Ubiquitous Collaboration Research Articles

Advancing Ubiquitous Collaboration for Telehealth – A Framework to Evaluate Technology-mediated Collaborative Workflow for Telehealth, Hypertension Exam Workflow Study

Advancing Ubiquitous Collaboration for Telehealth – A Framework to Evaluate Technology-mediated Collaborative Workflow for Telehealth, Hypertension Exam Workflow Study

Coded Storage-and-Computation: A New Paradigm to Enhancing Intelligent Services in Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks

Space-air-ground integrated networks (SAGINs) provide global information sharing, large-scale coverage, and ubiquitous collaboration architecture, and alleviate the pressure of rapid traffic growth on terrestrial wireless networks. On the other hand, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in all walks of life has attracted significant attention on intelligent services. However, frequent link errors and dynamic connections in SAGINs aggravate the issues of data failure and computation slowdown, and constrain the improvement of AI service efficiency. In this article, we propose a novel coded storage-and-computation (CSC) architecture, which can offer reliable storage and flexible computation offloading to accelerate distributed machine learning. Through several case studies, we demonstrate that the designed CSC-AI system can realize reliable massive data retrieval and fast computation offloading in SAGINs. Finally, we identify future research issues for CSC-AI system optimization in SAGINs.

MaPS: A framework to aid the development of collaborative applications for ubiquitous environments

A research topic of growing interest is the convergence between Collaborative Systems and Ubiquitous Computing, where context awareness is becoming a tool for enhancing collaboration processes. The application of Ubiquitous Computing concepts in the improvement of collaboration strategies created a research front called Ubiquitous Collaboration. This article proposes a framework to aid the development of collaborative applications for ubiquitous environments, called MaPS. MaPS works at one relevant stage of the collaboration. It uses context information and user profiles to improve the search for peers and the selection of communication channels. The article proposes the framework, its requirements and its architecture. Moreover, we describe a prototype and two applications which were developed with it. The framework was evaluated considering software development, based on the experience got in the implementation of the applications and aspects of functionalities. It was made through a scenario involving active participants. The results of both evaluations show the potential for using MaPS. Keywords: collaboration, collaborative applications, ubiquitous computing, ubiquitous collaboration, ubiquitous environments, context awareness.

Advances in Smart and Intelligent Multimedia Platforms for Pervasive Computing

Recent advances in various computing and telecommunication fields, along with the proliferation of multimedia-capable mobile devices, such as laptops, portable media players, personal digital assistants, and smart phones, have stimulated the development of pervasive multimedia services/applications. These upcoming services and applications essentially require a smart and intelligent platform that is able to provide noble development and operation tools for accommodating the pervasive system, applications, and services. This special issue presents original research papers addressing research challenges in all areas of smart and intelligent multimedia platform for pervasive systems, applications, and services. This issue consists of eleven papers, which are briefly discussed as follows. The openness of the Android system allows user to choose the various online markets. Since such openness also invokes critical threats, such as malware and illegal use, several markets have deployed strong authentication techniques. However, such methods are also an inconvenience to legal users. Therefore, in BAuthentication of Mobile Application through Various Local Distributors^(10.1007/s11042-013-1520-y), the author proposes the concept of an authentication model that makes purchased application available in most cases. The paper entitled BAn interactive pervasive whiteboard based on MVC architecture for ubiquitous collaboration^(10.1007/s11042-013-1458-0) presents the whiteboard application on 3G and Wi-Fi Android platform based mobile devices, based on MVC (Model View Controller) architecture for ubiquitous collaboration and also presents interaction and usability study with multiple users using small-sized devices, mid-sized devices, and large-sized device to show how disparate access devices and networking have an effect on software design of shared applications in an ubiquitous collaboration system. In BNetwork SecurityCamera System and itsApplication forConsumer Electronics inUbiquitous Environment^(10.1007/s11042-013-1442-8), the authors present a network security camera system and its application to provide visual information to consumer electronics devices in an ubiquitous Multimed Tools Appl (2015) 74:1537–1539 DOI 10.1007/s11042-015-2486-8

