Leveraging the Grid to Provide a Global Platform for Ubiquitous Computing Research

The requirement for distributed systems support for Ubicomp has led to the development of numerous platforms, each addressing a subset of the overall requirements of ubiquitous systems. In contrast, many other scientific disciplines have embraced the vision of a global distributed computing platform, i.e. the Grid. We believe that the Grid has the potential to evolve into an ideal platform for building ubiquitous computing applications. In this paper we explore in detail the areas of synergy between Grid computing and ubiquitous computing and highlight a series of research challenges in this space

E-Voting in an ubicomp world: trust, privacy, and social implications

The advances made in technology have unchained the user from the desktop into interactions where access is anywhere, anytime. In addition, the introduction of ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) will see further changes in how we interact with technology and also socially. Ubicomp evokes a near future in which humans will be surrounded by “always-on,” unobtrusive, interconnected intelligent objects where information is exchanged seamlessly. This seamless exchange of information has vast social implications, in particular the protection and management of personal information. This research project investigates the concepts of trust and privacy issues specifically related to the exchange of e-voting information when using a ubicomp type system

FairComp: Workshop on Fairness and Robustness in Machine Learning for Ubiquitous Computing

How can we ensure that Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) research outcomes are both ethical and fair? While fairness in machine learning (ML) has gained traction in recent years, fairness in UbiComp remains unexplored. This workshop aims to discuss fairness in UbiComp research and its social, technical, and legal implications. From a social perspective, we will examine the relationship between fairness and UbiComp research and identify pathways to ensure that ubiquitous technologies do not cause harm or infringe on individual rights. From a technical perspective, we will initiate a discussion on data practices to develop bias mitigation approaches tailored to UbiComp research. From a legal perspective, we will examine how new policies shape our community's work and future research. We aim to foster a vibrant community centered around the topic of responsible UbiComp, while also charting a clear path for future research endeavours in this field

A Picture of Present Ubicomp Research Exploring Publications from Important Events in the Field

In this work we use a dataset of papers published in top conferences focused on ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) to provide an overview and analysis of recent ubiquitous computing research performed internationally and in Brazil. The contributions of this study are twofold. First, we extracted useful information from our dataset such as representativeness of authors and institutions, and the formation of communities. Second, we analyzed all papers published between 2010 and 2011 in all top international conferences, creating a taxonomy of recent ubicomp research performed internationally. Afterthat we mapped SBCUP papers (Brazilian ubicomp conference) according to this taxonomy, which enables the comparison of international and national research. This study is useful to guide novices in the field and it also provides experienced researchers with facts enabling the discussion of ubicomp research.Key words: Ubiquitous computing, scientific network, collaboration network, Pervasive, Percom, Ubicomp, SBCUP, taxonomy, characterization

Gaming on the edge: using seams in ubicomp games

Outdoor multi-player games are an increasingly popular application area for ubiquitous computing, supporting experimentation both with new technologies and new user experiences. This paper presents an outdoor ubicomp game that exploits the gaps or seams that exist in complex computer systems. Treasure is designed so that players move in and out of areas of wireless network coverage, taking advantage not only of the connectivity within a wireless ‘hotspot’ but of the lack of connectivity outside it. More broadly, this paper discusses how the notion of seamful design can be a source of design ideas for ubicomp games

The Literacy Fieldtrip: Using UbiComp to Support Children's Creative Writing

Fieldtrips, traditionally associated with science, history and geography teaching, have long been used to support children’s learning by allowing them to engage with environments first-hand. Recently, ubiquitous computing (UbiComp) has been used to enhance fieldtrips in these educational areas by augmenting environments with a range of instruments, devices and sensors. However, the sorts of interaction design that UbiComp makes possible have the potential not just to enhance the value of educational techniques in known application areas, but also to expand the application of those techniques into new areas of curriculum. We report on a UbiComp-supported fieldtrip to support creative writing, associated with the learning of literacy skills. We discuss how the fieldtrip, designed and run in the grounds of a historic English country house with Year 5 UK schoolchildren, engendered interactions which changed both the processes and products of creative writing, with benefits for both teachers and children

Display-centred applications in ubiquitous computing

Public displays can play an important enabling role in ubiquitous computing environments. This paper describes an on-going work for a multipurpose, multi-display infrastructure, designed to address the requirements of display-centred applications in ubiquitous computing environments. The system provides an infrastructure in which situated displays can act as portals to the physical space, allowing ubicomp applications to support their association with the physical world by providing them with display services and situationspecific user input and context information

Public ubiquitous computing systems:lessons from the e-campus display deployments

In this paper we reflect on our experiences of deploying ubiquitous computing systems in public spaces and present a series of lessons that we feel will be of benefit to researchers planning similar public deployments. We focus on experiences gained from building and deploying three experimental public display systems as part of the e-campus pro ject. However, we believe the lessons are likely to be generally applicable to many different types of public ubicomp deployment

Ubiquitous systems and the family: Thoughts about the networked home

Developments in ubiquitous and pervasive computing herald a future in which computation is embedded into our daily lives. Such a vision raises important questions about how people, especially families, will be able to engage with and trust such systems whilst maintaining privacy and individual boundaries. To begin to address such issues, we have recently conducted a wide reaching study eliciting trust, privacy and identity concerns about pervasive computing. Over three hundred UK citizens participated in 38 focus groups. The groups were shown Videotaped Activity Scenarios [11] depicting pervasive or ubiquitous computing applications in a number of contexts including shopping. The data raises a number of important issues from a family perspective in terms of access, control, responsibility, benefit and complexity. Also findings highlight the conflict between increased functionality and the subtle social interactions that sustain family bonds. We present a Pre-Concept Evaluation Tool (PRECET) for use in design and implementation of ubicomp systems

Design and evaluation of a smart library using the APEX framework

User experience is a key point for successful ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) environments. The envisaged design should be explored as soon as possible to anticipate potential user problems, thus reducing re-design costs. The development of ubicomp environments' prototypes might help, providing feedback on the users' reaction to the environments. This paper describes the design and evaluation of ubicomp environments using APEX, a rapid prototyping framework providing user experience via a 3D application server and connected physical devices. APEX prototypes allow users to explore and experience many characteristics of a proposed design, in a virtual world. The paper focus in particular the design and evaluation of a smart library in the APEX framework.(undefined