The Java Context Awareness Framework (JCAF) – A Service Infrastructure and Programming Framework for Context-Aware Applications

Abstract. Context-awareness is a key concept in ubiquitous computing. But to avoid developing dedicated context-awareness sub-systems for specific applica-tion areas there is a need for more generic programming frameworks. Such frame-works can help the programmer to develop and deploy context-aware applications faster. This paper describes the Java Context-Awareness Framework – JCAF, which is a Java-based context-awareness infrastructure and programming API for creating context-aware computer applications. The paper presents the design principles behind JCAF, its runtime architecture, and its programming API. The paper presents some applications of using JCAF in three different applications and discusses lessons learned from using JCAF.

Deputy Director\u27s Comments

Abstract. Personal area networks such as home or small office LANs are usually more vulnerable to cyber-attacks than those with dedicated support staff and the ability to invest consistently in security defenses. In this paper we propose leveraging physical characteristics of these personal area networks in order to enable non-technical individuals to secure their networks or at least be aware that their devices have been compromised. Our proposal leverages records of location for mobile devices, proximity authentication, and individual homophily. In this work, we summarize previous studies on securing personal networks, proximity authentication, and software attestation. We then present a preliminary design for the detection of and recovery from infection for personal area networks. Limitations and future work are also discussed.

A framework for using trust to assess risk in information sharing

In this paper we describe a decision process framework allowing an agent to decide what information it should reveal to its neighbours within a communication graph in order to maximise its utility. We assume that these neighbours can pass information onto others within the graph, and that the communicating agent gains and loses utility based on the information which can be inferred by specific agents following the original communicative act. To this end, we construct an initial model of information propagation and describe an optimal decision procedure for the agent. © 2013 Springer-Verlag