Mobile Applications for Knowledge Workers and Field Workers

In recent years, the diffusion of mobile applications (mobile apps) has risen significantly. Nowadays, mobile business apps are strongly emerging in business, enhancing productivity and employees’ satisfaction, whilst the usage of customized individual enterprise apps is still an exception. Standardized business apps enable basic functionalities, for example, mobile data storage and exchange (e.g., Dropbox), communication (e.g., Skype), and other routine processes, which support mobile workers. In addition, mobile apps can, for example, increase the flexibility of mobile workers by easing the access to firm’s information from outside the enterprise and by enabling ubiquitous collaboration. Hence, mobile apps can generate competitive advantages and can increase work efficiency on a broad scale. But mobile workers form no coherent group. Our research reveals, based on two case studies, that they can be clustered into two groups: knowledge workers and field workers. Knowledge workers and field workers fulfill different tasks and work in different environments. Hence, they have different requirements for mobile support. In this paper we conclude that standardized mobile business apps cannot meet the different requirements of various groups of mobile workers. Task- and firm-specific (individualized) requirements determine the specification, implementation, and application of mobile apps.

Smart Door: A Ubiquitous Collaboration System for Home Activities in the Smart Home

This paper describes a smart home system consisting of Smart Door Porch and a home portal. Smart Door Porch uses cameras, an RFID (radio-frequency identification) reader, and a touch panel for home security as well as the at-home awareness of each family member. The home portal uses Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi) framework and Java EE as the middleware to provide services including home activity, home calendar, and home collaboration map. The home collaboration map, based on the Google map, shows the locations of family members on the map with the aid of the GPS-enabled mobile devices carried by them. With the mobile devices, the proposed system supports ubiquitous collaboration among family members. Experimental results based on scenario simulations confirm that the proposed system is able to provide better services for family members in home collaboration.

Toward a ubiquitous virtual collaboration environment

The Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation VT-ARC --a private, non-profit corporation affiliated with Virginia Tech --was selected by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research AFOSR to create...

An effective authentication mechanism for ubiquitous collaboration in heterogeneous computing environment

With the advent of new generation of mobile access devices such as smartphone and tablet PC, there is coming a need for ubiquitous collaboration which allows people to access information systems with their disparate access devices and to communicate with others in anytime and in anywhere. As the number of collaborators with a large number of disparate access devices increases in ubiquitous collaboration environment, the difficulties for protecting secured resources from unauthorized users as well as unsecured access devices will increase since the resources can be compromised by inadequately secured human and devices. Therfore, authentication mechanism for access of legitimate participants is essential in ubiquitous collaboration environment. In this paper we present an efficient authentication mechanism in ubiquitous collaboration environment. We show that proposed scheme is secure through security analysis and is efficient through the experimental results obtained from the practical evaluation of the scheme in ubiquitous collaboration environment.

