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Activity-based computing: support for mobility and collaboration in ubiquitous computing

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Abstract

This paper presents the design philosophy of activity-based computing (ABC), which addresses mobility and cooperation in human work activities. Furthermore, it presents the ABC framework, which is a ubiquitous computing infrastructure supporting ABC. The idea of ABC and the aim of the ABC framework is to: (1) support human activity by managing its collection of work tasks on a computer, (2) support mobility by distributing activities across heterogeneous computing environments, (3) support asynchronous collaboration by allowing several people to participate in an activity, and (4) support synchronous, real-time collaboration by enabling “desktop conferencing” by sharing the activity across several clients. During a period of two years, the ABC framework has been co-designed and evaluated in close cooperation with a range of clinicians in a hospital.

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Notes

  1. By using the terms “Activity” and “Task,” ABC might sound like a workflow system. However, in ABC, an activity is lightweight in the sense that it does not model nor control real-world human activities. A computational activity can be created and modified according to the desire of the user, and does not come from models of work activities. ABC is, hence, not to be mistaken for a workflow system.

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Acknowledgments

The concepts of activity-based computing (ABC) have been developed in cooperation with Henrik B. Christensen and Claus Bossen, as well as a team of highly engaged physicians and nurses from the University Hospital of Aarhus, Denmark. The Danish Centre for IT Research (CIT) and ISIS Katrinebjerg funded this research.

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  1. Centre for Pervasive Healthcare, Department of Computer Science, University of Aarhus, Aabogade 34, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark

    Jakob E. Bardram

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  1. Jakob E. Bardram
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Correspondence to Jakob E. Bardram.

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Bardram, J.E. Activity-based computing: support for mobility and collaboration in ubiquitous computing. Pers Ubiquit Comput 9, 312–322 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-004-0335-2

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