ITR: Collaborative Research: Context-Aware Computing with Applications to Public Health Management

移动计算和无线网络极大地改变了分布式系统通信范式以及人们访问和操作信息的方式。因此，现在人们普遍认识到，在许多应用领域，特别是在协助管理紧急情况的应用领域，迫切需要上下文感知计算。这样的应用程序将动态调整到各个用户配置文件、用户位置、本地环境和正在执行的任务。该项目侧重于上下文感知计算在公共卫生管理中的应用。本课程将探讨与情境感知计算相关的数据管理核心研究问题。此外，还将开发支持具有动态发展数据的上下文感知应用程序的系统体系结构。将研究数据集成工具和本体，然后将其应用于实际的源数据和用户配置文件。这一活动将通过从位置痕迹建立时空背景的技术得到加强。将开发方法来确保系统的可伸缩性，包括使用请求聚合和数据集来缓存用户概要文件和检索的数据。安全问题将通过研究基于分布式信任框架的时空上下文的身份验证模型来解决。该体系结构还将包含一个用于仲裁服务的组件，该服务可以在竞争环境中管理按需资源分配。该项目的成功完成将显著提高使用上下文感知计算的服务的质量、响应能力和交付准确性。将重点放在日常和危机情况（如恐怖袭击、自然灾害）下的保健服务上，有可能有助于改善全国公共卫生部门的技术基础设施。

Mobile computing and wireless networks have dramatically changed both the distributed systems communication paradigm and the ways that people access and manipulate information. Consequently, there is now widespread recognition of a strong need for context-aware computing in numerous application domains, particularly applications that assist in the management of emergency situations. Such applications will dynamically adjust to individual user profiles, user locations, the local environment, and the task being performed. This project focuses on context-aware computing with applications to public health management. Core research issues in data management that are relevant to context-aware computing will be investigated. Also, the architecture of a system that supports context-aware applications with dynamically evolving data will be developed. Data integration tools and ontologies will be studied and then applied to actual source data and user profiles. This activity will be augmented with techniques for building spatio-temporal context from location traces. Methodologies will be developed to ensure the scalability of the system, including the use of request aggregation and of data cubes for caching user profiles and retrieved data. Security issues will be addressed by investigating an authentication model for spatio-temporal context based on a distributed trust framework. The architecture will also incorporate a component for the arbitration of services that can manage on-demand resource allocation in a competitive environment.The successful completion of this project will significantly improve the quality, responsiveness, and delivery accuracy of services using context-aware computing. The focus on health care services, both in routine and in crisis situations (e.g., terrorist attacks, natural disasters) has the potential to contribute to an improved technology infrastructure for the public health sector nationwide.