Cartography as Engagement

When addressing at the question: ‘What does Cartography mean to you?’ I reflected on my career in Cartography in order to properly provide an answer. At the very core of what it means to me is drawing the map and the very poetics of what we do to make maps ‘work’. However, it is more than the design and drawing (in its widest sense) of the map. It is the engagement in thinking about, developing and considering various design iterations and finally drawing the map. These process of problemsolving means that we need to think about the logics ‘behind’ the cartographic process, as well be attuned to what is actually feasible/possible for replicating and communicating the completed drawing, software, computer package or integrated media suite. My time in cartography has taken me from the era of pen and ink, to photo-mechanical production, to the early days of computer-assisted cartography, to digital cartography to the application of DeskTop Publishing to map production, to multimedia, the Web, to mobile mapping and, now, to the era of ubiquitous map provision and collaboration in cartography. When I started my career in cartography it was in the era of pen and ink. I worked for Shell Exploration as a cartographer. Here, the engagement with cartography was the design of a geologic or geophysical map, compiling information from (paper) resources, preparing the draughting film, constructing the grid, plotting the information from geologists fieldnotes (in pencil – probably a 5H, sharpened within an inch of its life with sandpaper), drawing lines with Rotring pens and adding lettering with Wrico lettering guides. Those hand-drawn lines and letters on plastic draughting film, once reproduced on a diazo printing machine, were used as tools to assist in making decisions about whether to embark on a costly geological exploration and drilling project. The engagement here was both a mental process (of map design – considering how all of the elements ‘fitted’ and accorded to geological mapping standards – and a tactile experience – actually handling the tools and making contact with the plastic draughting film, film cleaning pads, metal weights, Rotring pens and Wrico lettering guides, metal straight edges, erasers and razor blades. This engagement was rewarded through pleasure of completing a design, and drawing it by hand. The tactual experience of handling materials and manipulating tools resulted in a technical document that conveyed information from the geologist’s field book to decisionmakers. Unfortunately, my experience with scribing did not quite cut it – in terms of engagement. I really couldn’t become as engaged with the process of removing an emulsion from the top of stable plastics using a sapphire scribing tip. Yes, the process was accurate, produced standardized media and was quick, but the engagement was not the same as the tactual experience of actually drawing. The associated photomechanical processes were a bit different, especially when completing non-standard jobs. Manipulating images during the developing process was an art as well as a science, and techniques like warming parts of the photographic emulsion in certain areas of the film by hand to change the development process in that area produced some satisfying work outputs. I guess that there was more engagement with the photo-mechanical process. This was not so for me with scribing, perhaps due to the fact that what one could do with a drawing was more controlled.

An interactive pervasive whiteboard based on MVC architecture for ubiquitous collaboration

Collaboration is about interactions among multiple users by sharing resources. With the advent of new generation of mobile access devices such as smartphone and tablet PC, we address this for ubiquitous collaboration--the capability of multiple users to link together with disparate access devices in anytime and in anywhere. The implementation and experiments of mobile applications for ubiquitous collaboration were challenge since cell phone (also referred to feature phone) prior to smartphone had high network latency and low computing performance. However, even though mobile device technologies and wireless networking are becoming more advanced with time, the research on the impact of ubiquitous collaboration is still immature. This paper extends our prior work with interactive multimedia services--whiteboard application on 3G and Wi-Fi Android platform based mobile devices, based on MVC (Model View Controller) architecture for ubiquitous collaboration. Then, we present interaction and usability study with multiple users using (wire, wireless) small-sized devices (smartphones), mid-sized devices (tablet PCs), and large-sized device (desktops) to show how disparate access devices and networking have an effect on software design of shared applications in ubiquitous collaboration system.

The Visible Past / Open Context Loosely Coupled Model for Digital Humanities Ubiquitous Collaboration and Publishing: Collaborating Across Print, Mobile, and Online Media

The Visible Past / Open Context Loosely Coupled Model for Digital Humanities Ubiquitous Collaboration and Publishing: Collaborating Across Print, Mobile, and Online Media

Modeling, simulation, and practice of floor control for synchronous and ubiquitous collaboration

Floor control refers to the need for coordinating activities occurred in synchronously cooperating applications shared among collaborators. We address this for ubiquitous collaboration--the capability of multiple users to link together with disparate access device anytime and anywhere. Floor control has been studied for years but most researchers focus on relaxed coordination mechanisms with stationary devices that allow updates by any user on any object and resolve the uncoordinated updates. In this paper we present a floor control mechanism, called XGSP-Floor, which implements a coordination mechanism at application level for enabling users to consistently share the same resource in real time (synchronous collaboration) in ubiquitous collaboration environment. The implementation platform on cell phone devices may not be new. But we believe the implementation and experiment for XGSP-Floor on cell phone devices is a new challenge in ubiquitous collaboration environment even though the coordination mechanism can intuitively impose a tremendous overhead in worst case. We also describe the results of the modeling of XGSP-Floor and formal verification to prove the correctness of the modeling using Colored Petri Nets. We describe lessons learned and discuss future work.

