An aspect-oriented ambient intelligence middleware platform

ABSTRACT

Currently, the interest in Ambient Intelligence (or AmI) has increased exponentially due to the widespread use of portable devices. Users demand more and more functionality from these devices, especially in order to perform collaborative tasks and interchange information. As a result, this technology proposes new challenges that must be addressed by both the hardware manufacturers and Software Engineers. The first challenge is to provide a middleware platform providing specific AmI services like communication or device discovery and able to cope with several challenges posed by AmI applications. One of these challenges is to manage heterogeneity of devices that are present in AmI environments in a transparent way, and in particular to manage the evolution of such devices without breaking the code of already developed applications. Moreover, an AmI middleware platform has to support the evolution of the software architecture of AmI applications over time, making it possible to add new functionalities, to adapt applications to any technological changes, and to produce a product line of AmI platforms to be executed in different devices. A final challenge is that the middleware platform has to support the adaptation of AmI applications to unexpected and dynamic changes in AmI environments. Aspect Oriented Programming (AOP) provides good and advanced solutions to the evolution management problem at different levels, so our work focuses on applying AOP to develop an AmI platform. In this paper, we will discuss these problems, propose solutions and present how these problems are handled in our AmI aspect-oriented platform named AOPAmI. This paper describes the internal platform structure and how it provides support to AmI devices. We will focus on the dynamic nature of AmI applications and on how to solve the above mentioned problems.

REFERENCES

• 1: AOSD Web Site. http://www.aosd.net
• 2: Don Batory , Clay Johnson , Bob MacDonald , Dale von Heeder, Achieving extensibility through product-lines and domain-specific languages: a case study, ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM), v.11 n.2, p.191-214, April 2002 [doi>10.1145/505145.505147]
• 3: Christian Becker , Marcus Handte , Gregor Schiele , Kurt Rothermel, PCOM - A Component System for Pervasive Computing, Proceedings of the Second IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications (PerCom'04), p.67, March 14-17, 2004
• 4: Colyer, A., Rashid, A., and Blair, G. On the Separation of Concerns in Program Families. Technical Report COMP- 001-2004, Lancaster University, Uk, 2004.
• 5: Fuentes, L., Jimenez, D., and Pinto, M. Towards the development of ambient Intelligence Environments using Aspect-Oriented techniques. Aspects, Components, and Patterns for Software Infrastructure workshop (ACPSI, AOSD 2004) (Lancaster, UK, 2004).
• 6: Fuentes, L., Jimenez, D., and Pinto, M. An Ambient Intelligent Language for Dynamic Adaptation, Object Technology for Ambient Intelligence workshop (OT4AmI) (Glasgow, Uk, 2005).
• 7: Fuentes, L., and Sanchez, P. AO Approaches for Component Adaptation. Second International Workshop on Coordination and Adaptation Techniques for Software Entities (WCAT'05) (Glasgow, Uk, 2005).
• 8: Fuentes, L., Jimenez, D., and Pinto, M. Development of Ambient Intelligence Applications using Components and Aspects. Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence Conference, (UCAmI 2005)(Granada, Spain, 2005).
• 9: David Garlan , Dan Siewiorek , Asim Smailagic , Peter Steenkiste, Project Aura: Toward Distraction-Free Pervasive Computing, IEEE Pervasive Computing, v.1 n.2, p.22-31, April 2002 [doi>10.1109/MPRV.2002.1012334 ]
• 10: Kickzales, G., et Al, Aspect-Oriented Programming. European Conference on Object Oriented Software Development (ECOOP'97) (Jyväskylä, Finland, 1997).
• 11: OWL: http://www.w3.org/2004/OWL/
• 12: Mónica Pinto , Lidia Fuentes , José María Troya, A Dynamic Component and Aspect-Oriented Platform, The Computer Journal, v.48 n.4, p.401-420, July 2005 [doi>10.1093/comjnl/bxh083]
• 13: Clemens Szyperski, Component Software: Beyond Object-Oriented Programming, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 2002
• 14: XEXPR: http://www.w3.org/TR/xexpr/
• 15: Young, T., and Murphy, G. Using AspectJ to Build a Product Line for Mobile Devices. Demonstration in Aspect Oriented Software Development Conference (AOSD'05), Chicago, Illinois, USA, 2005.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
        D.2.11 Software Architectures
            Subjects: Domain-specific architectures

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Management, Standardization

Keywords:
ambient intelligence, aspects, components, middleware