Providing Context-Aware Adaptations Based on a Semantic Model

Abstract

Abstract. Smartphones and tablet PCs are on the verge of revolutionizing the information society by offering high quality applications and almost permanent connectivity to the Internet in a mobile world. They naturally support new applications that take advantage of context information like location, time and other environmental conditions. However, developing these novel context-aware applications is challenging as it is difficult to a priori anticipate their execution context and the adaptations that might be necessary to use new context information. This issue is reinforced by the semantic gap between the low-level technical realization of adaptation mechanisms and the demand to describe adaptations in abstract and comprehensible business terms. This paper presents programming support for context-aware adaptations based on a semantic model that builds on the AOCI framework. Using such a model, applications and adaptations can be described by means of easy to comprehend business terms. Thereby the model enables the AOCI framework to store and publish both context and domain-specific run-time information and provides a basis for high-level and tailored programming support. This enables to transparently select adaptations based on various criteria and integrate them into applications at run-time. At the level of adaptation mechanisms our approach supports integration for permanent changes using Aspect-Oriented Programming and more importantly for spontaneous and short-time integration of web services by means of interceptors.

A programming model for context-sensitive application

“…RDF was originally specified as a metadata data model, and is now used as a general method for the conceptual description. Based on RDF, OWL is a language of knowledge representation for the author and reasoning on ontologies [2] .…”

“…In addition, due to changes occurring in the application at runtime, we have to make the right decisions for all possible cases [2].…”

Middleware Architectures for the Smart Grid: Survey and Challenges in the Foreseeable Future

“…Semantic annotations, on the other hand, can be defined as representations of specific information that is organized according to syntax and hierarchical rules given by ontologies. Examples of ontologies that fit in well in the scope of the Smart Grid are Semantic Sensor Network (SSN) [15] or Standard Ontology for Ubiquitous and Pervasive Applications (SOUPA) [16]. Commonly, they provide tools to either model sensing devices, along with their capabilities-in the case of SSN-or design applications that feed on ubiquitous equipment-in the case of SOUPA.…”

Intermediate Common Model—The Solution to Separate Concerns and Responsiveness in Dynamic Context-Aware System

“…Many works have been dedicated to advance the adaptation domain [4]; frameworks [2] [5] [6], methods and techniques [3] [7] [8] [9], principles [10] [11] have already been proposed. However, most of these information focus on solving problems of system at runtime and they do not provide any solution to separate concerns and responsiveness in dynamic context-aware system.…”