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Context

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Database Systems

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Synonyms

Life-span (in part); Space-span (in part)

Definition

A context is a collection of semantic dimensions within which the event occurs. These dimensions may include: temporal context, spatial context, state-related context and reference-related context.

Key Points

Event processing is being done within context, which means that an event is interpreted differently in different contexts, and may trigger different actions in different contexts, or be irrelevant in certain context. In the event processing network, each agents operates within a single context. While the term context has been associated with the spatial dimension, in event processing it is most strongly associated with the temporal dimension.

Each context-dimension may be specified either explicitly, or by using higher level abstractions.

Examples are:

  • Temporal context:

    • Explicit: Everyday between 8AM–5PM EST.

    • Implicit: From sunrise to sunset.

    • Mixed: Within two hours from admission to the hospital.

    ...

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Recommended Reading

  1. Adi A., Biger A., Botzer D., Etzion O., and Sommer Z. 2003, Context awareness in Amit. In Proc. 5th Annual Workshop on Active Middleware Services, pp. 160–167.

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  2. Barghouti N.S. and Krishnamurthy B. 1995, Using event contexts and matching constraints to monitor software processes. In Proc. 17th Int. Conf. on Software Eng., pp. 83–92.

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  3. Buvac S. 1996, Quantificational logic of context. In Proc. 10th National Conf. on AI, pp. 600–606.

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  4. Hong C., Lee K., Suh Y., Kim H., Kim H., and Lee H. 2006, Developing context-aware system using the conceptual context model. In Proc. 6th IEEE Int. Conf. on Information Technology, pp. 238.

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  5. Rakotonirainy A., Indulska J., Loke S.W., and Zaslavsky A. 2001, Middleware for reactive components: An integrated use of context, roles, and event based coordination. In Proc. IFIP/ACM Int. Conf. on Dist. Syst. Platforms, pp. 77–98.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBM Research Lab in Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Opher Etzion

Authors
  1. Opher Etzion
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 266 Ferst Drive, 30332-0765, Atlanta, GA, USA

    LING LIU (Professor) (Professor)

  2. Database Research Group David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, N2L 3G1, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    M. TAMER ÖZSU (Professor and Director, University Research Chair) (Professor and Director, University Research Chair)

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© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Etzion, O. (2009). Context. In: LIU, L., ÖZSU, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39940-9_583

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