Swarm Based Intelligent Transition of Control from Manned to Unmanned Vehicular System Using Sun SPOT

In this Modern era it has become mandatory that a better automated transportation service has to be provided with effective management of fuel, better traffic route planning compared with traditional transportation system. A new system with the view of preventing traffic congestion with the capability of effectively sensing and monitoring environmental factors such as temperature, illumination of the surrounding, acceleration and position of the vehicle in three dimensional spaces has to be devised. Further the system must be capable of learning and adapting itself to the external environment with the ultimate goal of predicting the current position of the vehicle at a given instant of time with greater accuracy. The transition of control from the Manned to the unmanned system is possible only if the artificially conscious systems evolve to suite cognitive human processes. A simulated real time ambient intelligent system called SUVs (Sun SPOT based Unmanned Vehicular System) which will have situational awareness and will be capable of taking complete control over the external environment by sensing with the help of ubiquitous devices such as Sun SPOT (Small Programmable Object Technology) is modeled. Ubiquitous Collaboration Services is provided for SUVs in order to share its gained knowledge which provides effective adaptation to real time environment. Swarm intelligent techniques are adopted for effective traffic control and to mimic human behavior with the vision of providing infrastructure for Service oriented architecture along with a vision of building unmanned vehicular systems. A transition model is simulated utilizing various inputs to the ubiquitous devices providing real-time services for mobile vehicular agents. The full text of the article is not available in the cache. Kindly refer the IJCA digital library at www.ijcaonline.org for the complete article. In case, you face problems while downloading the full-text, please send a mail to editor at editor@ijcaonline.org

UC: Ubiquitous Collaboration Platform for Multimodal Team Interaction Support

A human-centered computing platform that improves teamwork and transforms the “humancomputer interaction experience” for distributed teams is presented. This Ubiquitous Collaboration, or uC (“you see”), platform's objective is to transform distributed teamwork (i.e., work occurring when teams of workers and learners are geographically dispersed and often interacting at different times). It achieves this goal through a multimodal team interaction interface realized through a reconfigurable open architecture. The approach taken is to integrate: (1) an intuitive speechand video-centric multi-modal interface to augment more conventional methods (e.g., mouse, stylus and touch), (2) an open and reconfigurable architecture supporting information gathering, and (3) a machine intelligent approach to analysis and management of heterogeneous live and stored sensor data to support collaboration. The system will transform how teams of people interact with computers by drawing on both the virtual and physical environment. V. Z. Kepuska, S. Gurbuz, W. Rodriguez, S. M. Fiore, D. Carstens, P. D. Converse & D. Metcalf 2008 Volume 17, Numbers 3/4

SOOM: Scalable Object-Oriented Middleware for Cooperative and Pervasive Computings

In the age of pervasive computing, ubiquitous collaboration has become an every-day life paradigm. Without an ideal computing infrastructure, issues with ubiquitous collaboration, such as network unreliability, platform heterogeneity, and client's resource constraints, are inevitable. The traditional replication scheme copes with network unreliability by replicating all the objects of a shared application together at once. This is, however, suitable for neither cooperative applications nor mobile computing devices. These problems can be naturally addressed by using a fine-grained replication scheme that enables a portion of the application objects to be replicated. This paper presents an object-oriented middleware that is capable of dynamically and transparently replicating remotely shared Java applications in a partially and on-demand incremental manner. It is also able to maintain various consistency semantics and enables the coexistence of fine-grained replications and conventional remote method invocations. Empirical results indicate several practical benefits of the middleware.

