Context Reduction for Context-aware Pervasive Applications

PhD Qualifying Examination


Title: "Context Reduction for Context-aware Pervasive Applications"

Mr. Chunlin Zhu


Abstract:

Pervasive computing applications integrate context processing and 
adaptation into anywhere, anytime life. To assist users in accessing and 
analyzing contexts which capture the characteristics of the applications' 
computing environments, pervasive applications are deployed widely in a 
richness and heterogeneity of resource-constrained devices. These 
applications are also featured by the context-awareness capability which 
enables applications to adapt to the ever-changing environments 
continually. However, due to the dynamic environmental interference and 
the limited computing resources such as typically narrow bandwidth, 
short-durable battery power, and low-level processing capability, contexts 
acquired from pervasive devices have to be reduced in volume to be 
successfully transmitted and further utilized by context-aware 
applications. According to our observations, the context reduction process 
inevitably changes the original context streams and may consequently yield 
significant impact on the applications. However, there is limited related 
work focused on this issue. To bridge the gap, this report summarizes 
context-aware pervasive applications and the infrastructure support for 
context reduction in context-aware middleware infrastructures. After that, 
this report further divides context reduction into four sub-categories and 
surveys the state-of-the-art approaches employed in each sub-category. 
Strengths and limitations of these approaches and potential impact 
introduced will also be discussed in this report. Finally, we present our 
preliminary work and future research direction.


Date:     		Monday, 22 December 2008

Time:                   10:00a.m.-12:00noon

Venue:                  Room 3501
 			lifts 25-26

Committee Members:      Dr. Shing-Chi Cheung (Supervisor)
 			Dr. Yunhao Liu (Chairperson)
 			Dr. Zonghua Gu
 			Dr. Charles Zhang


**** ALL are Welcome ****