Enhancing the role of multi-agent systems in the development of intelligent environments

Springer - Series Advances in Intelligent and Soft Computing, vol. 71The development of Intelligent Environments is a complex challenge. This complexity arises, in part, from the amount of different devices that need to be seamlessly integrated in a common and homogeneous environment, despite the fact of each device having its own characteristics. This heterogeneity of devices is particularly risky when one passes from the specification to the implementation phase, where all unexpected things start to happen. Multi-agent systems are the paradigm par excellence for implementing Intelligent Environments. However, traditionally, agents are only used at the implementation phase. In this paper we propose a new 3 step approach in which agents are used during all the development process, playing undoubtedly a much more preponderant role and making the path from the specification to the implementation a much easier and controllable one, always having in mind the challenges of the development of Intelligent Environments

Memory assistant in everyday living

Memory is one’s mental ability to store, to retain, and recall information, representing past and future, our dreams and/or expectations. However, as the human been ages, the capacity of remembering decreases as well the ability to pile up new memories, therefore affecting our quality-of-living and lowering our self- esteem. This configures a social and human dilemma. With the present work we intend to address some of these problems, in terms of a Personal Memory Assistant (PMA), in order to help the user to remember things and occurrences, making it in a proactive mode. It will also cater for some form of relaxation on the part of the user

Memory assist in ambient assisted living

Series : IFIP International Federation for Information ProcessingHuman collective set of experiences makes us who we are and help us delineate a path for our ongoing life. Ageing, however, progressively limits our ability to save, in our internal memory, these same experiences, or, at least, limits our capability to remember them. The capability to remember, intrinsic to our memory, is a very important one to us, as a human been, being this what deferent’s us from several other species. In this paper we present a memory assistant sub module of a bigger project, the VirtualECare, which ability will be to remember us, not our past experiences, but our routine day-to-day tasks and activities, in a somehow proactive manner, thus, allowing us to have some relaxation about them, and focus the remaining of our ability in most important facts

Case-based reasoning decision making in ambient assisted living

Series : Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 5518Quality on the welfare services in caring, and the trend to minimize the economical and social-political costs that come with such practice, due to the population aging, are paramount nowadays, i.e., health care reform has become the leading policy issue in all latitudes. Indeed, the major thrust of all this research is the perception that escalating costs make the current structure and financing of health care unsustainable. The issue of sustainability is, therefore, the main subject of this paper. As a result, and in order to accomplish this goal, we decided to look to the problem from an user perspective, i.e., the system not only will provide different services, but will be also able to trace the ones more frequently used and to learn about the context in which they happen. As a result, we will have a system that will act and learn according to the preferences and habits of its users, and, simultaneously, will adapt to the environment with the objective of reducing the cost of its practices

Decision making and quality-of-information

Springer - Series Advances in Intelligent and Soft Computing, vol. 73In Group Decision Making based on argumentation, decisions are made considering the diverse points of view of the different partakers in order to decide which course of action a group should follow. However, knowledge and belief are normally incomplete, contradictory, or error sensitive, being desirable to use formal tools to deal with the problems that arise from the use of uncertain and even not precise information. On the other hand, qualitative models and qualitative reasoning have been around in Artificial Intelligence research for some time, in particular due the growing need to offer support in decision-making processes, a problem that in this work will be addressed in terms of an extension to the logic programming language and based on an evaluation of the Quality-of-Information (QoI) that stems out from those extended logic programs or theories. We present a computational model to address the problem of decision making, in terms of a multitude of scenarios, also defined as logic programs or theories, where the more appropriate ones stand for the higher QoIs values

EMon : embodied monitorization

Serie : Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 5859The amount of seniors in need of constant care is rapidly rising: an evident consequence of population ageing. There are already some monitorization environments which aim to monitor these persons while they remain at home. This, however, although better than delocalizing the elder to some kind of institution, may not still be the ideal solution, as it forces them to stay inside the home more than they wished, as going out means lack of accompaniment and a consequent sensation of fear. In this paper we propose EMon: a monitorization device small enough to be worn by its users, although powerful enough to provide the higher level monitorization systems with vital information about the user and the environment around him. We hope to allow the representation of an intelligent environment to move with its users, instead of being static, mandatorily associated to a single physical location. The first prototype of EMon, as presented in this paper, provides environmental data as well as GPS coordinates and pictures that are useful to describe the context of its user

