Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science 2018 Vol I WCECS 2018, October 23-25, 2018, San Francisco, USA Context-Aware Information in Mobile Devices Joao C. Ferreira, António Luís Lopes, Vitoria Albuquerque Abstract— This paper describes a novel approach for indoor In this paper, we describe our approach for providing useful location and integration of other services in a university contextual services to the campus visitors – which include campus using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices. These students, teachers, staff and events’ attendees – by using BLE devices broadcast a Bluetooth signal in a limited and beacons and other information sources. These visitors are configured range/area, thus functioning as beacons that provide useful context-aware information to nearby devices required to download a mobile APP onto their smartphone operating with custom applications. Such applications can and have the Bluetooth on to interact with the beacons that interpret the received signals as location and provide a range are spread out across the campus. We explore the context- of useful services to the end user (students, events attendees), aware computing paradigm by combining the mobile namely, indoor location and navigation or personalized device’s information sources and the beacons signals to complex workflows that require the interaction of the end user gather location, time, identity, and activity data. We also use with multiple services within the university campus. internal map information based on BIM – Building Index Terms—BLE, Beacon, Mobile Device, Personalization, Information Models – which are 3D descriptions of Context-aware information buildings which associate information to the geometry of the building and its contents such as fixings, furniture or spaces. As an example, a parametrized BIM model is aware I. INTRODUCTION that a specific door is a double door, glass made, has level 1 ontext aware experiences through wireless interfaces fire-rating and connects to a specific location. This proves a C using remote devices have become more common in major advantage because the BIM models are based on a our daily activities and are triggering technology and database that can be queried and updated (currently not in business shifts. Given the proliferation of mobile phones, real time) with information to and from the app. For around 70% of the global population today use mobile example, see Fig 1. phones and other wearable gadgets. Merging the ubiquity of mobile devices with beacon technology allows us to explore new opportunities in providing contextual services. BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) is a new approach to wireless communication with a large potential mainly due to its low Fig. 1. 3D section views of the BIM model of ISCTE-IUL’s Building 1 – power requirement and inexpensive characteristics Sedas Nunes Mobile Apps detect and interact with Beacons in two main compared with classic Bluetooth [1] [2]. These BLE small ways: 1) Region Monitoring - involves defining a region of transmitters can act as beacons and are used to interact with one or a set of beacons using the UUID and/or major and/or mobile devices once they enter into their transmission range. minor values of the beacons. Similar to geofencing, region Given the hyper-local and contextual capabilities of monitoring enables the application to push notifications beacons, they are of immense value in indoor location as when the smartphone enters or exits the defined region [3]. well as players in the university campus information The unique ability of this interaction is that even if the broadcast. With the power of beacons, students and other application is not running, the application is launched in the visitors can now discover a host of experiences in the background and the notification is pushed. An example of university campus – from easier campus navigation to its real-world application includes a user being instantly personalized campus experiences that provide access to rich notified about the current deals as they enter the store; 2) digital content on their mobile devices. Beacons with their monitor which operates in a region detecting individual ability to source customer data around physical locations, signals and estimating their proximities to the smartphone. It activities, time and personal interests, provide a huge is important to note that iBeacon provides information about window of opportunity to target the end users with proximity and not exact location; iBeacon can answer what personalized and contextual experiences to ensure efficiency items are nearby but not where you are. Absolute location is in the use of the university services. a fixed location defined by longitudes and latitudes or some form of the coordinate system. In our approach, we georeferenced beacon installation in our BIM models and Manuscript received March 2018; revised April, 2018. used that information to detect an approximate location of Joao C. Ferreira is with Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), the user’s