Seamless semantic enrichment of services in assistive environments

Abstract

The paper proposes a methodology and a tool-based support for the development of semantic services in ambient-assisted living (AAL)-oriented assistive environments. A review of existing approaches in this area is conducted. The review covers a variety of AAL platforms from which universAAL has been chosen for the experimental implementation. The paper presented the iterative development methodology of service semantics, which facilitates the efficient creation of error-free services in AAL platforms. The features needed for the realization of the methodology are implemented as a universAAL platform extension named the annotation-based semantic enrichment. The proposed approach is assessed in the context of a sample scenario in which the services promoting universal access for elderly people or otherwise impaired persons are developed. The assessment results are used to highlight the added value of the presented work and to identify potential areas of future improvement.