A contextual ontology to provide location-aware services and interfaces in smart environments

Abstract

Context-aware computing is about gathering user information and their environment such as user location and preferences, service status, and nearby devices. Such context information is used to adjust enviroment settings to suit user needs and preferences. As environments can change rapidly, applications must be aware of it and adapt their behaviour in real time. We describe an application that introduces intelligent agents in smart homes to provide location-aware services and interfaces. This application must keep an eye on some context information to carry out user preferences. Our approach is based on a contextual ontology that is a key component to enable context sharing and representation.