device. ISTAR, Lisbon, Portugal and Centro Algoritmi (e-mail: Since most smartphones now support detection of BLE, it [email protected]). António Luís Lopes is with Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE- can estimate proximity to the beacon by using the signal IUL), (e-mail: [email protected]). strength to calculate Received Signal Strength Indicator Vitoria Albuquerque is with Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE- (RSSI). The stronger the signal, the closer the beacon is to IUL), ISTAR, Lisbon, Portugal, ISBN: 978-988-14048-1-7 WCECS 2018 ISSN: 2078-0958 (Print); ISSN: 2078-0966 (Online) Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science 2018 Vol I WCECS 2018, October 23-25, 2018, San Francisco, USA the smartphone. Since BLE does not require the smartphone it is looking for ways to add to the application to further to pair with the beacon, it can receive signals from multiple enrich the experience of the fans [3]. Starwood Hotels & beacons. It infers which beacon is nearest to it by measuring Resorts is running beacons in 30 of its hotels and resorts. and comparing their individual RSSI. Using iBeacon and The beacons are helping the concierges in greeting guests RSSI, smartphones can also approximate the distance from by name and accelerating the check-in process for frequent the beacon. iBeacon signal transmits Measured Power (8 guests. It has also implemented a pilot program that will bits) which is a factory calibrated read-only constant for the allow Starwood guests at two of their U.S. hotels to skip the expected RSSI measured 1 meter from the beacon. Using check-in process and along with a partner application this constant and the RSSI, an estimate of the distance unlock their room door using their smartphones [3]. After between the receiver and the beacon can be calculated [4]. being popularized by Apple and big brands, local businesses This calculation of the distance can be inaccurate if there are and institutions have also started using iBeacon technology a lot of obstructions within the room which can dampen the to aid in their services. signal strength, but the combination of signals from multiple In the famous Antwerp museum in Belgium, visitors are beacons can help reduce these inaccuracies. directed towards exhibits and notified about stories behind Main problems associated with beacons are: 1) interference the exhibits. The beacons also stimulate interaction with in signals due to obstructions in the area which can visitors through interactive trivia questions [5]. significantly affect the range of the beacons. Therefore, the In Bucharest, Romania, public transport is employing positioning of the beacons is important, and they should beacon technology to make the city more accessible for preferably be placed on ceilings or walls at a height higher visually impaired citizens. Instead of having to rely on a than that of an average adult; 2) security – even though friend for help, visually impaired citizens, using a mobile beacons do not transmit any sensitive information, they application, can now be notified by voice output when their transmit their identifier without any encryption. These bus pulls up and be directed to it through the station [6]. identifiers can be detected by any smartphone and used by a Depending on the beacon protocol used, payload can competitor or malicious group in their applications. include:1) beacon ID (Estimote Monitoring, iBeacon, Eddystone, Nearable protocols); 2) Measured Power II. BEACON TECHNOLOGY (Estimote Monitoring, iBeacon, Eddystone, Nearable); 3) The Beacon technology is a great improvement on the past sensor data (Eddystone, Nearable); 4) battery level and solutions that have aimed to provide location as context. telemetry data (Eddystone, Nearable); and 5) URL address Beacons are small, cheap and do not require additional (Eddystone). hardware. The main market for Beacons is surely advertising and marketing. III. CONTEXT-AWARE COMPUTING One prime example is Macy’s deployment of 4000 beacons A formal definition of context-aware computing is defined in stores throughout the U.S during the holiday season in by Gartner IT as “a style of computing in which situational 2014. Using beacons, retailers can send customers and environmental context about people, places, and things notifications about product specifications, videos of how to is used to anticipate immediate needs and proactively offer use products, coupons, and deals. Retailers can also use the enriched, situation-aware and usable content, functions and technology to monitor movements and patterns of costumers experiences” [7]. within the store to improve product placements and Identity, activity, time and location characterize primary personalize notifications based on past purchases [3]. context types of a situation that answer to questions related Airports and airlines have also taken up the technology. to the main aspects of the system [8]: 1) Identity (Who) Virgin Atlantic set up beacons in the Upper-Class Wing at identifies the social context of: Who is the user? Who are London’s Heathrow Airport in May 2014.