Collaborative networks in ambient assisted living

Tese de doutoramento em InformáticaCollaborative Work plays an important role in today’s organizations, especially in areas where decisions must be made. However, any decision that involves a collective or group of decision makers is, by itself, complex, but is becoming recurrent in recent years. In this work we present the VirtualECare project, an intelligent multiagent system able to monitor, interact and serve its customers, in need of care services. In last year’s there has been a substantially increase on the number of people needed of intensive care, especially among the elderly, a phenomenon that is related to population ageing. However, this is becoming not exclusive of the elderly, as diseases like obesity, diabetes and blood pressure have been increasing among young adults. This is a new reality that needs to be dealt by the health sector, particularly by the public one. Given this scenario, the importance of finding new and cost effective ways for health care delivery are of particular importance, especially when it is believed that they should not be removed from their natural “habitat”. Following this line of thinking, the VirtualECare project will be presented, like similar ones that preceded it. On the other hand, this is a growing interest in combining the advances in information society ‐ computing, telecommunications and presentation – in order to create Group Decision Support Systems (GDSSs). Indeed, the new economy, along with increased competition in today’s complex business environments, takes the companies to seek complementarities in order to increase competitiveness and reduce risks. Under these settings, planning takes a major role in a company life. However, effective planning depends on the generation and analysis of ideas (innovative or not) and, as a result, the idea generation and management processes are crucial. In particular if is believed that the use of GDSS in the healthcare arena will allow professionals to achieve better results in the analysis of one’s Electronically Clinical Profile (ECP). This achievement is vital, regarding the explosion of knowledge and skills, together with the need to use limited resources and get the expected outcomes.Hoje em dia, o Trabalho Colaborativo desempenha um papel deveras importante na maioria das organizações, especialmente em áreas em que decisões têm de ser tomadas. No entanto, e muito embora comece a ser recorrente, qualquer decisão que envolva um grupo colectivo de decisores é, por si só, complexa. Nesta tese apresenta‐se o projecto VirtualECare, um sistema inteligente multi‐agente capaz de monitorar, interagir e servir os seus utilizadores, com necessidades de cuidados de saúde. Nos últimos anos têm‐se verificado um aumento substancial no número de pessoas necessitadas de cuidados intensivos, especialmente entre a população mais envelhecida, um fenómeno directamente relacionado com o envelhecimento gradual da população. No entanto, esta é uma problemática que começa a deixar de estar exclusivamente associada aos idosos, uma vez que, doenças como a obesidade, diabetes e a pressão arterial têm vindo a aumentar junto dos, assim chamados, jovens adultos. Esta é uma nova realidade com a qual o sector da saúde necessita de lidar, especialmente o sector público. Apresentados estes cenários, a importância de encontrar novas formas, mais eficazes ao nível dos custos, de providenciar cuidados de saúde, a quem deles necessita, torna‐se ainda mais premente, especialmente quando acreditamos que estes não devem ser deslocalizados do seu “habitat” natural. Seguindo esta linha de raciocínio, vamos apresentar o projecto VirtualECare, bem como similares que o precederam. Recentemente tem‐se vindo a assistir a um interesse crescente em combinar os avanços na, assim chamada, sociedade da informação – computação, telecomunicações e apresentação – de forma a se criarem Sistemas de Apoio à Decisão em Grupo (GDSS). Na realidade, a nova economia, associada ao elevado crescimento da competitividade do, já de si, complexo mundo empresarial, provoca a procura, por parte das empresas e/ou instituições, de outras que as possam complementar para assim se poderem tornar mais competitivas e reduzir os riscos assumidos. Neste cenário, o planeamento assume um papel da maior importância na vida de uma empresa. No entanto, um planeamento eficaz depende da geração e posterior análise de ideias (inovativas ou não) e, como resultado, o processo de geração e análise de ideias também se torna crucial. O nosso objectivo é aplicar os já apresentados GDSS a uma nova área. É de esperar que o uso de GDSS na área da prestação de cuidados de saúde irá permitir que os seus profissionais obtenham melhores e mais imediatos resultados na análise de um qualquer Processo Clínico Electrónico (ECP), sendo este um factor crucial, tendo em conta a explosão de conhecimento e técnicas conjugadas com a necessidade de melhor se utilizar os recursos existentes

Group support in collaborative networks organizations for ambient assisted living

Collaborative Work plays an important role in today’s organizations and normally in areas where decisions must be made. However, any decision that involves a collective or group of decision makers is, by itself, complex. In this work we present the VirtualECare project, built in terms of an intelligent multi- agent system able to monitor, interact and serve its customers, which are, nor- mally, in need of care services, and assisted with tools based on open standards, like OSGi an R-OSGi