Fredrik Espinoza

GeoNotes: Social and Navigational Aspects of Location-Based Information Systems

Location-based information systems allow the user to access information in relation to the users position in geographical space. This paper outlines navigational and social aspects of such systems. It is argued that location-based systems must allow users to participate as content providers in order to achieve a social and dynamic information space. Moreover, as these systems allow commercial and private users to annotate space with information on a mass-scale, information filtering techniques will become essential in order to prevent information overload and user disturbance. We present a number of content-based and social filtering techniques to support this. We discuss implications for implementation and we describe a system (GeoNotes), which takes some of these aspects into account.

GeoNotes: a location-based information system for public spaces

The basic idea behind location-based information systems is to connect information pieces to positions in outdoor or indoor space. Through position technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS), GSM positioning, Wireless LAN positioning or Bluetooth positioning, the system keeps track of where a terminal (and its user) is located in space. Via his terminal, the user is allowed to enter/upload information, to which the system automatically allocates a latitude-longitude coordinate. Later, the same user, or some other user, can access that information (again via their wirelessly connected terminals) when they enter the place. Although the digital information is stored on a remote server away from the actual location, the position technology and the mobile terminals give users the impression that information is actually “attached” to the place where the user is. In this way, location-based information systems create user experiences similar to those of Post-its, graffiti and public signs and posters. In both cases, an information space is “superim posed” on indoor/outdoor space.

Testing and demonstrating context-aware services with Quake III Arena

Testing and demonstrating context aware services can be extremely difficult Context-aware services inherently need information such as the position oftheir users, but it is complicated to gather and supply services with information of that kind. Obviously, one needs to do this when the services are up and running, but it may help to simulate the context information while the services are under development or for demonstration purposes. Even though the simulated context information is not real, the services and the routines that gather and receive the context information can be. This enables systems to be developed with less regard for constraints that stem from using actual sensor technology while also keeping the core functionality of services separate and ready for real-world deployment. One can image two types of simulation tools: those that simulate a set of values as a part of a test suite, and those that allow interactive testing of services in semirealistic circumstances. We have chosen the latter approach because it has the added advantage of allowing us to demonstrate services. QuakeSim is a tool that interactively simulates context information in real time. It simulates the real 3D world and different kinds of context information. With QuakeSim, it is possible to test and demonstrate context-aware services without requiring users or objects to actually be located in and move around in the real world.

Using Quake III Arena to simulate sensors and actuators when evaluating and testing mobile services

We describe QuakeSim, a system that uses Quake III Arena to evaluate, test, and demonstrate context aware services. Context, such as users position or activity, is simulated in Quake and provided to real-world services as real data. The simulation is made more realistic by modeling real physical environments and calibrating the models to correspond to reality. QuakeSim allows simulated and actual context information to be used interchangeably in real services.

Usefulness of sentiment analysis

What can text sentiment analysis technology be used for, and does a more usage-informed view on sentiment analysis pose new requirements on technology development?

ServiceDesigner: a tool to help end-users become individual service providers

Pervasive and ubiquitous computing will fundamentally change the mode of interaction between humans and computers; instead of working with applications on a desktop computer we will interact with our environment through electronic services - anytime and anywhere. In this new modus operandi, specialized and personalized services will become much more important; the usual software house solutions may not be sufficient for individual demands. We propose that end-users themselves can be the service providers; the incentive to create services is grounded in each individual personal demand for well suited services and this demand will only increase when technology makes it possible to access services ubiquitously. Individual service provisioning requires three parts: a general platform for managing and accessing electronic services; simple but powerful tools to create the services; and the means to share services between users. Building on previous work developing sView, a personal service environment, this paper presents the second part -ServiceDesigner - a tool for creating new services for sView. ServiceDesigner, using Web services that expose the functions of Web sites as programmatically accessible components, lets end-users create personalized and functional electronic services that fit in the personal platform. With ServiceDesigner, Web services are directly available to users and finished services can also be shared with other users.

Generic peer-to-peer support for a personal service platform

Building on previous work of the OASIS group at SICS, this paper presents a generic peer-to-peer system for the sView personal service platform. The sView platform provides each user with a personal service briefcase from which services may be reached using a variety of devices and interfaces. With the peer-to-peer system, called Briefcase Connectivity, we leverage the community of all sView users, the ultimate purpose of which is to simplify the propagation of cooperating services, to enable users to become individual service providers, and to bring to the users a greater number of specialized services. We suggest that sView with Briefcase Connectivity and todays electronic services demonstrate a viable model to make a step toward tomorrows ubiquitous computing.

Towards individual service provisioning

With the emergence of modularized component-based electronic services, such as Web Services and semantically tagged services, Individual Service Provisioning, wherein any user can be a service provider, can become a reality. We argue that there are three basic requirements for such an architecture: a personal service platform for using services, tools for creating services, and a network for sharing services, and we present our motivation, design, and implementation of these parts. With our enabling architecture we hope to demonstrate a feasible prototype system that stimulates the emergence of more specialized services for all users

Intrusiveness management for focused, efficient, and enjoyable activities

When technologies for distributed activities develop, in particular the rapidly developing mobile technology, a larger part of our time will be spent connected to our various distributed contexts. When we meet physically we bring technology, both artifacts and services, which enable us to participate in these non-local contexts. Potentially this is a threat to focused and efficient activities due to the intrusiveness of the technology. Our aim is to contribute to the restoration of a number of the desirable properties of traditional local technology-free contexts. The intrusiveness itself is caused by at least four typical phenomena that have influenced current technology: Focus-demanding and clearly distinguishable artifacts like phones or PCs explicitly mediate interaction with the distributed context The functionality of services is traditionally based upon the assumption that communication is a deterministic flow of passive information, which for example, does not include information of the participants´ current context Services in general perform individually and without coordinated communication schemes The switches between contexts introduce a high cognitive load as each distributed context typically has its own system of characteristic objects and rules. In the FEEL project, we have developed a system called “Focused, Efficient and Enjoyable Local Activities with Intrusiveness Management” (FEELIM) that constitutes an intermediate alternative between the technology-dense and technology-free environments, which addresses the problems cited above. This research is based on a collaborative and cooperative setting where problems of intrusiveness management are confounded by several users meeting and cooperating together as opposed to isolated users dealing with similar problems of interruption management (Chen 2004; Ho 2005).

Using an Asset Model for Integration of Agents and Multimedia to Provide an Open Service Architecture

KIMSAC — Kiosk-based Integrated Multimedia Service Access for Citizens — is a project supported by EUs ACTS program (030). It aims to provide a flexible way for citizens to access intricate and complex information provided on public information kiosks. An open agent architecture is used to co-ordinated, enhance and extend service provision and the necessary information flow which characterises satisfaction of service requests. The metaphor of a personal service assistant (PSA) builds on this architecture and is used to provide citizens with flexible and efficient access to services and information to realise a client-centred design which is targeted to use. An appropriate technology for providing information services is multimedia in terms of information visualisation and user interaction. Information services are provided by agents, which will simplify the addition of new services to the kiosk. An open agent architecture is used and it requires a comprehensive asset model to support the integration of multimedia services. This paper explains how to achieve integration, from defining assets, supporting the PSA metaphor, rendering the dynamically created assets to the requirements of the agent technology to provide open services.