30 research outputs found
Pervasive Communities in the Internet of People
Peer reviewe
Framework for ubiquitous and voice enabled web applicattions development.
RESUMEN
La cantidad de dispositivos con capacidad de conexión a Internet crece rápidamente. En la actualidad se dispone de teléfonos móviles basados en tecnología WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) o I-Mode, Agendas Digitales Personales, Kioskos Internet, teléfonos convencionales basados en acceso a la Web por medio de la voz, dispositivos basados en televisión interactiva, electrodomésticos, entre otros.
Desarrollar una versión de una aplicación web para cada uno de los dispositivos con conectividad a la Web resulta inviable. Por otra parte, desarrollar aplicaciones web que puedan ser visualizados en forma apropiada y aprovechando al máximo las capacidades del dispositivo se constituye en una tarea compleja.
En esta tesis se propone un framework, entendido como un marco de trabajo genérico, que sirva como guía para el desarrollo de portales web pervasivos que puedan ser accedidos desde múltiples dispositivos, evitando el desarrollo de un portal por cada uno y teniendo en cuenta las grandes variaciones pueden existir en sus capacidades. Adicionalmente se ha planteado un modelo de agrupamiento de dispositivos, que permita definir una serie de grupos, así como las características asociadas a los mismos, en forma tal que puedan generarse posteriormente los formatos asociados a estos grupos de dispositivos y no a elementos individuales y se ha propuesto y validado una arquitectura de referencia para el desarrollo de aplicaciones pervasivas, que no genere dependencia de tecnologías de servidor, y que permita incorporar la solución de agrupamiento planteada previamente.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________The purpose of the Ubiquitous or Pervasive Computing - an emergent paradigm of personalized computation- is to obtain device interoperability under different conditions. The devices were designed for different purposes by different companies or from different technological generations.
The ever increasing market of web enabled devices has brought up diverse challenges related to the difficulty of visualizing content in a unified form to diverse clients, while at the same time taking into account the great differences in the capacities of these devices. It is not feasible to develop a separate application for each of these devices, simply because the number of different devices is too high and still growing.
In the analysis of existing proposals dealing with the modelling of ubiquitous web applications, the link that exists between the logical and conceptual modelling and the physical modelling of the applications is not clear enough, and the way in which the context aspects related to web access from these devices cannot be specified. On the other hand, the available commercial products are supplier-specific. Every future platform change would a costly and painstaking process
In this thesis we present a proposal of a framework for the development of web applications that can be accessed from different types of devices, such as PCs, PDAs, mobile phones based on diverse technologies (like WAP and I-Mode) and conventional telephones that access the web through voice gateways and voice portals.
The proposed framework serves as a guide for the development of this type of applications and it can be deployed to different server configurations and software development technologies.
In order to obtain this objective, a description of diverse theoretical elements related to dynamic generation of information that can be acceded by devices has been made, as well as a description of involved technologies whose hardware, software and connectivity characteristics vary remarkably.
The theoretical study was carried out in parallel with tests based on the different technologies used. A multilingual-ubiquitous traffic information portal was used to test the theory in an operational environment
Multidevice Map-Constrained Fingerprint-Based Indoor Positioning Using 3-D Ray Tracing
This paper studies the use of deterministic channel modelling through 3D Ray Tracing (RT) for constructing deviceindependent radiomaps for Wi–Fi RSSI–based fingerprinting indoor positioning, applicable to different devices. Device heterogeneity constitutes a limitation in fingerprint–based approaches and also constructing radiomaps through extensive in-situ measurement campaigns is laborious and time-consuming even with a single device let alone the need for radiomaps constructed using multiple different devices. This work tackles both challenges through the use of 3D RT for radiomap generation in conjunction with data calibration using a small set of device-specific measurements to make the radiomap device–independent. The efficiency of this approach is evaluated using simulations and measurements in terms of the time spent to generate the radiomap, the amount of device-specific data required for calibration and in terms of the achievable positioning accuracy. Potential accuracy improvements in the RT-based indoor positioning processes are further investigated, by studying the use of map constraints into the algorithm in the form of a–priori probabilities. In this approach, a Route Probability Factor (RPF), which reflects the likelihood of a user being in various locations inside the environment is used. The outcome of the evaluation process which includes a study of different RPF distributions, indicates the validity of the approach, demonstrated by a reduction in the positioning error for various devices. The versatility of this approach is also demonstrated for different scenarios, different devices and by considering different device-handling conditions
Devices and Data Workflow in COPD Wearable Remote Patient Monitoring: A Systematic Review
Background: With global increase in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
prevalence and mortality rates, and socioeconomical burden continuing to rise, current
disease management strategies appear inadequate, paving the way for technological
solutions, namely remote patient monitoring (RPM), adoption considering its acute disease
events management benefit. One RPM’s category stands out, wearable devices, due to its
availability and apparent ease of use.
