As we are moving towards the Internet of Things (IoT), the number of sensors deployed around the world is growing at a rapid pace. Market research has shown a significant growth of sensor deployments over the past decade and has predicted a significant increment of the growth rate in the future. These sensors continuously generate enormous amounts of data. However, in order to add value to raw sensor data we need to understand it. Collection, modelling, reasoning, and distribution of context in relation to sensor data plays critical role in this challenge. Context-aware computing has proven to be successful in understanding sensor data. In this paper, we survey context awareness from an IoT perspective. We present the necessary background by introducing the IoT paradigm and context-aware fundamentals at the beginning. Then we provide an in-depth analysis of context life cycle. We evaluate a subset of projects (50) which represent the majority of research and commercial solutions proposed in the field of context-aware computing conducted over the last decade (2001-2011) based on our own taxonomy. Finally, based on our evaluation, we highlight the lessons to be learnt from the past and some possible directions for future research. The survey addresses a broad range of techniques, methods, models, functionalities, systems, applications, and middleware solutions related to context awareness and IoT. Our goal is not only to analyse, compare and consolidate past research work but also to appreciate their findings and discuss their applicability towards the IoT.

/pdf/context-aware-computing-for-the-internet-of-things-a-survey-3nibvvc921.pdf

Context Aware Computing for The Internet of Things: A Survey

Scientific research relies as much on the dissemination and exchange of data sets as on the publication of conclusions Accurately tracking the lineage (origin and subsequent processing history) of scientific data sets is thus imperative for the complete documentation of scientific work Researchers are effectively prevented from determining, preserving, or providing the lineage of the computational data products they use and create, however, because of the lack of a definitive model for lineage retrieval and a poor fit between current data management tools and scientific software Based on a comprehensive survey of lineage research and previous prototypes, we present a metamodel to help identify and assess the basic components of systems that provide lineage retrieval for scientific data products

http://ucsbsocialcomputing.pbworks.com/f/bose+&+frew.pdf

Lineage retrieval for scientific data processing: a survey

This book provides an in-depth description of event-based systems, covering topics ranging from local event matching and distributed event forwarding algorithms, through a practical discussion of software engineering issues raised by the event-based style, to state-of-the-art research in event-based systems like composite event detection and security. The authors offer a comprehensive overview, and show the power of event-based architectures in modern system design, encouraging professionals to exploit this technique in next generation large-scale distributed applications like information dissemination, network monitoring, enterprise application integration, or mobile systems.

/pdf/distributed-event-based-systems-33fttbtql7.pdf

Distributed event-based systems

The capacity to gather and timely deliver to the service level any relevant information that can characterize the service-provisioning environment, such as computing resources/capabilities, physical device location, user preferences, and time constraints, usually defined as context-awareness, is widely recognized as a core function for the development of modern ubiquitous and mobile systems. Much work has been done to enable context-awareness and to ease the diffusion of context-aware services; at the same time, several middleware solutions have been designed to transparently implement context management and provisioning in the mobile system. However, to the best of our knowledge, an in-depth analysis of the context data distribution, namely, the function in charge of distributing context data to interested entities, is still missing. Starting from the core assumption that only effective and efficient context data distribution can pave the way to the deployment of truly context-aware services, this article aims at putting together current research efforts to derive an original and holistic view of the existing literature. We present a unified architectural model and a new taxonomy for context data distribution by considering and comparing a large number of solutions. Finally, based on our analysis, we draw some of the research challenges still unsolved and identify some possible directions for future work.

