Context management for heterogeneous administrative domains

When accessing user context, context-aware applications often interact directly with sensors or have to deal with specific space representations. This work addresses context representation and management for mobile users. It proposes a generic solution based on a Context Container where the user context can be represented by an unlimited number of dimensions. The proposed solution is based on a Context Manager that integrates the raw data acquired by sensors and enriches user context with new calculated and estimated dimensions.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - (SFRH/BD/8279/2002)

Synchronized events in mobile systems physically nearby

The advances and convergence of information technology and communication technologies in mobile devices, enables the creation of ubiquitous applications for these devices. In this paper, we propose a system capable of producing a certain coordinate effect between the mobile devices of the spectators present at an event

A flexible location-context representation

Ubiquitous computing and the development of context-aware applications have been limited by the lack of open and generic solutions. In this paper we propose a flexible location-context representation which supports data acquired through multiple sensors represented in different space models.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - (SFRH/BD/8279/2002)

Technology enablers for context-aware healthcare applications

The increasing availability of mobile devices and wireless networks, and the tendency for them to become ubiquitous in our dally lives, creates a favourable technological environment for the emergence of new, simple, and added-value applications for healthcare. This chapter focuses on how context and location can be used in innovative applications and how to use a set of solutions and technologies that enable the development of innovative context and location-aware solutions for healthcare area. It shows how a mobile phone can be used to compute the level of familiarity of the user with the surrounding environment and how the familiarity level can be used in a number of situations.(undefined

O Controlo interno e as autarquias locais

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Auditoria, sob orientação do Profº Especialista Carlos Quelhas MartinsO presente trabalho versa sobre um estudo de caso realizado a oito Autarquias Locais, mais propriamente Juntas de Freguesia. A pesquisa realizada teve como objecto a avaliação dos sistemas de controlo interno, como contributo para a formação de uma opinião sobre a sua influência nessas mesmas Autarquias. Procura-se, neste pressuposto, proporcionar uma reflexão sobre o contributo do controlo interno no seio das Juntas de Freguesia, tendo por base a sua perspectiva actual sem nunca descorar a Reorganização Administrativa Territorial Autárquica prevista para o final de 2013. Para tal, realizaram-se pesquisas bibliográficas sobre os principais conceitos inerentes a estas condições. Paralelamente, na adopção metodológica foram elaborados questionários de controlo interno nas áreas consideradas de interesse nesta matéria, a fim de verificar se as sinergias estão direccionadas para o mesmo objectivo, que é dar resposta à actual conjuntura económica e financeira, de modo a concluir se, efectivamente, existe ou não um contributo positivo do controlo interno, neste caso. Em suma, o objectivo geral apresentado pode ser comprovado pela conclusão de que o controlo interno concorre como um factor essencial para uma administração eficaz, proporcionando informações oportunas e relevantes capazes de auxiliar no processo de tomada de decisão, facto que acrescenta sobremaneira valor às organizações em geral e do sector público em particular. Como limitações do estudo salientamos o facto de o questionário não abarcar de forma exaustiva todos os procedimentos existentes nos sistemas de controlo interno; a rede de diplomas que regula o exercício das funções autárquicas é diminuta, bem como a bibliografia sobre este tipo de Autarquias ser quase nula; e por fim a muito generalizada informação sobre a Reorganização Administrativa Territorial Autárquica que nos permitisse estabelecer um paradigma mais relevante com a actual conjuntura. Quanto às possíveis orientações para investigações futuras sugerimos uma análise pré vs pós Reorganização Administrativa Territorial Autárquica através da observação idêntica em outras Autarquias, a nível nacional, usando um questionário similar; podendo até ser usadas outras fontes de investigação como Câmaras Municipais.The present work focuses on a case study conducted on eight Portuguese Local Municipalities, more specifically Parish Councils. The object of this research was to evaluate the internal control systems, as a contribution to the formation of an opinion about its influence on the credibility and transparency of the financial information of such Municipalities. From this premise, it is intended to provide a reflection on the internal control contribution within the Parish Councils, based on its current perspective without neglecting the Municipal Territorial Administrative Reorganisation scheduled for the end of 2013. Therefore, bibliographic researches were conducted on the main concepts inherent to these conditions. At the same time, in the areas considered to be of interest on this matter, internal control questionnaires were adopted as method, in order to ascertain whether the synergies are geared towards the same goal, which is to respond to the current economic and financial situation, in order to conclude whether or not there is in fact a positive contribution of internal control, in this case. In short, the general objective presented can be evidenced by the conclusion that the internal control competes as an essential factor for an effective administration, providing timely and relevant information that can assist in the decision-making process, which adds an enormous value to organisations in general, particularly in the public sector. As limitations of the study we emphasise the fact that the questionnaire does not cover, in an exhaustive manner, all the existing procedures in the internal control systems; the network of diplomas that regulates the performance of municipal functions is scarce, and there is almost no bibliography available on this type of Municipalities; and finally the very generalised information about the Municipal Territorial Administrative Reorganisation that would allow us to establish a more relevant paradigm in the present circumstances. With regard to the possible guidelines for future investigations, we suggest a pre vs. post Municipal Territorial Administrative Reorganisation analysis, by means of identical observation in other Municipalities at a national level, using a similar questionnaire; and other sources of research such as Municipal Councils may also be used

