Blackboard-Based Software Framework and Tool for Mobile Device Context Awareness Panu Korpipää Panu
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ESPOO 2005 VTT PUBLICATIONS 579 VTT PUBLICATIONS 579 Mobile context awareness research aims at providing the mobile device user with a way of usage that suits the situation. New input sources, such as Application / embedded sensors producing interaction-related information, are becoming ContextContext Customizer Actionsources available for mobile devices. These input sources enable novel ways of sources interacting with the devices, and even open possibilities to create entirely new types of applications. To facilitate the full potential of utilising such Blackboard-based new input sources, a software framework is required with a uniform means Application Controller of acquiring and processing interaction-related information, and providing Context Script Activator it for the applications. The main result of this dissertation was a software Manager Engine framework and tool for facilitating the rapid development of mobile device context-aware applications. The framework provides a publish and sub- scribe mechanism, database, and a customisable application controller. For software developers the framework provides an application programming interface. The customization tool enables end-user development of interaction-related Context Context Change ContextContext ContextContext ContextContext features in mobile devices. The results have commercial value; they are framework Source Abstractor Detector sourcessources sourcessources sourcessources utilised by the telecommunication industry for application domains such as enhanced usability and personalization, novel sensor-based interaction modalities, mobile workforce, context-based security for enterprises, and context-based multimedia management. and Application layer Hot spot Server layer Frozen spot tool Producer layer for mobile device Panu Korpipää context Blackboard-based software awareness framework and tool for mobile device context awareness Tätä julkaisua myy Denna publikation säljs av This publication is available from VTT TIETOPALVELU VTT INFORMATIONSTJÄNST VTT INFORMATION SERVICE Panu PL 2000 PB 2000 P.O.Box 2000 02044 VTT 02044 VTT FI–02044 VTT, Finland Puh. 020 722 4404 Tel. 020 722 4404 Phone internat. +358 20 722 4404 Korpipää Faksi 020 722 4374 Fax 020 722 4374 Fax +358 20 722 4374 ISBN 951–38–6669–6 (soft back ed.) ISBN 951–38–6670–X (URL: http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/) ISSN 1235–0621 (soft back ed.) ISSN 1455–0849 (URL: http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/) VTT PUBLICATIONS 579 Blackboard-based software framework and tool for mobile device context awareness Panu Korpipää VTT Electronics Academic dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Science in Technology, to be presented with the assent of the Faculty of Technology, University of Oulu, for public discussion in Auditorium IT115, Linnanmaa, on November 25th, 2005, at 12 noon. ISBN 951–38–6669–6 (soft back ed.) ISSN 1235–0621 (soft back ed.) ISBN 951–38–6670–X (URL: http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/) ISSN 1455–0849 (URL: http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/) Copyright © VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland 2005 JULKAISIJA – UTGIVARE – PUBLISHER VTT, Vuorimiehentie 5, PL 2000, 02044 VTT puh. vaihde 020 722 111, faksi 020 722 4374 VTT, Bergsmansvägen 5, PB 2000, 02044 VTT tel. växel 020 722 111, fax 020 722 4374 VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Vuorimiehentie 5, P.O.Box 2000, FI–02044 VTT, Finland phone internat. +358 20 722 111, fax + 358 20 722 4374 VTT Elektroniikka, Kaitoväylä 1, PL 1100, 90571 OULU puh. vaihde 020 722 111, faksi 020 722 2320 VTT Elektronik, Kaitoväylä 1, PB 1100, 90571 ULEÅBORG tel. växel 020 722 111, fax 020 722 2320 VTT Electronics, Kaitoväylä 1, P.O.Box 1100, FI–90571 OULU, Finland phone internat. +358 20 722 111, fax +358 20 722 2320 Supervised by Professor Tapio Seppänen, University of Oulu Reviewed by Professor Martti Mäntylä, University of Helsinki Professor Tommi Mikkonen, University of Tampere Opponents Professor Martti Mäntylä, University of Helsinki Professor Albrecht Schmidt, University of Münich Technical editing Leena Ukskoski Otamedia Oy, Espoo 2005 Korpipää, Panu. Blackboard-based software framework and tool for mobile device context awareness. Espoo 2005. VTT Publications 579. 