Context-awareness in pervasive computing systems

Arkady Zaslavsky Mobility Group

Caulfield School of ITformerly School of Computer Science & Software Engineering

InfoTech, Monash Universityarkady.zaslavsky@csse.monash.edu.au

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~azaslavs/

MonashMonash University, 16 March, 2007University, 16 March, 2007

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Outline

Pervasive computing

Context awareness

ContextExplorers

Challenges of making mobile computing systems intelligent through context awareness

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pervasive computing

The idea that technology is moving beyond the personal computer to everyday devices with embedded technology and connectivity as computing devices become progressively smaller and more powerful. Also called ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing is the result of computer technology advancing at exponential speeds -- a trend toward all man-made and some natural products having hardware and software. Pervasive computing goes beyond the realm of personal computers: it is the idea that almost any device, from clothing to tools to appliances to cars to homes to the human body to your coffee mug, can be imbedded with chips to connect the device to an infinite network of other devices. The goal of pervasive computing, which combines current network technologieswith wireless computing, voice recognition, Internet capability and artificial intelligence, is to create an environment where the connectivity of devices is embedded in such a way that the connectivity is unobtrusive and always available

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/pervasive_computing.html

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Services convergenceServices convergence

Anywhere

3D TV

gamesgames

ComputerComputer AnytimeMobile

terminal

HDTVPC

HDTVHDTV

DVB-H terminal

SatelliteSatellite

CableCable

Wired/wirelessWired/wireless

TerrestrialTerrestrial

Home gateway

3D A/V

Any device

Interactive serviceMusic

Multimedia

AVprogram

ContentContent

5

River sensor

Bridge sensor

Highway sensorOcean

sensor

Nuclear sensor

Satell

ite

C o m m . T o w e r

C o m m . T o w e r P B X

C o m m . T o w e r

C o m m . T o w e r

Home sensorL a p t o p

P r in te r

T e le v is io n

V id e o

P D A

B r id g eG a t e w a y

WPAN

P D A Health sensor

C o m m . T o w e r

P D A

Cargo sensor

DMBDTV

DVB-HDTV

(IP based core network)Wire -line

xDSLWire -line

xDSLCellularGSM-3G 4G WLAN

New radioNew radiointerfaceinterface

New radioNew radiointerfaceinterface

Networking convergence

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Explosion of Devices and DataExplosion of Devices and Data

Information explosion and overload Information explosion and overload Number of communicating data Number of communicating data devices growing from 2.4 billion to devices growing from 2.4 billion to 23 billion in 2008 and one trillion by 23 billion in 2008 and one trillion by 20122012

ChallengesChallenges::Designing and managing an information infrastructure where all Designing and managing an information infrastructure where all devices communicate with and understand one anotherdevices communicate with and understand one anotherCreating an advanced digital ecoCreating an advanced digital eco--system for the agile enterprisesystem for the agile enterprise

Amount of data received or transmitted (in Petabytes/Day)

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Computers

IndustrialAutomobile

Mobile

Entertainment

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Wireless EvolutionWireless EvolutionFocus:

UserUser--contentcontent

>Broadband>New Services>Efficiency

Focus: BandwidthBandwidth

Subscribers

Voice

>Coverage>Mobility

Focus: CoverageCoverage

>Voice Quality>Portability>Capacity

Focus: GrowthGrowth

>Scalability>Ubiquity>Price

>QoE> Simplicity> Performance> Service Richness

>Security/trust>Price

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Context aware devices

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Research areas

Wireless networking and computing

Distributed data mining and e-commerce

Past projects Current projects

Past projects Current projects

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Research areas

Pervasive & mobile computing

Mobile software agents

Past projects Current projects

Past projects Current projects

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LTU-Monash collaboration – PhD-polis

LULEÅTEKNISKA

UNIVERSITET Adaptive & ContextAdaptive & Context--aware aware Multimedia in adMultimedia in ad--hoc communitieshoc communities

