A Context-Aware Service Discovery Framework Based on Mobile Agent

This paper presents an application of multi-agent system in ubiquitous computing scenarios characteristic of next-generation networks. Next-generation networks will create environments populated with a vast number of consumers, which will possess diverse types of context-aware devices. In such environments the consumer should be able to access all the available services anytime, from any place, and by using any of its communication-enabled devices. Consequently, next-generation networks will require efficient mechanisms which can match consumers’ demands (requested services) to network-operators’ supplies (available services). The authors propose an agent approach for enabling autonomous coordination between all the entities across the telecom value chain, thus enabling automated context-aware service provisioning for the consumers. Furthermore, the authors hope that the proposed service discovery model will not only be interesting from a scientific point of view, but also amenable to real-world applications.

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Context-Aware Service Discovery in Ubiquitous Computing

Human Computer Interaction ◽

10.4018/978-1-87828-991-9.ch069 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 1087-1095

Author(s):

Huaqun Guo ◽

Daqing Zhang ◽

Lek-Heng Ngoh ◽

Song Zheng ◽

Wai-Choong Wong

Keyword(s):

Ubiquitous Computing ◽

Service Discovery ◽

Large Scale ◽

Technical Problem ◽

Personal Digital Assistant ◽

Context Aware ◽

Wireless Devices ◽

The Road ◽

On The Road ◽

Context Aware Service

The decreasing cost of networking technology and network-enabled devices is driving the large scale deployment of such networks and devices so as to offer many new and innovative services to users in ubiquitous computing. For example, when you carry your mobile laptop or personal digital assistant (PDA) around, or drive on the road, various services have been made available, ranging from finding a local printer to print a file, to instantaneously knowing about the traffic situation from traffic-cameras and other sensors along a highway. To achieve the above, every participating network- enabled end-device must solve an interesting technical problem, i.e., to locate a particular network service or device out of hundreds of thousands of accessible services and devices. Such service advertising and discovery is important as mobile devices and mobile wireless devices proliferate on networks. For this reason, a service discovery and advertising protocol is an important tool to help these devices find services on the network wherever they connect, and to let other network users know about the services they are offering. Context-aware service discovery, on the other hand, would help users to find services that are most appropriate based on fast-changing client conditions, such as location. For example, most laptops are statically configured to print to dedicated office printers. With the help of the context-awareness, a laptop could find the nearest accessible printer attached to the network that the laptop is currently plugged into.

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