Title: Implementing context-aware regulation of context-aware mobile services in pervasive computing environments

Authors: Evi Syukur, Seng Wai Loke

Addresses: Caufield Institute of Technology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. ' Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract: We view a pervasive computing environment as a collection of mobile users, mobile services, contexts, policies and computing devices. Applicable policies are selected depending on context of users (e.g., location, activity and a user|s role), and policies determine what services one can see and access in different contexts. This paper discusses the concepts, design, and implementation of an infrastructure, which we call Mobile Hanging Services (MHS), for building, delivering, and regulating mobile services, realised using policy-based access and execution of contextual services. The context-aware policy system governs mobile services visibility and execution in pervasive computing environments. MHS provides important abstractions for delivering, downloading and executing a service interface with a policy mechanism that hides details of interactions with remote services. Our novel approach for contextual services using web services, highly compact mobile code, and policies to govern service execution is illustrated through a case study of a Mobile Windows Media Player application in a pervasive campus environment.

Keywords: context-aware services; context-aware policy; pervasive software systems; pervasive computing; mobile services; context services; web services; m-services; education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWGS.2006.011357

International Journal of Web and Grid Services, 2006 Vol.2 No.3, pp.260 - 305

Published online: 22 Nov 2006 *

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