VoiceXML Review - Columns

Volume 2, Issue 2 - Feb./March 2002

VoiceXML Resources

By Rob Marchand

Welcome to First Words, VoiceXML Review's column that teaches you about VoiceXML and how you can use it. We hope you enjoy the lesson.

Last month we talked a bit about subdialogs, and how they can be used to develop modular applications. This month, we'll be looking at VoiceXML Resources. No code this time around; sorry about that!

This is a sampling of resources I'm aware of. It is certain that I've missed some, but this should get you started. Some of these belong in more than one category, but I've put them in the one that makes make sense (to me in any case).

Portal/Information Sites

Here are a few 'portal' sites that will give you a jumping off point for further research.

VoiceXML Web Ring (http://n.webring.com/hub?ring=voicexmlwebring&id=8&hub)

This is the entry point to the VoiceXML Web Ring. As of this writing, there are around fourteen sites represented here.

Palo Wireless VoiceXML Resource Center (http://www.palowireless.com/voicexml/ )

This site has a number of articles and resources related to VoiceXML.

VoiceXMLPlanet (http://voicexmlplanet.com)
The Open Directory Project: (http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search=voicexml) has a good collection of VoiceXML links.

Here's one without the hype:

http://www.rehor.com/voicexml/

Ken Rehor is one of the authors of the original VoiceXML specification, and continues to be heavily involved.

Conferences

Here are a few conferences that now have a fairly significant VoiceXML component. In the past few years, VoiceXML has grown to be very visible at each of these. Conferences related to mobile and wireless technologies often have many VoiceXML vendors (applications, platforms, and tools) in attendance.

Telephony Voice User Interface (TVUI) (http://www.tmaa.com)

This conference covers many telephony-related issues, and provides a great venue to meet people and companies that participate in the VoiceXML industry (and telephony interface development in general).

Advanced Voice Input/Output Society (AVIOS) (http://www.avios.com)

AVIOS publishes a refereed journal as well as having an annual conference. The conference includes a refereed papers track, and many useful presentations.

SpeechTek (http://www.speechtek.com)

SpeechTek is a venue where the entire speech industry shows its wares, and you will have access to both companies and users of these technologies.

Standards Bodies

There are several standards bodies related to VoiceXML.

The VoiceXML Forum (http://www.voicexml.org)

The VoiceXML Forum produced the original VoiceXML specification, and passed the torch to the W3C. The Forum remains responsible for education and conformance efforts.

W3C (http://www.w3.org)

The W3C Consortium has chartered the Voice Browser Working Group (http://www.w3c.org/Voice) which
is responsible for the evolution of VoiceXML and other speech-related standards. The VBWG is currently working on a number of specifications: VoiceXML; Speech Recognition Grammar; Speech Synthesis; and Call Control XML. Related specifications include Semantic Interpretation and several others. Visit the W3C site for more information (there is a wealth of data here).

Continued..

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