Ubiquitous Computing

DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Definitions
Ubiquitous computing is the method of enhancing computer use by making many computers available throughout the physical environment, but making them effectively invisible to the user Mark Weiser Ubiquitous computing, or calm technology, is a paradigm shift where technology becomes virtually invisible in our lives.

-- Marcia Riley
(Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.)

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Evolution
Constraint:
- best way to serve the user community is not clear.

Approach: GENERIC FEATURES - Prototype the solution - Acquire feedback from users. - Modify the application PROJECTS (with least possible downtime)
S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Generic Features

Transparent Interfaces

Awareness of Context(s)
Capture Experience

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION

Generic Features TRANSPARENT

INTERFACES EVOLUTION - hide their presence from user - Provide interaction between user and application GENERIC FEATURES
PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Examples: Gesture recognition speech recognition free form pen interaction computational perception etc.

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Generic Features TRANSPARENT

INTERFACES
Keyboard and mouse are still the most commonly used interfaces !! Need: - flexible interfaces - Varied interfaces that can provide similar functionality

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION

Generic Features CONTEXT

AWARENESS EVOLUTION Context information about the environment with which the application is associated. GENERIC FEATURES
PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

LOCATION and TIME are simple examples of context !

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Generic Features CONTEXT

AWARENESS

Context aware application: - is one which can capture the context GENERIC FEATURES - assign meaning to it - change behavior accordingly PROJECTS
S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Need: Applications that are context aware and allow rapid personalization of their services.

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Generic Features AUTOMATED

CAPTURE

To capture our day-to-day experience and make it available for future use.

GENERIC FEATURES Constraints: PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

- Multiple streams of information - Their time synchronization - Their correlation and integration Need: Automated tools that support capture, integration and future access of info.

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Classroom 2000 (eClass)

Motivation: Information-intensive experience in class GENERIC FEATURES makes it difficult for students to record accurately.
PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Objective: Preserving class activities in order to enhance teaching and learning experience.

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Classroom 2000 (eClass)

- can take notes on behalf of the students - can time-line various information
streams - provides annotations on slides to index an audio/video recording

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Classroom 2000 (eClass)

Transparent Interaction - electronic white-board looks and feels like a white-board and not a computer GENERIC FEATURES - however, startup process requires a person to start a program PROJECTS (Still not absolutely transparent)
S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Classroom 2000 (eClass)

Context awareness - location of white-board+ class schedule GENERIC FEATURES - predicts which class is about to begin
PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Automated capture - captures various information streams - Adds annotations, web links, references etc.

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Cyberguide
- can replicate human tour guide using

mobile and hand held technology GENERIC FEATURES - makes use of location information to track the user / suggest establishments - maintains history of places visited, for PROJECTS future use
S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Cyberguide

Transparent Interaction - has prototypes with varied interfaces GENERIC FEATURES - Speech recognition capability (limited!)
PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Context awareness - location as the context

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Cyberguide

Automated capture - acquires knowledge from places visited GENERIC FEATURES (to server future visitors)
PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

S.E. Challenges
Challenges presented by the three features

TOOLKIT DESIGN ISSUES

SOFTWARE STRUCTURING ISSUES COMPONENT INTEGRATION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Toolkit design issues

- be able to treat all types of I/P as easily

as keyboard or mouse (e.g.: freeform pen based interaction) GENERIC FEATURES - need for clustering techniques that can associate various forms of data PROJECTS - Context aware applications need TILE interface S. E. ISSUES (Time, Identity, Location, Entities)
CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION GENERIC FEATURES PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Toolkit design issues

Open challenges Scalable Interfaces - variety of devices with different size and interaction techniques Rewriting of Applications !!

Abstract Interface toolkits (another open area of research)

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION Rapid Prototyping GENERIC FEATURES Frequent Iterations PROJECTS Minimal Downtime

Software structuring issues

UbiComp application development

S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Software structuring issues

IF (modifications to the system are not done correctly) THEN (downtime of the system may GENERIC FEATURES increase drastically)
PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

Hence, structuring is imperative for such an approach of UbiComp application development !!

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Component Integration
- not all portions of every application are
developed - many times we rely on COTS software

GENERIC FEATURES Constraint:

- COTS software are not available for

PROJECTS S. E. ISSUES CONCLUSION

various types of devices / OS

Need: Standard methods to communicate and control wide array of devices and OS.

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Conclusion

Strengths The paper identifies certain key features of Ubiquitous applications GENERIC FEATURES Exemplifies these features with real-life projects PROJECTS Correlates SE challenges pertaining to such pattern of application development S. E. ISSUES Accordingly, it proposes changes that need to be inculcated in the stream of Software Engineering CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
DEFINITION EVOLUTION

Conclusion

Weakness - The paper only looks into Rapid Prototyping paradigm of application GENERIC FEATURES development - It overlooks other models and PROJECTS approaches available for UbiComp application development. (probable challenges therein have not S. E. ISSUES be catered for)
CONCLUSION

Ubiquitous Computing
Q U E S T I O N S ???