225 p. Keywords mobile computing, context-aware computing, mobile interaction, mobile context awareness, application control, blackboard-based architecture, software framework, context management, information model, application programming interface, sensor- based interaction, customization, end-user development, personalization Abstract The usage needs of a mobile device vary according to context. Mobile context awareness research aims at providing the device user with a way of usage that suits the situation. Interaction based on context requires acquiring, abstracting and delivering information from multiple sources, such as sensors, to the application or application control. A generic software framework and tool for facilitating the rapid development of mobile device context-aware applications were developed in this work. The blackboard-based framework supports all tasks that are required for context-based application control, where contexts can be any events that are relevant to user interaction with the application, including explicit inputs. The core component of the framework, Context Manager, provides a publish and subscribe mechanism and a database for the applications and application control. The framework provides an application programming interface (API) for developers. As a higher abstraction-level programming interface, a customization tool enables easy end-user development of context- aware features into existing applications without changing them. An extensible ontology is used as a uniform context representation within the framework. The purpose of the ontology, together with the API, is to enable easy access, use and reuse of human-understandable context information. Context information sources, such as sensors, often produce a continuous stream of low abstraction-level data. The framework supports the transformation of a continuous data stream into abstracted context events, described in the ontology. Context information is delivered to applications or application control as abstracted events. The main result of the dissertation is a software framework, ontology and tool, which facilitate the customization of sensor-based human- computer interaction in mobile devices. The practical applicability, scope, and computational efficiency of the implemented framework and customization tool are evaluated with performance measurements and multiple applications implemented in a mobile phone with real sensor sources. 3 Preface This is an academic dissertation for the degree Doctor of Science in Technology from the University of Oulu, Faculty of Technology. The dissertation supervisor was Professor Tapio Seppänen from the University of Oulu. The appointed reviewers of the dissertation were Professor Tommi Mikkonen from the Technical University of Tampere and Martti Mäntylä from the University of Helsinki, Helsinki Institute of Information Technology. The received professional scientific feedback is gratefully acknowledged. The work for the dissertation was carried out at VTT Electronics, Oulu, Finland during the years 2000–2005. The work was funded for the most part by Nokia through VTT project funding. Science is teamwork. In the team of contributors for this dissertation, the first man to acknowledge, especially regarding scientific visibility, is Dr. Jani Mäntyjärvi. He frequently suggested publishing and forums for the scientific contributions, and co-authored multiple articles related to this dissertation. I wish to thank Juha Kela for significant participation in the architecture design and development process and for co-authoring articles; co-authors Heikki Keränen, Esko-Juhani Malm, Tapani Rantakokko and Vesa Kyllönen all had a professional iron grip on implementing and developing the designs; Professor Heikki Ailisto for commenting on the first version of the dissertation; and other colleagues at VTT and University of Oulu for their support. Thanks to the supervisor of the dissertation work, Professor Tapio Seppänen, are in order for insightful guidance and constructive scientific criticism in formulating the dissertation, and for co-authoring an article. I am much obliged to Dr. Pertti Huuskonen, Urpo Tuomela, Ilkka Känsälä and Jonna Häkkilä for advocating the Nokia funding for the work over many years, outlining the leading directions and co-authoring articles – and many other colleagues from Nokia for their support. Thanks to Heikki Huomo from Nokia NVO for long-term backing of context-awareness research and valuable co- operation in the process of deploying the results into the industry. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of Johannes Peltola, Miika Koskinen, Satu-Marja Mäkelä, Sami Ronkainen, Johan Himberg, Heikki 4 Mannila, and Ilkka Salminen as co-authors of the articles related to this dissertation. The scholarships granted by the HPY foundation and the Seppo Säynäjäkangas science foundation are gratefully acknowledged. To end the preface, I would like to quote a thought from a great scientist: “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” – Albert Einstein, 1879–1955 Oulu, October 2005 Panu Korpipää 5 Contents Abstract................................................................................................................. 3 Preface .................................................................................................................