UbiSOA dashboard: Integrating the physical and digital domains through mashups

Abstract

The current Web 2.0 stage of the Internet provided the basis for web-based communities and services aimed at collaboration and information sharing. Furthermore, Internet is now an application platform in which Web applications can be integrated to provide augmented services that could bring the basis for ubiquitous computing scenarios. Recently, the concept of mashups has been used to refer to applications built upon the integration and combination of public Web API's and data sources. Ubiquitous computing mashups go further by combining the functionality of both software and hardware components in an attempt to exploit computation and services provided by everyday objects. Typically, developing a mashup requires highly specialized knowledge in many topics (such as using different programming interfaces and languages). This problem is greatly magnified in developing mashups of both physical and digital services due to the various integration and communication issues. We exemplify these concepts through the use of UbiSOA Editor, a system that allows the creation of ubiquitous computing mashups through simple activities such as dragging and dropping graphical representations of the involved services in a desired scenario. Then we talk about the planning and execution of a sample scenario as a showcase of what can be easily accomplished. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.