Special issue on ubiquitous mobile information and collaboration systems (UMICS)

Over the last few years, most business processes have changed on various dimensions (e.g., flexibility, interconnectivity, coordination style, autonomy) due to market conditions, organizational models, and usage scenarios of information systems. Frequently, information is relocated within a geographically distributed system according to rules that are only seldom defined as a well codified business process. This creates need for a software infrastructure that enables ubiquitous mobile information and collaboration systems (UMICS). The anywhere/any time/any means paradigm is becoming the major challenge in conceiving, designing, and releasing the next-generation information systems. New technologies, such as wireless local area networks (WLAN) and third-generation (3G) mobile phones, are offering the infrastructure to conceive information systems as ubiquitous information systems, that is, systems that are accessible from anywhere, at any time, and with any device. Ubiquity is not yet another buzzword pushed by emerging technologies, but is mainly a means to support new business models and encourage new ways of working. This new wave of UMICS will exploit the knowledge developed and deployed for conventional information systems, but will also need new concepts, models, methodologies, and supporting technologies to fully exploit the potentials of the enabling infrastructure and to be ready for the challenge. Moreover, people need to move across organizational boundaries and collaborate with others within an organization, as well as between organizations. The ability to query the company’s distributed knowledge base and to cooperate with co-workers is still a requirement, but mobility brings new access scenarios and higher complexity. Therefore, some issues also arise about how to enable users to retain their ability to cooperate while displaced in different points of the enterprise, the role of context and location in determining cooperation, and the support for ad hoc cooperation in situations where the fixed network infrastructure is absent or cannot be used. The eight papers presented in this special issue represent an overview of the 2nd International Workshop on Ubiquitous Mobile Information and Collaboration Systems 2004 (UMICS), co-located with the 16th International Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering (CAiSE), 7–8 June 2004 in Riga, Latvia. The contributions cover four areas: data and context management, coordination and control, application frameworks, and process modeling. Each of the papers offers valuable lessons on various aspects of UMICS. Furthermore, they provide insights into an emerging community of research topics, with scientists from various backgrounds working on them. We believe that the authors have succeeded in this pioneering work and we would like to thank them for submitting their work to UMICS 2004 and the extended versions to this special issue. We also would like to thank all reviewers who helped select and refine the papers and the editorial team at Springer for being an excellent partner. We hope to see you at future UMICS workshops! L. Baresi (&) AE M. Matera Dipartimento di Elettronica e Informazione, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy E-mail: baresi@elet.polimi.it E-mail: matera@elet.polimi.it

The FUSE Platform: Supporting Ubiquitous Collaboration Within Diverse Mobile Environments

The recent proliferation of heterogeneous computing devices and wireless network technology presents new opportunities for Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). One emergent paradigm is that of ubiquitous collaboration, which provides widespread access to shared services through a variety of interactive devices, irrespective of whether individuals are mobile or deskbound. However, developing groupware that is interoperable across diverse, often mobile, environments can be difficult and costly. The fundamental issue is that current support infrastructures, which will meet the requirements for multi-user application development, are not operable within emerging ubiquitous settings. This paper explores this problem and presents a generic platform that promotes new forms of collaboration through mobility and ever-present computing services. The developed platform seeks to provide a wide range of collaborative services to a very diverse set of devices by adapting and extending existing middleware technologies.

Team Based Ubiquitous Collaboration Extending Human Ability Beyond Limitation of Time and Physical Constraints

The quality of communication technology and infrastructures of networking along with multimedia facilities and multi-modal interfacing address the issue of universal connectivity and global access to information. They are forcing a rethinking of the physical structures and spaces needed for living, working and learning as the need to look for alternative forms of physical movement of people, equipment, records and information, etc. is evolving. This highlights the need to develop telecooperation concept with collaborative environment that can realize and facilitate team based collaborative applications. Such approach has the advantages to deal with complex systems, utilize globally linked physical devices and processes, enable human to act beyond the limitation of time and physical constraints, penetrate all dimensions of business and human needs, reducing overall operation and maintenance cost and minimize risk associated with hazardous environment.