program using the environment setting information. 6. An environment setting system for setting an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected, the operating environment being set corresponding to the concept of a virtual place where work is performed. Storage means for storing information, location specifying means for setting a concept of a virtual location and identifying a location where work is performed, setting information acquisition means for obtaining environment setting information corresponding to the location, An environment setting system comprising: an operation environment setting means for setting an operation environment of a program using environment setting information. 7. The system further comprises a user specifying unit for specifying a user or a user group, wherein the setting information acquisition unit obtains environment setting information according to the location and the user or the user group. The environment setting system according to claim 6, which is characterized in that. 8. The environment setting system according to claim 6, wherein the storage unit is realized by a database having environment setting information as an attribute for each place. 9. The environment setting system according to claim 6, wherein the concept of the virtual place is associated with a real place. 10. An environment setting system which reads predetermined data from a storage medium and sets an operating environment of a program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected, wherein the storage medium is used for performing work. An environment setting system characterized by storing operating environment setting information corresponding to a virtual place concept and a user or a user group. 11. An environment setting system which reads a predetermined program from a storage medium and sets an operating environment of the program in a network environment in which a plurality of computers are connected, wherein the storage medium is a user who performs work. Alternatively, a procedure code that identifies a user group, a procedure code that identifies a place where work is performed, a procedure code that obtains environment setting information based on the location, and an operation environment setting of a program using the environment setting information An environment setting system having an environment setting program including a procedure code for performing the operation. 12. A tabletop conference system for conducting a conference using a plurality of computers connected by a network, wherein a conference management program comprising the environment setting system according to claim 7 or 8 is provided. A featured tabletop conference system. 13. A camera control system comprising a plurality of computers connected to each other by a network or a camera module capable of communication control, wherein the environment setting system according to any one of claims 7 to 10 is a constituent element. A camera control system characterized by the following.