Objectives: To assess the current market and interventional solutions regarding wearable
devices in the remote monitoring of COPD patients through a systematic review design from
a device composition, data workflow, and collected parameters description standpoint.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify wearable device trends in this
population through the development of a comprehensive search strategy, searching beyond
the mainstream databases, and aggregating diverse information found regarding the same
device. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
(PRISMA) guidelines were followed, and quality appraisal of identified studies was
performed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) quality appraisal
checklists.
Results: The review resulted on the identification of 1590 references, of which a final 79
were included. 56 wearable devices were analysed, with the slight majority belonging to the
wellness devices class. Substantial device heterogeneity was identified regarding device
composition type and wearing location, and data workflow regarding 4 considered
components. Clinical monitoring devices are starting to gain relevance in the market and
slightly over a third, aim to assist COPD patients and healthcare professionals in
exacerbation prediction. Compliance with validated recommendations is still lacking, with
no devices assessing the totality of recommended vital signs.
Conclusions: The identified heterogeneity, despite expected considering the relative
novelty of wearable devices, alerts for the need to regulate the development and research of
these technologies, specially from a structural and data collection and transmission
standpoints.Introdução: Com o aumento global das taxas de prevalência e mortalidade da Doença
Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crónica (DPOC) e o seu impacto socioeconómico, as atuais estratégias
de gestão da doença parecem inadequadas, abrindo caminho para soluções tecnológicas,
nomeadamente para a adoção da monitorização remota, tendo em conta o seu benefício na
gestão de exacerbações de doenças crónicas. Dentro destaca-se uma categoria, os
dispositivos wearable, pela sua disponibilidade e aparente facilidade de uso.
Objetivos: Avaliar as soluções existentes, tanto no mercado, como na área de investigação,
relativas a dispositivos wearable utilizados na monitorização remota de pacientes com
DPOC através de uma revisão sistemática, do ponto de vista da composição do dispositivo,
fluxo de dados e descrição dos parâmetros coletados.
Métodos: Uma revisão sistemática foi realizada para identificar tendências destes
dispositivos, através do desenvolvimento de uma estratégia de pesquisa abrangente,
procurando pesquisar para além das databases convencionais e agregar diversas
informações encontradas sobre o mesmo dispositivo. Para tal, foram seguidas as diretrizes
PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), e a
avaliação da qualidade dos estudos identificados foi realizada utilizando a ferramenta CASP
(Critical Appraisal Skills Programme).
Resultados: A revisão resultou na identificação de 1590 referências, das quais 79 foram
incluídas. Foram analisados 56 dispositivos wearable, com a ligeira maioria a pertencer à
classe de dispositivos de wellness. Foi identificada heterogeneidade substancial nos
dispositivos em relação à sua composição, local de uso e ao fluxo de dados em relação a 4
componentes considerados. Os dispositivos de monitorização clínica já evidenciam alguma
relevância no mercado e, pouco mais de um terço, visam auxiliar pacientes com DPOC e
profissionais de saúde na previsão de exacerbações. Ainda assim, é notória a falta do
cumprimento das recomendações validadas, não estando disponíveis dispositivos que
avaliem a totalidade dos sinais vitais recomendados.
Conclusão: A heterogeneidade identificada, apesar de esperada face à relativa novidade
dos dispositivos wearable, alerta para a necessidade de regulamentação do
desenvolvimento e investigação destas tecnologias, especialmente do ponto de vista
estrutural e de recolha e transmissão de dados
Systems and WBANs for Controlling Obesity
According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimations, one out of five adults worldwide will be obese by 2025. Worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980. In fact, more than 1.9 billion adults (39%) of 18 years and older were overweight and over 600 million (13%) of these were obese in 2014. 42 million children under the age of five were overweight or obese in 2014. Obesity is a top public health problem due to its associated morbidity and mortality. This paper reviews the main techniques to measure the level of obesity and body fat percentage, and explains the complications that can carry to the individual's quality of life, longevity and the significant cost of healthcare systems. Researchers and developers are adapting the existing technology, as intelligent phones or some wearable gadgets to be used for controlling obesity. They include the promoting of healthy eating culture and adopting the physical activity lifestyle. The paper also shows a comprehensive study of the most used mobile applications and Wireless Body Area Networks focused on controlling the obesity and overweight. Finally, this paper proposes an intelligent architecture that takes into account both, physiological and cognitive aspects to reduce the degree of obesity and overweight
QuiiQ automation foundation
Tese de mestrado. Engenharia Informática. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200
Interacção multimodal : contribuições para simplificar o desenvolvimento de aplicações
Doutoramento em Engenharia InformáticaA forma como interagimos com os dispositivos que nos rodeiam, no nosso diaa-
dia, está a mudar constantemente, consequência do aparecimento de novas
tecnologias e métodos que proporcionam melhores e mais aliciantes formas de
interagir com as aplicações. No entanto, a integração destas tecnologias, para
possibilitar a sua utilização alargada, coloca desafios significativos e requer, da
parte de quem desenvolve, um conhecimento alargado das tecnologias
envolvidas. Apesar de a literatura mais recente apresentar alguns avanços no
suporte ao desenho e desenvolvimento de sistemas interactivos multimodais,
vários aspectos chave têm ainda de ser resolvidos para que se atinja o seu
real potencial. Entre estes aspectos, um exemplo relevante é o da dificuldade
em desenvolver e integrar múltiplas modalidades de interacção.
