Modelling and using sensed context information in the design of interactive applications

Abstract

We present a way of analyzing sensed context information formulated to help in the generation, documentation and assessment of the designs of context-aware applications. Starting with a model of sensed context that accounts for the particular characteristics of sensing, we develop a method for expressing requirements for sensed context information in terms of relevant quality attributes plus properties of the sensors that supply the information. We demonstrate on an example how this approach permits the systematic exploration of the design space of context sensing along dimensions pertinent to software development. Returning to our model of sensed context, we examine how it can be supported by a modular software architecture for context sensing that promotes separation between context sensing, user interaction, and application concerns.