On the cloud deployment of a session abstraction for service/data aggregation

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia InformáticaThe global cyber-infrastructure comprehends a growing number of resources, spanning over several abstraction layers. These resources, which can include wireless sensor devices or mobile networks, share common requirements such as richer inter-connection capabilities and increasing data consumption demands. Additionally, the service model is now widely spread, supporting the development and execution of distributed applications. In this context, new challenges are emerging around the “big data” topic. These challenges include service access optimizations, such as data-access context sharing, more efficient data filtering/ aggregation mechanisms, and adaptable service access models that can respond to context changes. The service access characteristics can be aggregated to capture specific interaction models. Moreover, ubiquitous service access is a growing requirement, particularly regarding mobile clients such as tablets and smartphones. The Session concept aggregates the service access characteristics, creating specific interaction models, which can then be re-used in similar contexts. Existing Session abstraction implementations also allow dynamic reconfigurations of these interaction models, so that the model can adapt to context changes, based on service, client or underlying communication medium variables. Cloud computing on the other hand, provides ubiquitous access, along with large data persistence and processing services. This thesis proposes a Session abstraction implementation, deployed on a Cloud platform, in the form of a middleware. This middleware captures rich/dynamic interaction models between users with similar interests, and provides a generic mechanism for interacting with datasources based on multiple protocols. Such an abstraction contextualizes service/users interactions, can be reused by other users in similar contexts. This Session implementation also permits data persistence by saving all data in transit in a Cloud-based repository, The aforementioned middleware delivers richer datasource-access interaction models, dynamic reconfigurations, and allows the integration of heterogenous datasources. The solution also provides ubiquitous access, allowing client connections from standard Web browsers or Android based mobile devices

VoodooFlash: authoring across physical and digital form

Design tools that integrate hardware and software components facilitate product design work across aspects of physical form and user interaction, but at the cost of requiring designers to work with other than their accustomed programming tools. In this paper we introduce VoodooFlash, a tool designed to build on the widespread use of Flash while facilitating design work across physical and digital components. VoodooFlash extends the existing practice of authoring interactive applications in terms of arranging components on a virtual stage, and provides a physical stage on which controls can be arranged, linked to software components, and appropriated with other physical design materials

60 GHz MAC Standardization: Progress and Way Forward

Communication at mmWave frequencies has been the focus in the recent years. In this paper, we discuss standardization efforts in 60 GHz short range communication and the progress therein. We compare the available standards in terms of network architecture, medium access control mechanisms, physical layer techniques and several other features. Comparative analysis indicates that IEEE 802.11ad is likely to lead the short-range indoor communication at 60 GHz. We bring to the fore resolved and unresolved issues pertaining to robust WLAN connectivity at 60 GHz. Further, we discuss the role of mmWave bands in 5G communication scenarios and highlight the further efforts required in terms of research and standardization

Mobile support in CSCW applications and groupware development frameworks

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) is an established subset of the field of Human Computer Interaction that deals with the how people use computing technology to enhance group interaction and collaboration. Mobile CSCW has emerged as a result of the progression from personal desktop computing to the mobile device platforms that are ubiquitous today. CSCW aims to not only connect people and facilitate communication through using computers; it aims to provide conceptual models coupled with technology to manage, mediate, and assist collaborative processes. Mobile CSCW research looks to fulfil these aims through the adoption of mobile technology and consideration for the mobile user. Facilitating collaboration using mobile devices brings new challenges. Some of these challenges are inherent to the nature of the device hardware, while others focus on the understanding of how to engineer software to maximize effectiveness for the end-users. This paper reviews seminal and state-of-the-art cooperative software applications and development frameworks, and their support for mobile devices

Towards an aspect weaving BPEL engine

This position paper proposes the use of dynamic aspects and the visitor design pattern to obtain a highly configurable and extensible BPEL engine. Using these two techniques, the core of this infrastructural software can be customised to meet new requirements and add features such as debugging, execution monitoring, or changing to another Web Service selection policy. Additionally, it can easily be extended to cope with customer-specific BPEL extensions. We propose the use of dynamic aspects not only on the engine itself but also on the workflow in order to tackle the problems of Web Service hot deployment and hot fixes to long running processes. In this way, composing aWeb Service "on-the-fly" means weaving its choreography interface into the workflow