KKåårere SynnesSynnes

Christer Åhlund

Arkady Zaslavsky

Robert Brannström– multiple gateway

connectivity

Ruwini Kodikara –Networking issues, cross-layer context

exchange

Arkady Zaslavsky

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Current projects

Mobile transactions and web-services – SunamPradhan (ARC Linkage with RMIT)ARC Linkage with Intel – pervasive computing & crisis medicineARC RN EII – taskforce on context-awarenessRobocollectors in sensor networks – Prem Jayaraman– with LTU, SwedenData stream mining visualisation – Brett Gillick2-3 new PhD students will join in the course of 2007

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Context

The interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs (Merriam Webster) The situation within which something exists or happens, and that can help explain it (Cambridge Dictionary)“Any information that can be used to characterize the situation of an entity” (Dey, 1999)The set of environmental states and settings that either determines an application’s behaviour or in which an application event occurs and is interesting to the user” (Chen, Kotz, 2000)

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Categories of Context

Computing Context – computing informationNetwork context – networking informationUser Context – user’s informationPhysical Context – environmental informationTime Context – such as time of day, week, monthEtc, etc, etc

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Categories of Context (cont’d)

In practice, some contexts are more important than others from a computational perspective:

LocationIdentityActivityTime

Answer the questions of who, what, when and wherePrimary Context TypesForm the basis for determining other contextual information known as Secondary Context Types

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Context-Awareness: key ingredient in pervasive systems

Context and situation AwarenessUnderstanding the context and possibly situations of a system, e.g.:

User activity, User LocationSmart Space activity (a meeting, a presentation…)Sentient Building, Tour Guides, Context-aware network management

GoalsEnhance services to usersAutomate systems & reduce obtrusiveness Customize & Personalize applications to users

Pervasive Systems Complex networks of mobile and stationary devicesSensor networksAd hoc networks

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Context-Situation pyramid

Situations

Context

Sensory-originateddata

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Example Scenario

Elevator

Elevator

Elevator

Staircase

Staircase

Power Box

Urgent Email:

File ~10 MB

SMS☺

“In a Meeting”

downloading…

downloading

Silent Mode

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Context-Awareness

Research directions in context-aware computing:

Context Modeling – represent and use context in a general way

Context Reasoning – Infer situations and reason about context

Context Acquisition – gathering and dissemination of contextual information

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Some Major Challenges in Context-Aware Computing

Context uncertaintydue to: e.g., insufficient information, sensor inaccuracies…Affects the ability to reason about context

Complexity and diversity of Pervasive systemsAffects flexibility, efficiency, resource consumption and development costs of context-aware systems

Lack of theoretical/general models about contextSecurity and privacy issuesBuild Adaptable systems with minimum user interferenceProvide personalized services to users

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Context Service

The architecture of a context service

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Agent Injection Service

Load Monitor

Reasoning Engine

Cleaner

KB

Data AssimilatorData AssimilatorData Assimilator

Data InserterData InserterData Inserter

<raise process>

<raise process>

Monitor

<inject>

Stability Analyser

1. Knowledge Synthesiser

2. Conflict Analyser

3. Context Adapter

4. Verifier

MQ

MQ

SensorSensors

AgentFiltering Agent

Reasoning AgentAgent

Agencies

Event Router

Reasoning Layer

Algorithms Library

ContextExplorers – reasoning about context

Agent Agent communication communication platform using platform using

publishpublish--subscribesubscribe

ContextExplorersContextExplorers

A.PadovitzA.Padovitz, , A.ZaslavskyA.Zaslavsky & & S.W.LokeS.W.Loke, , B.BurgB.Burg, , C.BartoliniC.Bartolini

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ITAG – Itinerary Agents

ITAG – Itinerary Agents – mobile agents

A high-level language for reasoning with and programming the mobility behaviour of agents

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E-Hermes: Context-rich mobile agent technology to support information needs of financial institutions

e-Hermes

Mission Control Centre

Actor

Ontology

Mission Agent Factory(AF)

Ont

olo g

y

Mob

ile S

pec

AgentComponent

Library

Age

ntC

ompo

nent

s

Mission Control Agent(MCA)

