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Chapter 35
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-655-1.ch035
INTRODUCTION
Pervasive computing (Saha & Mukherjee, 2003;
Satyanarayanan, 2001; Schmidt et al., 2006) is
a next generation system paradigm that aims to
assist users in their everyday tasks in a seamless
unobtrusive manner. It assumes that users are
surrounded by numerous communication and
computing devices of various features, which
interoperate and are capable of capturing and
processing information regarding users, their be-
haviour and their environments. In this framework,
there have been various research initiatives aiming
towards the design and realisation of smart spaces
Ioanna Roussaki
National Technical University of
Athens, Greece
Nikos Kalatzis
National Technical University of
Athens, Greece
Nicolas Liampotis
National Technical University of
Athens, Greece
Korbinian Frank
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of
Communications and Navigation, Germany
Efstathios Sykas
National Technical University of
Athens, Greece
Miltiades Anagnostou
National Technical University of
Athens, Greece
Developing Context-Aware
Personal Smart Spaces
ABSTRACT
Current research on pervasive computing is opening the way for convergence between mobile telecom-
munications and the Future Internet. This chapter introduces a novel approach to this convergence in
the form of the self-improving Personal Smart Spaces (PSSs). PSSs aim to couple the facilities offered
by next generation mobile communications with the features provided by the static smart spaces to
support a more ubiquitous, context-aware and personalised smart space that is able to follow the user
wherever he/she goes. Moreover, PSSs provide interfaces between the user and the various services
and sensors which are, or will be, available via the Internet. In this respect, one of the core aspects
that need to be supported within PSSs is the management of the user related context information. This
chapter elaborates on the models and mechanisms that have been designed and implemented in order to
address the advanced requirements of PSSs regarding the establishment of a robust distributed context
management framework.