Managing big data experiments on smartphones

The explosive number of smartphones with ever growing sensing and computing capabilities have brought a paradigm shift to many traditional domains of the computing field. Re-programming smartphones and instrumenting them for application testing and data gathering at scale is currently a tedious and time-consuming process that poses significant logistical challenges. Next generation smartphone applications are expected to be much larger-scale and complex, demanding that these undergo evaluation and testing under different real-world datasets, devices and conditions. In this paper, we present an architecture for managing such large-scale data management experiments on real smartphones. We particularly present the building blocks of our architecture that encompassed smartphone sensor data collected by the crowd and organized in our big data repository. The given datasets can then be replayed on our testbed comprising of real and simulated smartphones accessible to developers through a web-based interface. We present the applicability of our architecture through a case study that involves the evaluation of individual components that are part of a complex indoor positioning system for smartphones, coined Anyplace, which we have developed over the years. The given study shows how our architecture allows us to derive novel insights into the performance of our algorithms and applications, by simplifying the management of large-scale data on smartphones

A network-aware framework for energy-efficient data acquisition in wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks enable users to monitor the physical world at an extremely high fidelity. In order to collect the data generated by these tiny-scale devices, the data management community has proposed the utilization of declarative data-acquisition frameworks. While these frameworks have facilitated the energy-efficient retrieval of data from the physical environment, they were agnostic of the underlying network topology and also did not support advanced query processing semantics. In this paper we present KSpot+, a distributed network-aware framework that optimizes network efficiency by combining three components: (i) the tree balancing module, which balances the workload of each sensor node by constructing efficient network topologies; (ii) the workload balancing module, which minimizes data reception inefficiencies by synchronizing the sensor network activity intervals; and (iii) the query processing module, which supports advanced query processing semantics. In order to validate the efficiency of our approach, we have developed a prototype implementation of KSpot+ in nesC and JAVA. In our experimental evaluation, we thoroughly assess the performance of KSpot+ using real datasets and show that KSpot+ provides significant energy reductions under a variety of conditions, thus significantly prolonging the longevity of a WSN

Towards a network-aware middleware for wireless sensor networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), enable users to monitor the physical world at an extremely high fidelity. In order to collect the data generated by these tiny-scale devices, the data management community has proposed the utilization of declarative data acquisition frameworks. While these approaches have facilitated the energy-efficient retrieval of data from the environment, they were agnostic of the underlying network topology, which may impose data reception/transmission inefficiencies. In this paper, we present the architectural design of KSpot+, a distributed middleware framework that introduces network-awareness to the data acquisition process by combining three cooperating components: i) the Tree Balancing Module, which balances the workload incurred on each sensor node by constructing efficient network topologies; ii) the Workload Balancing Module, which minimizes data reception inefficiencies by synchronizing the waking windows of each sensor node; and iii) the Query Processing Module, which manages query execution and additionally employs a ranking mechanism that unveils only the k-highest ranked answers thus further minimizing energy consumption

DITIS: a collaborative system to support home care by a virtual multidisciplinary team

DITIS was originally developed to address the difficulties of communication and continuity of care between the home health care multidisciplinary team (PASYKAF) and between the team and the oncologist often over 100km away. DITIS has through its data base and possibility of access via mobile or wire line (computers) offered much more than improved communication. Its flexibility of communication and access to the patient's history and daily record at all times, home, outpatients or in the event of an emergency admission has offered the team an overall assessment and history of each symptom. DITIS has thus offered improved quality of life to the patient, for example by offering the nurse's immediate authorisation to change prescription via mobile devices and the oncologist the possibility of assessment and symptom control without having to see the patient. It has offered the home care service the opportunity to plan future services and lobby for funding by offering audit, statistics, and performance evaluation and with these in place, the possibility for research. DITIS the programme will be presented and demonstrated including the mobile device and a discussion around the evaluation of its use. The difficulties will also be examined with trust being the key to implementation of the system. Trust between the different professionals in the home care team, trust between the oncologist and the team and most importantly trust in the technology, including confidentiality. DITIS supports the creation, management and coordination of virtual healthcare professional teams, for the continuous hometreatment of cancer patients

Soco-net: Social care community network

Summary: SoCo-net presents a social care network based on an innovative practice-oriented care community model that supports elderly people to remain longer indepenedent by integrating new types of advance elderly social interaction with new ways of formal and informal care provision. Objective: The main aim is to organize around the elderly personalized Virtual Collaborative Care Teams, consisiting of formal and informal carers, that can actively collaborate to provide ICT based elderly care in the areas of care & wellness, guidance and mobility assistance services. It focuses on end-users wishes and needs in terms of what factors, relationships and communication issues are meaningful and generate the greatest impact on the elderly self care. Methodology: Focus groups, structured interviews and questionnaires were applied to identify the elderly socialization needs and wishes and use case scenarios were formulated. The solution was validated by a sample of 100 end-users (including elderly, formal and informal care professionals) by the Orbis Medical & Care Group, in Netherlands. Results: Based on the analysis performed on the validation results, 72% of the elderly and 100% of the care professionals find it very easy to use (even without guidance). Also 84% of the elderly and 100% of the care professionals find it very useful and said that it can significantly improve their quality of life

Health related quality of life in adult Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia patients in Cyprus: development and validation of the Greek version of the QOL-PCD questionnaire

Background: The QOL-PCD questionnaire is a recently developed Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) instrument for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. The aim of this study was to translate the adult QOL-PCD questionnaire into Greek language and to conduct psychometric validation to assess its performance. Methods: Forward translations to Greek and backward translation to English were performed, followed by cognitive interviews in 12 adult PCD patients. The finalized translated version was administered to a consecutive sample of 31 adult, Greek speaking PCD patients in Cyprus for psychometric validation, which included assessment of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct and convergent validity. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha test in terms of the overall and sub-scales. Test-retest reliability was assessed by repeat administration of the questionnaire within 2 weeks and calculation of the intra-class correlation (ICC). Construct validity was assessed by comparing different groups of patients based on a-priori hypotheses and convergent validity was evaluated by examining associations between the QOL-PCD and SF-36 questionnaires. Results: Moderate to good internal consistency was observed (Cronbach's α: 0.46-0.88 across sub-scales) and test-retest reliability assessment demonstrated good repeatability for most scales (ICC: 0.67-0.91 across subscales). Patients of female gender, older age and lower lung function exhibited lower QOL-PCD scores in general, while high correlations for most QOL-PCD scales with corresponding SF-36 scales were observed, in particular for physical functioning (r = 0.78, p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: The adult version of QoL-PCD questionnaire has been translated according to international guidelines resulting to a cross-culturally validated Greek version which exhibited moderate to good metric properties in terms of internal consistency, stability, known-group and convergent validity.</p