Large scale movement analysis from WiFi based location data

Understanding and modeling the way humans move in urban contexts is beneficial for many applications. The recent advances on positioning technologies, namely those based on the ubiquity of wireless networks, is facilitating the observation of people for human motion analysis. In this paper we present the result of a large scale work conducted to study the human mobility in a University’s campuses. The study was conducted along several months, using data collected from thousands of users that freely moved inside the numerous buildings existent in two University campuses and a few other buildings in the city center. A Wi-Fi infrastructure of more than 550 access points provides Internet access to the academic community. We tracked the user movements by logging the devices connected to each access point. Based on that data, an analysis process that highlights the relationships between space features and human motion has been developed. In this paper we introduce the concepts of “place connectivity” and “flow across a boundary” to model these relationships. Results show the mobility patterns detected, which are the attraction places along the day, and what places are more strongly connected. This paper also includes an analysis of the short and long term movements between places. With this study we extended our understanding of the life in the campus, enabling us to feel the campus “pulse”.This work was supported by the FEDER program through the COMPETE and the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), within the context of projects SUM – Sensing and Understanding human Motion dynamics (reference PTDC/EIA-EIA/113933/2009) and TICE.Mobilidade (COMPETE 13843)

Enhancing the location-context through inference over positioning data

The current ubiquity of wireless communication networks is enabling new ways to compute the position of mobile devices and their users. One good example is the Place Lab system that exploits the beacons broadcast by many wireless networks to estimate the geographic position of mobile users. Although position is a fundamental dimension in the user’s context, other location-related dimensions of the context are also important for the development of innovative context-aware applications. In this paper we propose a new architecture for context acquisition and management, as a new layer added over the Place Lab system, where inference techniques over the basic positioning data are used to enrich the context with new dimensions without compromising user privacy

Time-shifted positioning for location-based logging in mobile devices

In this paper, we explore the viability and possible limitations of a time-shifted positioning process for location-based logging in which we want to annotate certain events registered on a mobile phone with location data. Instead of estimating the position when the event occurs, the system stores the radio and Wi-Fi data. At some later stage, this data is passed to a server that transforms it into the respective position. This shifting of the moment of positioning avoids frequent communications, saving energy and possibly communication costs. We have conducted a controlled experiment to assess the accuracy of the positions obtained with this process and interestingly, they seem to suggest that the approach is not only viable, but also more accurate than the positions obtained in real-time

SPOTSENSING a platform for social web sensing

Social Networking Sites (SNS) have an unprecedented ability to capture Human activity, including information about the specific physical settings in which those activities are taking place. This represents a major potential for uncovering, on a large scale, new knowledge about aggregate behaviors in the use of places. In this paper, we explore the concept of social web sensor, as a systematic data collection process that can be virtually attached to a particular location to retrieve locationbased information from social network sites. This process is completely based on geographically scoped queries to SNS APIs and does not depend on real physical sensors. The objective of this study is mainly to assess the viability of this concept and uncover the potential and limitations of this approach as a reality mining tool for urban environments. We have created an initial implementation and conducted the respective evaluation through the deployment of a number of sensors in the city of London and the analysis of the respective results

Using GSM CellID positioning for place discovering

Mobile phones can be used not only for voice and data communications but also as a computing device running context-aware applications. In this paper we present a model that, based on GSM cell identification, identifies places visited by a user and provides a user familiarity level for each of these places. This information can be used by context-aware applications to adapt their behaviour accordingly to the knowledge its user has about the current location. The achieved results are assessed by overlapping the discovered places with manual collected data, showing that GSM cellID positioning data can be used to identify places that are closer to each other than the average cell radius.(undefined