Websigns: hyperlinking physical locations to the Web

HP researchers are developing handheld devices that combine wireless technology and ubiquitous computing to provide a transparent linkage between physical entities in the environment and resources available on the Web. First-generation mobile computing technologies typically use protocols such as WAP and i-mode to let PDAs, smart phones, and other wireless devices with Web browsers access the Internet, thereby freeing users from the shackles of their desktops. We believe, in addition, users would benefit from having access to devices that combine the advantages of wireless technology and ubiquitous computing to provide a transparent linkage between the physical world around them and the resources available on the Web. We are developing devices that augment users' reality with Web services related to the physical objects they see     

The value of handhelds in smart environments

The severe resource restrictions of computer-augmented everyday artifacts imply substantial problems for the design of applications in smart environments. Some of these problems can be overcome by exploiting the resources, I/O interfaces, and computing capabilities of nearby mobile devices in an ad-hoc fashion. We identify the means by which smart objects can make use of handheld devices such as PDAs and mobile phones, and derive the following major roles of handhelds in smart environments: (1) mobile infrastructure access point; (2) user interface; (3) remote sensor; (4) mobile storage medium; (5) remote resource provider; and (6) weak user identifier. We present concrete applications that illustrate these roles, and describe how handhelds can serve as mobile mediators between computer-augmented everyday artifacts, their users, and background infrastructure services. The presented applications include a remote interaction scenario, a smart medicine cabinet, and an inventory monitoring application.     

A soft computing based location-aware access control for smart buildings

The evolution of wireless communications and pervasive computing is transforming current physical spaces into real smart environments. These emerging scenarios are expected to be composed by a potentially huge amount of heterogeneous smart objects which can be remotely accessed by users via their mobile devices anytime, anywhere. In this paper, we propose a distributed location-aware access control mechanism and its application in the smart building context. Our approach is based on an access control engine embedded into smart objects, which are responsible to make authorization decisions by considering both user location data and access credentials. User location data are estimated using a novel indoor localization system based on magnetic field data sent by user through her personal phone. This localization system implements a combination of soft computing techniques over the data collected by smartphones. Therefore, our location-aware access control mechanism does not require any intermediate entity, providing the benefits of a decentralized approach for smart environments. From the results obtained, we can consider our proposal as a promising approach to tackle the challenging security requirements of typical pervasive environments.     

通用型物联网综合信息管理平台设计

物联网应用的多样性、分散性和缺乏管理等问题制约着物联网的发展。物联网要连接和管理的对象是包括静止和移动的末端设备及各种资产,这些设备连接上传感器等感知设备成为网络中的节点。基于物联网这种网络特点,利用通用网管的思想设计通用型物联网综合信息管理平台时,可以将各种异构的系统和分布式资源进行整合,以实现管、控、营一体化,从而构建物联网运维系统,为建设低碳、智能、节约型社会提供技术支撑。     

An infrastructure for smart hospitals

In healthcare facilities most of the daily activities require strict coordination between clinicians, who often operate under heavy workloads and minimal workforce conditions in environments filled with increasingly complex technology. Ubiquitous Computing applications constitute a suitable solution for both reducing medical costs and improving patient safety by better supporting clinical processes. In this study we introduce an intelligent infrastructure for smart hospitals which implements basic services to optimize medical staff/patient interactions and grants ubiquitous and transparent access to clinical data stored in standard clinical databases. This infrastructure relies on the integration of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) and photosensor technologies to identify, locate and track clinicians and patients equipped with mobile devices and wearable RFID tags.     

A Web-based nomadic computing system

CoolTown offers a Web model for supporting nomadic users, based on the convergence of Web technology, wireless networks and portable devices. This paper describes how CoolTown ties Web resources to physical objects and places, and how users interact with resources using the information appliances they carry, from laptops to smart watches. Enabling the automatic discovery of URLs from our physical surroundings, and using localized Web servers for directories, we create location-aware but ubiquitous systems. On top of this infrastructure we leverage device connectivity to support communication services.     

Personal mobile services

Ubiquitous information access through mobile devices has become a typical practice in everyday life. The mobile service paradigm shifts the role of mobile devices from consumers to providers, opening up new opportunities for a multitude of collaborative services and applications ranging from sharing personal information to collaborative participatory sensing. Although many basic principles of the standard Web service approach continue to apply, the inherent constraints of mobile devices and broadband wireless access render the deployment of the standard architecture in mobile environments inefficient. This paper introduced personal services, a user-centric paradigm that enables service-oriented interactions among mobile devices that are controlled via user-specified authorization policies. Personal services exploit the user’s contact list (ranging from phonebook to social lists) in order to publish and discover Web services while placing users in full control of their own personal data and privacy. Experimental validation demonstrates the ability of personal services to foster a new generation of collaborative mobile services. Performance evaluation results show that the publication and discovery through contact lists are efficient and that service announcements and discovery requests can reach a huge number of users in a few seconds. Results also support a conclusion that resources-constrained devices can collaborate to carry out functionalities beyond the ability of their resources limitations.     

