Integrated context management for multi-domain pervasive environments

Abstract

An important part of the value of ubiquitous computing environments is in their ability to interact with external domains. This paper addresses the issue of cross-domain context management in a scenario of seamless integration between a user home domain and a ubiquitous computing environment. The work is based on the broader concept of Value ADded Environment (Vade), where multiple integration possibilities are explored. This paper is focused on location context management issues and describes two integration paths for sharing context data: the possibility to provide local applications with access to the context of a visiting user, and the possibility to provide global applications with access to context sources that are specific to the visited location.