/pdf/a-survey-of-context-data-distribution-for-mobile-ubiquitous-5bopu05rxl.pdf

A survey of context data distribution for mobile ubiquitous systems

Cooperative Information Systems (CoopIS) 2004 International Conference- CoopIS 2004 International Conference (International Conference on Cooperative Information Systems) PC Co-chairs' Message- Keynote- Business Process Optimization- Workflow/Process/Web Services, I- Discovering Workflow Transactional Behavior from Event-Based Log- A Flexible Mediation Process for Large Distributed Information Systems- Exception Handling Through a Workflow- Workflow/Process/Web Services, II- A Flexible and Composite Schema Matching Algorithm- Analysis, Transformation, and Improvements of ebXML Choreographies Based on Workflow Patterns- The Notion of Business Process Revisited- Workflow/Process/Web Services, III- Disjoint and Overlapping Process Changes: Challenges, Solutions, Applications- Untangling Unstructured Cyclic Flows - A Solution Based on Continuations- Making Workflow Models Sound Using Petri Net Controller Synthesis- Database Management/Transaction- Concurrent Undo Operations in Collaborative Environments Using Operational Transformation- Refresco: Improving Query Performance Through Freshness Control in a Database Cluster- Automated Supervision of Data Production - Managing the Creation of Statistical Reports on Periodic Data- Schema Integration/Agents- Deriving Sub-schema Similarities from Semantically Heterogeneous XML Sources- Supporting Similarity Operations Based on Approximate String Matching on the Web- Managing Semantic Compensation in a Multi-agent System- Modelling with Ubiquitous Agents a Web-Based Information System Accessed Through Mobile Devices- Events- A Meta-service for Event Notification- Classification and Analysis of Distributed Event Filtering Algorithms- P2P/Collaboration- A Collaborative Model for Agricultural Supply Chains- FairNet - How to Counter Free Riding in Peer-to-Peer Data Structures- Supporting Collaborative Layouting in Word Processing- A Reliable Content-Based Routing Protocol over Structured Peer-to-Peer Networks- Applications, I- Covering Your Back: Intelligent Virtual Agents in Humanitarian Missions Providing Mutual Support- Dynamic Modelling of Demand Driven Value Networks- An E-marketplace for Auctions and Negotiations in the Constructions Sector- Applications, II- Managing Changes to Engineering Products Through the Co-ordination of Human and Technical Activities- Towards Automatic Deployment in eHome Systems: Description Language and Tool Support- A Prototype of a Context-Based Architecture for Intelligent Home Environments- Trust/Security/Contracts- Trust-Aware Collaborative Filtering for Recommender Systems- Service Graphs for Building Trust- Detecting Violators of Multi-party Contracts- Potpourri- Leadership Maintenance in Group-Based Location Management Scheme- TLS: A Tree-Based DHT Lookup Service for Highly Dynamic Networks- Minimizing the Network Distance in Distributed Web Crawling- Ontologies, DataBases, and Applications of Semantics (ODBASE) 2004 International Conference- ODBASE 2004 International Conference (Ontologies, DataBases, and Applications of Semantics) PC Co-chairs' Message- Keynote- Helping People (and Machines) Understanding Each Other: The Role of Formal Ontology- Knowledge Extraction- Automatic Initiation of an Ontology- Knowledge Extraction from Classification Schemas- Semantic Web in Practice- Generation and Management of a Medical Ontology in a Semantic Web Retrieval System- Semantic Web Based Content Enrichment and Knowledge Reuse in E-science- The Role of Foundational Ontologies in Manufacturing Domain Applications- Intellectual Property Rights Management Using a Semantic Web Information System- Ontologies and IR- Intelligent Retrieval of Digital Resources by Exploiting Their Semantic Context- The Chrysostom Knowledge Base: An Ontology of Historical Interactions- Text Simplification for Information-Seeking Applications- Information Integration- Integration of Integrity Constraints in Federated Schemata Based on Tight Constraining- Modal Query Language for Databases with Partial Orders- Composing Mappings Between Schemas Using a Reference Ontology- Assisting Ontology Integration with Existing Thesauri

On the move to meaningful Internet systems 2004 : CoopIS, DOA, and ODBASE : OTM confederated international conferences, CoopIS, DOA, and ODBASE 2004, Agia Napa, Cyprus, October 25-29, 2004 : proceedings (part II)

In the scope of ubiquitous computing, one of the key issues is the awareness of context, which includes diverse aspects of the user's situation including his activities, physical surroundings, location, emotions and social relations, device and network characteristics and their interaction with each other. This contextual knowledge is typically acquired from physical, virtual or logical sensors. To overcome problems of heterogeneity and hide complexity, a significant number of middleware approaches have been proposed for systematic and coherent access to manifold context parameters. These frameworks deal particularly with context representation, context management and reasoning, i.e. deriving abstract knowledge from raw sensor data. This article surveys not only related work in these three categories but also the required evaluation principles.

/pdf/survey-of-context-provisioning-middleware-3oa1honrj7.pdf

Survey of Context Provisioning Middleware

Context representation is a fundamental process in developing context aware systems for the pervasive world. We present a light weight XML based context representation schema called ContextML in which context information is categorized into scopes and related to different types of entities (e.g. user, device). The schema is also applied for encoding management messages in order to allow for a flexible framework supporting gradual plug & play extendibility and mobility. ContextML is tailored to be used for REST-based communication between the framework components. Explanation of the schema is provided with the help of real world examples. Moreover, the European C-CAST testbed is introduced, embracing a variety of context providers and application domains.

ContextML: A light-weight context representation and context management schema

https://www.irisa.fr/armor/lesmembres/Alia/NGN/multicast%20broadcast%20network%20convergence%20in%20in%20next%20generation%20mobile%20networks.pdf

Multicast/broadcast network convergence in next generation mobile networks

The ubiquity of mobile devices and proliferation of wireless networks will allow everyone permanent access to the Internet at all times and all places The increased computational power of these devices has the potential to empower people to generate their own applications for innovative social and cognitive activities in any situation and anywhere This wireless connection is not limited to user devices, almost any artefact from clothing to buildings can be connected and collaborate Furthermore new sensor technologies and wireless sensor networks provides environmental intelligence and the capability to sense, reason and actuate This leads to the exciting vision of the interconnection of artefacts embedded in our real environment, forming a society of “intelligent things” and “smart spaces” This paper discusses the main concepts and role that context-awareness and context aware systems will play in this vision and the significance for future networks and future Internet

Context-Aware Systems and Implications for Future Internet

Dissemination of context data from context producing entities to context consuming entities is a fundamental functional task of context aware systems. Broker based approaches have been successfully demonstrated in a number of prototype context-aware systems. With the increase in sensing capabilities of mobile devices, such devices are not merely consumers of context information any more but also have the ability to be \emph{providers} of context gathered through integrated sensors. In such a provider-consumer model, where context dissemination is aided by a central broker, device-broker interaction can become a communication and computation bottleneck in presence of multiple context providers and consumers in mobile devices. In this paper we present a theoretical model for a large scale context-aware system based on a federation of multiple context brokers and discuss the concept of a mobile broker to facilitate the participation of mobile devices in context provision and consumption efficiently. The utilisation of an asynchronous event-based publish-subscribe paradigm is focused as a key element.

Nigel Baker

Papers

Survey of Context Provisioning Middleware

ContextML: A light-weight context representation and context management schema

Multicast/broadcast network convergence in next generation mobile networks

Context-Aware Systems and Implications for Future Internet

A Federated Broker Architecture for Large Scale Context Dissemination