Empowerment through seamfulness: smart phones in everyday life

In this paper, we describe research into use of multifunctional mobile phones by working adults and posit the device as a plausible realization of ubiquitous computing. We investigate how users actively adapt and adopt the different functions in smart phones to suit their needs and lifestyles. Through an interview and diary study, we discover how the smart phone is used in pragmatic and seamful ways, regardless of the interface of the specific phone selected or the particular features available. Users used phones in highly individual manners; mixed and adapted existing functions to meet their own priorities; added some functions and ignored others to create their own portfolio; and blended their use with the specifics of their everyday lives. While these data challenge some assumptions of human–computer interaction and ubiquitous computing, it also presents new research potential in terms of understanding how users take advantage of the multiple features in smart phone devices and how they utilize seamfulness in everyday smart phones practices.     

基于谷歌Android系统的企业级安全防护方法

随着移动数据技术的进步和通信基础设施建设（如：3G等）的日益成熟与普及,越来越多员工已经不仅仅在办公室处理单位的日常事务,各企事业单位和移动办公人员用手机、PDA和笔记本等移动终端通过公共通信网络（CDMA／GPRS／WCDMA等）访问单位内部的资源和应用,但是,这种通过公共网络接入也给单位网络引入了新的安全威胁,而传统的终端VPN已经满足不了现有的智能手机／平板电脑等移动终端的安全接入需求;一方面,如何保证在开放网络中保障移动终端用户身份和接入安全、数据保密性以及网络边界完整性等安全接入要求,成了移动终端应用推广的重点关切问题,另一方面,由于移动终端容易丢失,如何保证移动终端内存储数据的安全性呢？一旦安全事件爆发,其危害性将远远大于计算机病毒。因此非常有必要深入研究移动终端面临的安全威胁和应对策略。     

The sensor internet at work: Locating everyday items using mobile phones

We present a system for monitoring and locating everyday items using mobile phones. The system is based on phones which are enhanced with the capability to detect electronically tagged objects in their vicinity. It supports various functionalities: On the one hand, phones can store the context in which users leave registered items and thus help to locate them later on. On the other hand, object owners can search for their objects using the infrastructure of mobile phones carried by other users. We describe the design of our object location system and provide an algorithm which can be used to search for lost or misplaced items efficiently by selecting the most suitable sensors based on arbitrary domain knowledge. Furthermore, we demonstrate the practicability of such wide-area searching by means of user-held sensors in a series of simulations complemented by a real-world experiment.     

Recent Advances in Mobile Grid and Cloud Computing

Grid and cloud computing systems have been extensively used to solve large and complex problems in science and engineering fields. These systems include powerful computing resources that are connected through high-speed networks. Due to the recent advances in mobile computing and networking technologies, it has become feasible to integrate various mobile devices, such as robots, aerial vehicles, sensors, and smart phones, with grid and cloud computing systems. This integration enables the design and development of the next generation of applications by sharing of resources in mobile environments and introduces several challenges due to a dynamic and unpredictable network. This paper discusses applications, research challenges involved in the design and development of mobile grid and cloud computing systems, and recent advances in the field.     

Attaching context-aware services to moving locations

User information and communication resources - such as precise location information and direction, altitude, light, and humidity measurements (via sensors) - are becoming more available in end devices. This increasing range of information can enable context-aware informational services as well as linking digital objects to physical objects a user is observing. Thus, mobile users can obtain relevant information about real-world objects while simultaneously staying in touch with other users. The author describes an open, scalable service architecture in which context-aware service negotiation lets entities establish communication and negotiate services without a third party's assistance and without advance knowledge of either party's features. Context information can help hide data complexity from users until they need to make choices regarding such things as payments or object interactions.     

Always connected,but are smart mobile users getting more security savvy? A survey of smart mobile device users

Smart mobile devices are a potential attack vector for cyber criminal activities. Two hundred and fifty smart mobile device owners from the University of South Australia were surveyed. Not surprisingly, it was found that smart mobile device users in the survey generally underestimated the value that their collective identities have to criminals and how these can be sold. For example, participants who reported jail-breaking/rooting their devices were also more likely to exhibit risky behaviour (e.g. downloading and installing applications from unknown providers), and the participants generally had no idea of the value of their collective identities to criminals which can be sold to the highest bidder. In general, the participants did not understand the risks and may not have perceived cyber crime to be a real threat. Findings from the survey and the escalating complexities of the end-user mobile and online environment underscore the need for regular ongoing training programs for basic online security and the promotion of a culture of security among smart mobile device users. For example, targeted education and awareness programmes could be developed to inform or educate smart mobile device users and correct misconceptions or myths in order to bring about changes in attitudes and usage behaviour (e.g. not taking preventative measures such as strong passwords to protect their devices). Such initiatives would enable all end users (including senior University management who use such devices to access privileged corporate data and accounts) to maintain current knowledge of the latest cyber crime activities and the best cyber security protection measures available.     

