1. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 1 The Contextor Infrastructure for Context-Aware Computing Gaëtan Rey, Joëlle Coutaz Engineering HCI research group CLIPS IMAG, Grenoble, France

2. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 2 I-AM

3. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 3 Outline Synthesis of the state of the art (architectural aspects) The contextor infrastructure

4. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 4 Synthesis of the state of the art No consensual definition for the notion of context A clear need for infrastructures that support the development of context-aware computing –Like conventional systems: heterogeneity, distribution, interoperability, … –Unlike conventional systems: multi-scaling, spontaneity, …

5. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 5 Architecture Sensing : numeric observables

6. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 6 Architecture Sensing : numeric observables Transformation : symbolic observables

7. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 7 Architecture Sensing : numeric observables Transformation : symbolic observables Situation and context identification

8. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 8 Architecture Sensing : numeric observables Transformation : symbolic observables Situation and context identification Context adapter

9. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 9 Architecture Sensing : numeric observables Transformation : symbolic observables Situation and context identification Context adapter Privacy / Security / Trust

10. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 10 Architecture Sensing : numeric observables Transformation : symbolic observables Situation and context identification Context adapter Privacy / Security / Trust History

11. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 11 Architecture Sensing : numeric observables Transformation : symbolic observables Situation and context identification Context adapter Privacy / Security / Trust History Discovery / Recovery

12. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 12 Architecture Sensing : numeric observables Transformation : symbolic observables Situation and context identification Context adapter Privacy / Security / Trust History Discovery / Recovery For each layer Services are self-descriptive (meta-interface + meta-data) Services are self-configurable Services are local to global (islands of interaction and existence of servers) Services support multiple communication mechanisms (publish-subscribe, request-answer) A uniform computational model (process/data oriented) and architectural style

13. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 13 Architecture Sensing : numeric observables Transformation : symbolic observables Situation and context identification Context adapter Privacy / Security / Trust History Discovery / Recovery One style does not fit all A set of interoperable infrastructures

14. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 14 The contextor infrastructure Sensing : numeric observables Transformation : symbolic observables Situation and context identification Context adapter Privacy / Security / Trust History Discovery / Recovery

15. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 15 Outline Contextor Discovery Examples

16. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 16 Contextor Software abstraction Functional core + typed communication channels Data In Meta Data In Data Out Meta Data Out Control Out Control In

17. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 17 Contextor Software abstraction Functional core Transformation : Data (Type X) + Meta Data  Data (Type Y) + Meta Data –Meta Data : uncertainty, accuracy, latency … Transformation Data In Meta Data In Data Out Meta Data Out Control Out Control In

18. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 18 Contextor Software abstraction Functional core Transformation : Data (Type X) + Meta Data  Data (Type Y) + Meta Data Control : behavior adaptation –supports reconfigurability Transformation Data In Meta Data In Data Out Meta Data Out Control Out Control In

19. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 19 Dynamic Composition of Contextors Application 1Application 2 Data and Meta Data Flow

20. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 20 Dynamic Composition of Contextors Application 1Application 2 Controls Flow Data and Meta Data Flow

21. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 21 Life Cycle of a Contextor Creation, conception of contextor Not Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 1

22. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 22 Life Cycle of a Contextor Creation, conception of contextor Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 2 Launching the contextor from its configuration file Not Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 1

23. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 23 Life Cycle of a Contextor Creation, conception of contextor Looking for Source Contextors : Send request for service on the network Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 2 Launching the contextor from its configuration file Not Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 1

24. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 24 Life Cycle of a Contextor Running Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 3 Subscribing to Source Contextors Creation, conception of contextor Looking for Source Contextors : Send request for service on the network Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 2 Launching the contextor from its configuration file Not Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 1

25. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 25 Life Cycle of a Contextor Running Supplied Ready Not in Activity State 4 Lauching the functional Core Waiting for Sink clients Creation, conception of contextor Running Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 3 Subscribing to Source Contextors Looking for Source Contextors : Send request for service on the network Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 2 Launching the contextor from its configuration file Not Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 1

26. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 26 Life Cycle of a Contextor Creation, conception of contextor Running Supplied Ready In Activity State 5 New sink Client connection Last sink Client Disconnection First sink Client Connection Running Supplied Ready Not in Activity State 4 Lauching the functional Core Waiting for Sink clients Running Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 3 Subscribing to Source Contextors Looking for Source Contextors : Send request for service on the network Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 2 Launching the contextor from its configuration file Not Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 1

27. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 27 Life Cycle of a Contextor Stop Command Creation, conception of contextor Running Supplied Ready In Activity State 5 New sink Client connection Last sink Client Disconnection First sink Client Connection Running Supplied Ready Not in Activity State 4 Lauching the functional Core Waiting for Sink clients Running Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 3 Subscribing to Source Contextors Looking for Source Contextors : Send request for service on the network Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 2 Launching the contextor from its configuration file Not Running Not Supplied Not Ready Not in Activity State 1

28. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 28 Outline Contextor Discovery & Scalability Examples

29. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 29 P2P Network Model Both a client and a server –Improves the autonomy of contextors

30. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 30 P2P Network Model Both a client and a server –Improves the autonomy of contextors Fully Distributed Architecture –Supports the arrival/departure of contextors

31. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 31 P2P Network Model Both a client and a server –Improves the autonomy of contextors Fully Distributed Architecture –Supports the arrival/departure of contextors Local Discovery –Requests use UDP multicast

32. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 32 P2P Network Model Both a client and a server –Improves the autonomy of contextors Fully Distributed Architecture –Supports the arrival/departure of contextors Local Discovery –Requests use UDP multicast Distant Discovery –Hybrid Model (GloSS) –Use of "repeaters“ (model based on geographical localization)

33. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 33 Outline Contextor Discovery Examples

34. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 34 Example 1: Human activities Observatory A dynamic Web page displays users’ level of activity

35. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 35 Example 1: Human activities Observatory Architecture Web client Tomcat Web Server Client Web User Web Pages Federation of Contextors

36. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 36 Adapter Displays Users Activities Example 1: Human activities Observatory Architecture Servlet Observed User Local information Contextor Local Activity Contextor Mouse Activity Contextor Keyboard Activity Contextor

37. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 37 Example 1: Human activities Observatory […] public class ActivityObservatory extends HttpServlet { private ActivityAdapter myAdapter; […] public void init(){ myAdapter = new ActivityAdapter(); […] } […] public void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws IOException, ServletException{ […] for (int i=0; i< myAdapter.getDataInConnections("activity"); i++){ this.displayInformation( myAdapter.getData("activity",i) ); } […] } […] }

38. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 38 Example 1: Observatory of Activity […] public class ActivityMouseContextor extends ElementaryContextor{ private Process mp = null; private String data = ""; […] public void init(){ […] mp = Runtime.getRuntime().exec("MouseSensor.exe"); […] } […] public void functionalCore() { […] data += this.mp.read(); […] this.setDataOutValue(data.getBytes()); […] } […] }

39. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 39 Example 2 : I-AM C. Lachenal et N. Barralon Works A software infrastructure that supports the dynamic composition of heterogeneous interaction resources to form a unified space. In this space, users can distribute and migrate whole or parts of user interfaces as if they were handled by a unique computer.

40. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 40 Example 2 : I-AM C. Lachenal et N. Barralon Works 2 types of contextors –Surfaces Contextors Indicate the presence of each surface (= display) Indicate characteristics (size, …) of each surface

41. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 41 Example 2 : I-AM C. Lachenal et N. Barralon Works 2 types of contextors –Surfaces Contextors –Link Contextors Encapsulate a physical sensor Indicate links (spatial relations) between each surfaces IRDA transmitter / receiver USB connector IRDA manager PIC Microprocessor

42. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 42 Example 2 : I-AM C. Lachenal et N. Barralon Works 2 types of contextors –Surfaces Contextors –Link Contextors Encapsulate a physical sensor (currently simulated) Indicate links (spatial relations) between each surfaces

43. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 43 Conclusion Role of Contextors –Capture and computes contextual information –Distribution (local and global)

44. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 44 Conclusion Role of Contextors –Capture and computes contextual information –Distribution (local and global) Middleware –Distributed –Dynamic –Autonomous

45. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 45 Perspectives Evaluation of architecture –Latency –Scalability –Reconfigurability

46. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 46 Perspectives Evaluation of architecture –Latency –Scalability –Reconfigurability Implementation of examples –Mobility (connections / disconnections) –Distribution (repeaters)

47. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 47 Perspectives Evaluation of architecture –Latency –Scalability –Reconfigurability Implementation of examples –Mobility (connections / disconnections) –Distribution (repeaters) Contextors Upgrade –History of the data

48. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 48 The Contextor Infrastructure for Context-Aware Computing Gaëtan Rey, Joëlle Coutaz Engineering HCI research group CLIPS IMAG, Grenoble, France

49. Component-oriented approaches to context-aware systems – Monday 14 June 2004 49 Data et Meta Data XML and XML Schemas Benefits –Portability –Extensibility Uses –Initialization using configuration files in XML (name, group, Data In and Data Out class …) –Communication based on XML messages