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An adaptive middleware framework for context-aware applications

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Abstract

We describe a middleware framework for the adaptive delivery of context information to context-aware applications. The framework abstracts the applications from the sensors that provide context. Further applications define utility functions on the quality of context attributes that describe the context providers. Then, given multiple alternatives for providing the same type of context, the middleware applies the utility function to each alternative and choose the one with maximum utility. By allowing applications to delegate the selection of context source to the middleware, our middleware can implement autonomic properties, such as self-configuration when new context providers appear and resilience to failures of context providers.

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Notes

  1. In the event of more than one CP with maximum utility, the DS picks one at random.

  2. Given a distance vector d between two points, the Euclidean distance between the two points is the value of the Euclidean norm applied to the distance vector, i.e. \(||{\bf d}||_{2}=\sqrt{|d_{1}|^{2} + |d_{2}|^{2} + \cdots + |d_{n}|^{2}}.\) Different weights can be introduced for each dimension by applying a weight vector to the distance before computing the norm, i.e. d← d·w.

  3. The standard Mahalanobis distance (also known as statistical distance) between two vectors x and y is \({\bf d}_{M}({\bf x},{\bf y}) = \sqrt{({\bf x} - {\bf y})^{t}S^{-1}({\bf x} - {\bf y})},\) where S −1 is the inverse of the covariance matrix (the variance, i.e. the squared standard deviation, of the variables is on the diagonal of the matrix). Compared to our simplified case, the use of the covariance matrix means that it also takes into account the correlation between variables.

  4. Trusted Platform Module, of the Trusted Computing Group. Url: http://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Imperial College London, London, UK

    Markus C. Huebscher & Julie A. McCann

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  1. Markus C. Huebscher
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  2. Julie A. McCann
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Huebscher, M.C., McCann, J.A. An adaptive middleware framework for context-aware applications. Pers Ubiquit Comput 10, 12–20 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-005-0035-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-005-0035-6

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