Context-aware mobile applications design: implications and challeges for a new indusy

Context-aware computing is slowly becoming the new mobile paradigm in which applications can discover and use information “out and about”. Typical sources of knowledge about context are the device’s location, data about the environment at large, the mobile device’s prior activity log and even the user’s biometrics. The mobile industry agrees that this paradigm improves the appeal and value of applications by personalising and adapting them to the context in which they run. However, capturing contextual information and processing it to enhance or create a new application is a daunting task: it involves scattered systems and infrastructures and an increasingly wide array of heterogeneous data, architectures and technological tools. In this paper, we explore and analyse existing mobile context-aware applications and the proposed frameworks that enable them. The paper aims to clarify the echnological choices behind context-aware mobile applications and the challenges that still remain ahead for this area to fulfil the promises it offers

Multi-Sensor Context-Awareness in Mobile Devices and Smart Artefacts

The use of context in mobile devices is receiving increasing attention in mobile and ubiquitous computing research. In this article we consider how to augment mobile devices with awareness of their environment and situation as context. Most work to date has been based on integration of generic context sensors, in particular for location and visual context. We propose a different approach based on integration of multiple diverse sensors for awareness of situational context that can not be inferred from location, and targeted at mobile device platforms that typically do not permit processing of visual context. We have investigated multi-sensor context-awareness in a series of projects, and report experience from development of a number of device prototypes. These include development of an awareness module for augmentation of a mobile phone, of the Mediacup exemplifying context-enabled everyday artifacts, and of the Smart-Its platform for aware mobile devices. The prototypes have been explored in various applications to validate the multi-sensor approach to awareness, and to develop new perspectives of how embedded context-awareness can be applied in mobile and ubiquitous computing

Classroom Management System Via Mobile Devices

Mobile devices, applications and services become assimilated into people’s daily activities. The full potential of mobile application is realized when people can access current information at anytime and at anywhere. Existing practice in allocating available classrooms and classrooms reservation are performed manually. In addition, to report any device failure located in classrooms is currently made by calling the helpdesk. Therefore, a Classroom Management System (CMS) via mobile devices is proposed to overcome such problems; allowing lecturers to identify the required classrooms,perform classroom reservation and find the person-in-charge while administration staffs can operate on managing the rooms. System Development Research Methodology(SDRM) has been used for the CMS development. Users acceptance towards CMS had been identified by performing a field study involving 15 respondents. Results showed that 75% of the respondents are satisfied with CMS and felt that it is an acceptable application. Hence, this indicates that CMS provides satisfaction to lecturers and administration staffs in facilitating the daily routine of their working environmen

A machine vision approach to human activity recognition using photoplethysmograph sensor data

Human activity recognition (HAR) is an active area of research concerned with the classification of human motion. Cameras are the gold standard used in this area, but they are proven to have scalability and privacy issues. HAR studies have also been conducted with wearable devices consisting of inertial sensors. Perhaps the most common wearable, smart watches, comprising of inertial and optical sensors, allow for scalable, non-obtrusive studies. We are seeking to simplify this wearable approach further by determining if wrist-mounted optical sensing, usually used for heart rate determination, can also provide useful data for relevant activity recognition. If successful, this could eliminate the need for the inertial sensor, and so simplify the technological requirements in wearable HAR. We adopt a machine vision approach for activity recognition based on plots of the optical signals so as to produce classifications that are easily explainable and interpretable by non-technical users. Specifically, time-series images of photoplethysmography signals are used to retrain the penultimate layer of a pretrained convolutional neural network leveraging the concept of transfer learning. Our results demonstrate an average accuracy of 75.8%. This illustrates the feasibility of implementing an optical sensor-only solution for a coarse activity and heart rate monitoring system. Implementing an optical sensor only in the design of these wearables leads to a trade off in classification performance, but in turn, grants the potential to simplify the overall design of activity monitoring and classification systems in the future

NFC Approach: Towards a Simple Interaction

Nowadays, there are devices with great computing capabilities and these in different places around us. This technology opens us new possibilities and allows us the simple and easy interaction between user and computer. We propose in this work an approach to make it easier to handle information in the ducational context; we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which provides a simple input to the system to come from the own context like of the environment. For this, it is necessary only the user bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, and near it to tag obtaining services like localization, access, presence and, the most important for us, the visualization of information.Nowadays, there are devices with great computing capabilities and these in different places around us. This technology opens us new possibilities and allows us the simple and easy interaction between user and computer. We propose in this work an approach to make it easier to handle information in the ducational context; we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which provides a simple input to the system to come from the own context like of the environment. For this, it is necessary only the user bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, and near it to tag obtaining services like localization, access, presence and, the most important for us, the visualization of information

Towards Simple Interaction in the Classroom: an NFC Approach

In a given environment, distributing different devices with computing capabilities around us opens up new possibilities. It allows simple and easy interaction between user and computer. In this work we propose an approach to make it easier to handle information in the educational context and to do so we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which provides a simple input to the system. The user only has to bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, near to a tag, obtaining services like localization, access, or presence. Most importantly for us, we present the visualization of information in what we have called a “Visualization Mosaic”.In a given environment, distributing different devices with computing capabilities around us opens up new possibilities. It allows simple and easy interaction between user and computer. In this work we propose an approach to make it easier to handle information in the educational context and to do so we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which provides a simple input to the system. The user only has to bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, near to a tag, obtaining services like localization, access, or presence. Most importantly for us, we present the visualization of information in what we have called a “Visualization Mosaic”

NFC Approach: Towards a Simple Interaction

Nowadays, there are devices with great computing capabilities and these in different places around us. This technology opens us new possibilities and allows us the simple and easy interaction between user and computer. We propose in this work an approach to make it easier to handle information in the ducational context; we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which provides a simple input to the system to come from the own context like of the environment. For this, it is necessary only the user bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, and near it to tag obtaining services like localization, access, presence and, the most important for us, the visualization of information.Nowadays, there are devices with great computing capabilities and these in different places around us. This technology opens us new possibilities and allows us the simple and easy interaction between user and computer. We propose in this work an approach to make it easier to handle information in the ducational context; we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which provides a simple input to the system to come from the own context like of the environment. For this, it is necessary only the user bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, and near it to tag obtaining services like localization, access, presence and, the most important for us, the visualization of information

Towards Simple Interaction in the Classroom: an NFC Approach

In a given environment, distributing different devices with computing capabilities around us opens up new possibilities. It allows simple and easy interaction between user and computer. In this work we propose an approach to make it easier to handle information in the educational context and to do so we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which provides a simple input to the system. The user only has to bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, near to a tag, obtaining services like localization, access, or presence. Most importantly for us, we present the visualization of information in what we have called a “Visualization Mosaic”.In a given environment, distributing different devices with computing capabilities around us opens up new possibilities. It allows simple and easy interaction between user and computer. In this work we propose an approach to make it easier to handle information in the educational context and to do so we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which provides a simple input to the system. The user only has to bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, near to a tag, obtaining services like localization, access, or presence. Most importantly for us, we present the visualization of information in what we have called a “Visualization Mosaic”