Ubiquitous Access to Unified Messaging: A Study of Usability and the Use of Pervasive Computing

The advent of mobile devices and the wireless Internet is having a profound impact on the way people communicate, as well as on the user interaction paradigms used to access information that was traditionally accessible only through visual interfaces. Applications for mobile devices entail the integration of various data sources optimized for delivery to limited hardware resources and intermittently connected devices through wireless networks. Although telephone interfaces arise as one of the most prominent pervasive applications, they present interaction challenges such as the augmentation of speech recognition through natural language (NL) understanding and high-quality text-to-speech conversion. This article presents an experience in building an automated assistant that is natural to use and could become an alternative to a human assistant. The Mobile Assistant (MA) can read e-mail messages, book appointments, take phone messages, and provide access to personal-organizer information. Key components are a conversational interface, enterprise integration, and notifications tailored to user preferences. The focus of the research has been on supporting the pressing communication needs of mobile workers and overcoming technological hurdles such as achieving high accuracy speech recognition in noisy environments, NL understanding, and optimal message presentation on a variety of devices and modalities. The article outlines findings from the 2 broad field trials and lessons learned regarding the support of mobile workers with pervasive computing devices and emerging technologies.     

智能移动系统的网络安全研究

随着移动技术的发展,越来越多人员已经不仅在办公室处理日常事务,他们已开始使用手机、PDA和笔记本等移动终端通过公共通信网络访问单位内部的资源和应用.但是,这种通过公共网络接入也给单位网络引入了新的安全威胁,而传统的终端VPN已经满足不了现有的智能手机/平板电脑等移动终端的安全接入需求：一方面,如何保证在开放网络中保障移动终端用户身份和接入安全、数据保密性以及移动通信传输过程的一致性和完整性等安全要求;另一方面,由于移动终端容易丢失,如何保证移动终端内存储数据的安全性.因此,本文对基于Android架构的移动系统安全体系及所面临的安全威胁进行阐述并提出一些相应的防范措施.     

A design and implementation of a framework for games in IoT

Interconnection of the sensing and actuating devices providing the ability to share information across platform through a unified framework for enabling innovative applications. This is achieved by seamless ubiquitous sensing, data analytics and information representation as the unifying framework. Extending the current internet with interconnected objects and devices and their virtual representation has been a growing trend in recent years. Internet of Things (IoT) services are becoming a popular services. This will be supported challenges in a large of aspects such as smart health, green energy, smart home and personalized applications. So, the IoT plays more and more important issue in lifestyle through entertainment such as Games. As of yet, there has not been much research done on IoT environment games as a service. In this paper, we propose schemes of the design and implantation of IT convergence framework for games as a service of IoT. First of all, we discussed what to consider when design and implementation of IT convergence framework for games through contents using user’s mobile devices and various sensors in IoT environment and suggest related techniques. Then, we showed the possibility of games in the IoT environment by creating games and measuring the interactions of users in the IoT environment.     

Multimedia access to mobile environments using indoor semantic maps

In this paper, we present a semantic map model in order to represent multimedia environments using mobile devices. Our approach makes it possible defining indoor maps and locating the objects of interest. This model is based on an Ontology, which defines both semantic qualities and graphic forms of the objects that exist in the multimedia environment (rooms, doors, cameras, ...). The semantic of the maps enables to query and to reason the map content automatically. For example, in this work, we solve the indoor routing adding a heuristic that exploits the topology of the interior spaces, which has been evaluated by obtaining a significant improvement in indoor spaces. In addition, the proposed Ontology includes the location and the remote services of the multimedia resources, such as ambient cameras and microphones. Thus, users can access in real time to multimedia resources through the maps displayed on mobile devices. The mobile applications have been developed, tested and measured both in light devices and hand-held computers.     

一种移动个人信息管理系统的存储解决方案

移动个人信息管理系统是运行在掌上电脑、智能手机等移动设备上的个人信息管理系统。为实现其对各种类型的个人信息的强大管理功能,必须要有一个适宜的底层存储方案作为保障。本文基于COM的结构化存储机制和实验室自主研发的嵌入式移动数据库管理系统SwiftDB的数据管理功能,提出了一种信息项存储方案,能够解决个人信息项种类繁多和移动设备上资源有限等系统存储难点,以较小的代价和较快的存取速度实现用户对信息项的访问操作。     

创建移动学习的多媒体组件

该文提出了一个基于模板的生成多媒体组件的方案,适用于应用计算机或移动设备的教学。该研究领域结合了计算机科学、移动设备和电子学习的研究,被称为移动学习或者M-Learning。研究的目标是为处于任何地点的学习者提供获取电子学习资料的途径,让学习内容更适合移动设备的特点、交流环境、学习者的知识和喜好。该技术解决方案将充分发挥移动设备的潜力,广泛应用于教育领域。     

Interactive customization of ubiquitous Web applications

Ubiquitous environments pose new challenges for end users who often need to access their applications from various devices. In this paper we present a solution that allows users to easily customise and migrate interactive web applications starting with an existing desktop version. This is obtained through an intelligent infrastructure that enables users to select the relevant part of an interactive Web application in order to create a mobile version and migrate it.