1 research outputs found
A Framework for Developing Context-Aware Systems
In ubiquitous computing the environment constraints are often regarded as static and software
applications are allowed to function in a mobile ecospace. However, in context-aware
systems the environment attributes of software applications are dynamically changing. This
dynamism of contexts must be accounted for in order to provide the true intended effect
on the application of services. Consequently, context-aware software applications should
perceive their context in a continuous manner and seamlessly adapt to it.
This thesis investigates the process of constructing context-aware applications and identifies
the main challenges in this domain. The two principal requirements are (1) formally
defining what context is and expressing the enclosed semantics, (2) formally defining dynamic
compositions of adaptations and triggering their responses to changes in the environment
context.
This thesis proposes a component-based architecture for a Context-aware Framework
that would be used to bring awareness capabilities into applications. Two languages are
formally designed. One is to formally express situations, leading to a context reasoner, and
another is to formally express workflow, leading to timely triggering of reactions and enforcing
policies. With these formalisms and a component design that can be formalized, the
thesis work fulfills a formal approach to construct context-aware applications. A proof-ofconcept
case study is implemented to examine the expressiveness of the framework design
and test its implementation