14259556
SearchLight - A Lightweight Search Function for Pervasive Environments
We present a lightweight search function for physical objects in instrumented environments. Objects are tagged with optical markers which are scanned by a steerable camera and projector unit on the ceiling. The same projector can then highlight the objects when given the corresponding marker ID. The process is very robust regarding calibration, and no 3D model of the environment is needed. We discuss the scenario of finding books in a library or office environment and several extensions currently under development.
14013704
Ambient Intelligence in Edutainment: Tangible Interaction with Life-Like Exhibit Guides
We present COHIBIT, an edutainment exhibit for theme parks in an ambient intelligence environment. It combines ultimate robustness and simplicity with creativity and fun. The visitors can use instrumented 3D puzzle pieces to assemble a car. The key idea of our edutainment framework is that all actions of a visitor are tracked and commented by two life-like guides. Visitors get the feeling that the anthropomorphic characters observe, follow and understand their actions and provide guidance and motivation for them. Our mixed-reality installation provides a tangible, (via the graspable car pieces), multimodal, (via the coordinated speech, gestures and body language of the virtual character team) and immersive (via the large-size projection of the life-like characters) experience for a single visitor or a group of visitors. The paper describes the context-aware behavior of the virtual guides, the domain modeling and context classification as well as the event recognition in the instrumented environment.
14244499
Recomindation: New Functions for Augmented Memories
Advances in technological support for augmented personal memories make possible new ways of enhancing the process of product recommendation. Instead of simply analyzing information about a user’s past behavior in order to generate recommendations, a recominder system can additionally supply various types of information from the user’s augmented memory that allows the user to take a more active role in the search for suitable products. We illustrate the paradigm of recomindation with reference to a prototype implementation of the system Specter in a CD shopping scenario and the results of a study with 20 subjects, who found most of the recomindation functionality to constitute a useful enhancement of their shopping experience.
41544599
RDF: Stores - A Lightweight Approach on Managing Shared Knowledge
One of the central ideas of ubiquitous computing research is to create smart real-world artifacts and environments that can spontaneously cooperate in order to enable novel applications that no single device could provide. A critical factor in such applications is the availability of relevant context knowledge, which may be provided by a variety of different sensors, domain models, and applications. Locating, accessing, and preserving such knowledge is not a trivial task, especially in dynamic environments where new knowledge sources and applications may unexpectedly appear while existing ones may vanish. In this paper we present a pragmatic yet powerful approach to manage shared knowledge by introducing a novel concept called RDF:Stores. We will present the general properties of RDF:Stores and describe how they can be implemented using off-the-shelf software components.
1455658
Temporal Objects for Spatio-Temporal Data Models and a Comparison of Their Representations
We present anew approach to temporal data modeling based on the very general notion of temporal object. Moreover, we propose the database embedding of temporal objects by means of the abstract data type (ADT) approach. We consider the expressiveness of different temporal database embeddings, and we discuss the combination of temporal and spatial objects into spatio-temporal objects in (relational) databases. We explain various alternatives for spatio-temporal data models and databases and compare their expressiveness.
5611918
Topological Reasoning for Identifying a Complete Set of Topological Predicates between Vague Spatial Objects
Current implementations of spatial databases are not capable of handling data that is intrinsically indeterminate or vague. The goal of the Vague Spatial Algebra (VASA) project is to define concepts and implementations that will address this problem. In this paper we further develop work on topological predicates between vague spatial objects. The new developments make use of spatial reasoning techniques that provide the necessary tools for the definition of a mechanism to identify a complete set of vague topological predicates. These predicates work on a definition of vague spatial data types defined previously as part of VASA and that are based on well known definitions of crisp spatial data types.
2300554
An abstract model of three-dimensional spatial data types
Although spatial objects of our world have an intrinsic three-dimensional (3D) nature, <i>3D data modeling</i> and <i>3D data management</i> have so far been neglected in spatial database systems and Geographical Information Systems, which map geometric data mainly to two-dimensional abstractions. But increasingly the third dimension becomes more and more relevant for application domains like pollution control, water supply, soil engineering, urban planning, and aviation. Large volumes of 3D data require a treatment in a database context for representing, querying, and manipulating them efficiently. This paper aims at investigating the complex inherent features of 3D data and presents an abstract, formal data model called <i>SPAL3D</i> <i>Spatial Algebra 3D</i>). The data model comprises a set of <i>three-dimensional spatial data types</i> together with a collection of geometric set operations.
12250442
A data model and data structures for moving objects databases
We consider spatio-temporal databases supporting spatial objects with continuously changing position and extent, termed moving objects databases. We formally define a data model for such databases that includes complex evolving spatial structures such as line networks or multi-component regions with holes. The data model is given as a collection of data types and operations which can be plugged as attribute types into any DBMS data model (e.g. relational, or object-oriented) to obtain a complete model and query language. A particular novel concept is the sliced representation which represents a temporal development as a set of units, where unit types for spatial and other data types represent certain “simple” functions of time. We also show how the model can be mapped into concrete physical data structures in a DBMS environment.
8796225
Metric operations on fuzzy spatial objects in databases
Uncertainty management for geometric data is currently an important problem for (extensible) databases in general and for spatial databases, image databases, and GIS in particular. In these systems, spatial data are traditionally kept as determinate and sharply bounded objects; the aspect of spatial vagueness is not and cannot be treated by these systems. However, in many geometric and geographical database applications there is a need to model spatial phenomena rather through vague concepts due to indeterminate and blurred boundaries. Following previous work, we first describe a data model for fuzzy spatial objects including data types for fuzzy regions and fuzzy lines. We then, in particular, study the important class of metric operations on these objects.