Mis

sion

Con

trol A

gent

Mob

ile A

gent

Log

M

M

M

Log

Ontolo

gy

Mission Manager

ProfileRepository

Filter/Presentation toUser

Profiles

Request

StaticInformation

Resulting informationResult

User Profile

MissionRepository

Mis

sion

RequestInformation

User InteractionProcessor

Profile Builder

Glenn Glenn JayaputeraJayaputera ––AgentsAgents--onon--Demand Demand

Oshadi Alahakoon Oshadi Alahakoon –– PersonalisationPersonalisation & &

profilingprofiling

ARC Linkage, 2003ARC Linkage, 2003--20052005

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SoundHunters: Mobile Agents Using Sound

Track a moving sound source by listening to the sounds it emits and migrate through the network in order to always stay close to it, at least a step aheadGrasshopper, IBM ViaVoice, Speech Recognition, Sound FilesMedia attention !!!

X

X

X

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Node with an agentNode without an agentA removed agentDirection of a copySound source

Key

X

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Mobile agent research …

M. Pirotta ”Resource billing in agent-based systems” (PhD)Security in mobile agent communities –John Page - PhD project (M.Indrawan)Reconaissance agents – Masters – RafiCohenTransportable and Adaptive Web Services Using Mobile Agents – Dennis Pratistha – PhD (M.Dick, S.Cuce)

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Mobile agent research …

M.Tosic “Reliability & fault-tolerance of multi-agent systems” (Masters Research)N. Arora “Mobile agents in medical applications” (Masters)

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CoolCampus Ideology

Pervasive/Ubiquitous/Mobile Research•Location awareness•Sensor networks•Adaptability•Context management•Resource constraints•Devices & services•Software•….

University users•Administration•Library•Student services•Academic board•IT Services•Community sector•Monash International•…..

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CoolCampus: Achievements

Synergy for collaboration in pervasive computing among FIT researchers and across MonashPervasive computing demonstrators - missing links between research and deploying/developing productsExtensive network of industry contactsGreater visibility and awareness in the communityPiloting/demonstrating ICT technologiesContributing to vision of Monash as the University of the Future

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CoolCampus’2003: Projects…

SoundHunters: Mobile Agents Using SoundLocation-aware book finderMutually location-aware mobile robotsEnabling A Smart Seminar Room Using Mobile AgentsLocation Awareness & Sensor NetworksCIM: Cool-campus IPAQ MonitorMobile phone based personal assistant

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CoolCampus’2004: Projects…

Commercially Available Sensor Devices for Location Aware InfrastructureWireless network topology visualisationA System for Proactive Discovery and Update of Location-Aware Ambient ServicesHanging Services: An Investigation of Context-Sensitivity and Mobile Code for Localised ServicesContextExplorers

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CoolCampus: Driving Distributed CoolLaboration

Support for academic processes across campuses using modern ICT

Learning and teachingResearch collaborationAdministrationMeetings & forums

Video-conferencing, instant messaging, VoIP, document sharing, whiteboardvSkype, Polycom, WebEx, iParty, MarratechMarratechDiversity, flexibility, variety - assetasset

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Mutual Location-awareness for Moving Robot Devices

Robot LocalisationUnder Floor Wiring and On-floor MarkingsGlobal Positioning SystemHigh Vantage Point Vision Based LocalisationBeacon Localisation SchemeOdometry LocalisationEkahau Positioning Engine

Paul Hii, Arkady Zaslavsky

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CoolCampus’2005: Projects…

Improving Location Accuracy by Combining WLAN Positioning and Sensor TechnologyUnified Messaging SystemsMULLE sensors from Luleå University of Technology

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Elevator

Elevator

Elevator

Staircase

Staircase

Power Box

Emergency Evacuation

STOP

STOP

• Location of people in the building

• Fire spread and direction

• Areas at risk and stability of construct

• Smoke levels in different areas

• Heat analysis

• . . .

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QUESTIONS ?

The EndThe End