BETaaS: A Platform for Development and Execution of Machine-to-Machine Applications in the Internet of Things

The integration of everyday objects into the Internet represents the foundation of the forthcoming Internet of Things (IoT). Such “smart” objects will be the building blocks of the next generation of applications that will exploit interaction between machines to implement enhanced services with minimum or no human intervention in the loop. A crucial factor to enable Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications is a horizontal service infrastructure that seamlessly integrates existing IoT heterogeneous systems. The authors present BETaaS, a framework that enables horizontal M2M deployments. BETaaS is based on a distributed service infrastructure built on top of an overlay network of gateways that allows seamless integration of existing IoT systems. The platform enables easy deployment of applications by exposing to developers a service oriented interface to access things (the Things-as-a-Service model) regardless of the technology and the physical infrastructure they belong

A peer-to-peer based infrastructure for context distribution in mobile and ubiquitous environments

The increasing proliferation of mobile devices has raised the expectations for user-customized and environment-aware services. However, mobile context-aware systems inherently feature characteristics of distribution and heterogeneity which pose great challenges to their developers. This paper focuses on context distribution in mobile and ubiquitous computing environments. We propose a peer-to-peer based context distribution approach and evaluate it against the derived requirements.status: publishe

A peer-to-peer based infrastructure for context distribution in mobile and ubiquitous environments

The increasing proliferation of mobile devices has raised the expectations for user-customized and environment-aware services. However, mobile context-aware systems inherently feature characteristics of distribution and heterogeneity which pose great challenges to their developers. This paper focuses on context distribution in mobile and ubiquitous computing environments. We propose a peer-to-peer based context distribution approach and evaluate it against the derived requirements.status: publishe

Context grouping mechanism for context distribution in ubiquitous environments

Context distribution is a key aspect for successful applications within mobile and ubiquitous computing environments. In such environments, context information is acquired by several and multiple context sensors distributed over the environment. Applications collect and react to these data, according to predefined adaptation mechanisms. The success of these mechanisms depends on the availability of context information, which is disseminated over the network. However, in practice, only a fraction of the observable context information is required by the adaptation mechanisms. Moreover, for privacy reasons, it is important to delimitate a scope for context dissemination. In this work we address these issues by proposing a context grouping mechanism which allows the definition of groups based on the context characteristics. Each group is defined by these characteristics and delimitate a given context information set that can be distributed among group members. This approach of context grouping acts as a two-fold mechanism. On the one hand, it controls and organizes context distribution over a peer-to-peer network. On the other hand, it proposes a primary and low-level privacy mechanism for context distribution, which is an important aspect influencing context distribution.status: publishe

Context Grouping Mechanism for Context Distribution in Ubiquitous Environments, In: Robert Meersman

International audienceResume en anglais a placer ic

Opposition in transition: pre-electoral coalitions and the 2018 electoral breakthrough in Malaysia

In May 2018, the Malaysian opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan or Hope Alliance won the federal elections for the first time in the history of the country. The electoral authoritarian system is now in a state of transition. The electoral breakthrough was the result of longer-term socio-economic transformations, but the formation of a strong pre-electoral coalition was ultimately decisive for the victory. The article compares various coalitions and their performance during seven elections since 1990. The structured, focused comparison analyses the coalitions during this period because prior to 1990 the opposition was fragmented. On the basis of a three-level concept regarding the strength of pre-electoral coalitions, the article argues that Pakatan Harapan was successful because the coalition was sufficiently comprehensive (as indicated by the number and the competitiveness of candidates), cohesive (concerning ideological proximity and behavioural routinization) and well-rooted in society (in terms of linkages to voters/supporters and to civil society networks or organizations)