Neste trabalho, propomos, desenhamos e implementamos uma framework que
permite um mais fácil desenvolvimento de interacção multimodal. A nossa
proposta mantém as modalidades de interacção completamente separadas da
aplicação, permitindo um desenvolvimento, independente de cada uma das
partes. A framework proposta já inclui um conjunto de modalidades genéricas
e módulos que podem ser usados em novas aplicações. De entre as
modalidades genéricas, a modalidade de voz mereceu particular atenção,
tendo em conta a relevância crescente da interacção por voz, por exemplo em
cenários como AAL, e a complexidade associada ao seu desenvolvimento.
Adicionalmente, a nossa proposta contempla ainda o suporte à gestão de
aplicações multi-dispositivo e inclui um método e respectivo módulo para criar
fusão entre eventos.
O desenvolvimento da arquitectura e da framework ocorreu num contexto de
I&D diversificado, incluindo vários projectos, cenários de aplicação e parceiros
internacionais. A framework permitiu o desenho e desenvolvimento de um
conjunto alargado de aplicações multimodais, sendo um exemplo digno de
nota o assistente pessoal AALFred, do projecto PaeLife. Estas aplicações, por
sua vez, serviram um contínuo melhoramento da framework, suportando a
recolha iterativa de novos requisitos, e permitido demonstrar a sua
versatilidade e capacidades.The way we interact with the devices around us, in everyday life, is constantly
changing, boosted by emerging technologies and methods, providing better
and more engaging ways to interact with applications. Nevertheless, the
integration with these technologies, to enable their widespread use in current
systems, presents a notable challenge and requires considerable knowhow
from developers. While the recent literature has made some advances in
supporting the design and development of multimodal interactive systems,
several key aspects have yet to be addressed to enable its full potential.
Among these, a relevant example is the difficulty to develop and integrate
multiple interaction modalities.
In this work, we propose, design and implement a framework enabling easier
development of multimodal interaction. Our proposal fully decouples the
interaction modalities from the application, allowing the separate development
of each part. The proposed framework already includes a set of generic
modalities and modules ready to be used in novel applications. Among the
proposed generic modalities, the speech modality deserved particular attention,
attending to the increasing relevance of speech interaction, for example in
scenarios such as AAL, and the complexity behind its development.
Additionally, our proposal also tackles the support for managing multi-device
applications and includes a method and corresponding module to create fusion
of events.
The development of the architecture and framework profited from a rich R&D
context including several projects, scenarios, and international partners. The
framework successfully supported the design and development of a wide set of
multimodal applications, a notable example being AALFred, the personal
assistant of project PaeLife. These applications, in turn, served the continuous
improvement of the framework by supporting the iterative collection of novel
requirements, enabling the proposed framework to show its versatility and
potential
A Survey of 3D Indoor Localization Systems and Technologies
Indoor localization has recently and significantly attracted the interest of the research community mainly due to the fact that Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) typically fail in indoor environments. In the last couple of decades, there have been several works reported in the literature that attempt to tackle the indoor localization problem. However, most of this work is focused solely on two-dimensional (2D) localization, while very few papers consider three dimensions (3D). There is also a noticeable lack of survey papers focusing on 3D indoor localization; hence, in this paper, we aim to carry out a survey and provide a detailed critical review of the current state of the art concerning 3D indoor localization including geometric approaches such as angle of arrival (AoA), time of arrival (ToA), time difference of arrival (TDoA), fingerprinting approaches based on Received Signal Strength (RSS), Channel State Information (CSI), Magnetic Field (MF) and Fine Time Measurement (FTM), as well as fusion-based and hybrid-positioning techniques. We provide a variety of technologies, with a focus on wireless technologies that may be utilized for 3D indoor localization such as WiFi, Bluetooth, UWB, mmWave, visible light and sound-based technologies. We critically analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each approach/technology in 3D localization