moving towards pervasive environments

8/8/2019 Moving Towards Pervasive Environments

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Moving towards Pervasive environmentsThird era of Computing

Mohamed Rizwan.P 1, Pritha.A 2, Kalaiarasi.V 3, [email protected] 4, Kiruthiga.N 5

Student B.Tech CSE

Christ College of Engineering and Technology Puducherry, India

1 [email protected] [email protected]

3 [email protected] [email protected]

5 [email protected]

Abstract:Computers have advanced beyond the desktop into many parts of everyday life. In the

recent computing world, various technologies are being developed for many purposes. Pervasivecomputing is one of them and it is unusual amongst technological research arenas. Most areasof computer science research, such as programming language implementation, distributed operating system design, or denotational semantics, are defined largely by technical problems,and driven by building upon and elaborating a body of past results. Pervasive computing, bycontrast, encompasses a wide range of disparate technological areas brought together by a

focus upon a common vision. It is driven, then, not so much by the problems of the past but by

the possibilities of the future. Pervasive computings vision, however, is over a decade old at this point, and we now inhabit the future imagined by its pioneers. The future, though, may not haveworked out as the field collectively imagined. In this paper, we explore the vision that has driventhe pervasive computing research agenda and the contemporary practice that has emerged.Thus, we argue for developing a ubiquitous environment in the present which takes themessiness of everyday life as a central theme. And we also discuss about the growing debateover privacy, safety and environmental implications.

Key terms: - Pervasive Computing, Ubiquitous environment, semantics, technological research,central theme.

I. INTRODUCTION

1. Overview:

Computing has for many of us become anintegral part of our world. During a shorttrip some weeks ago, I used three GPSreceivers without thinking much about it:

one in my phone providing my socialnetwork with my location, one in my car navigation system, and one in my camera

bag to geotag my photos.Reflecting on my casual use of this

technology, I recalled the words of XeroxPARC scientist Mark Weiser, regarded asthe father of ubiquitous computing. The


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most profound technologies are those thatdisappear, he observed in The Computer for the Twenty-First Century. They weavethemselves into the fabric of everyday lifeuntil they are indistinguishable from it. In

this sense GPS has become invisible, ashave many other technologies embedded indevices I use, including my phone, music

player, and TV.An implication of Moores law is that the

cost of a device with certain functionality,like a GPS receiver, will fall precipitously if it can be realized as a digital circuit. Thistransformation of conventional technologiesinto digital systems is in full swing, rangingfrom vehicles to industrial automation to

home entertainment.Does this mean that the vision of invisiblecomputing has been realized and we canmove on? Looking back at Bill Schilitsintroductory Invisible Computing column,some of the challenges he laid out have beenmet. Wireless communication is ubiquitousin most developed countries, and mobiledevices provide access anytime and nearlyeverywhere. Smart environments and smarthomes, however, remain an open researcharea, with the technologys impact on

peoples lives much less prevalent than inthe domain of mobile and personal devices.Invisible computing has come a long way,

but were not there yet.

The widespread deployment of technologieslike mobile phones continues to drive newapplications and to provide researchopportunities. For example, public-sensing

applications are exploiting mobile socialnetworking platforms, globally networkeddigital displays are replacing printedsignage, and capturing and sharingexperiences via mobile devices is becoming

commonplace.So, I invite researchers to highlightthese and other trends by describing leading-edge findings on technologies that willtransform the way we understand andinteract with computing in the future.

2. Background:

Pervasive computing is a rapidlydeveloping area of Information and

Communications Technology (ICT). Theterm refers to the increasing integration of ICT into peoples lives and environments,made possible by the growing availability of microprocessors with inbuiltcommunications facilities. Pervasivecomputing has many potential applications,from health and home care to environmentalmonitoring and intelligent transport systems.This briefing provides an overview of

pervasive computing and discusses thegrowing debate over privacy, safety andenvironmental implications.

Eight billion embeddedmicroprocessors are produced each year.This number is expected to rise dramaticallyover the next decade, making electronicdevices ever more pervasive. These deviceswill range from a few millimetres in size(small sensors) to several metres (displaysand surfaces). They may be interconnectedvia wired and wireless technologies into

broader, more capable, networks. Pervasivecomputing systems (PCS) and services maylead to a greater degree of user knowledgeof, or control over, the surroundingenvironment, whether at home, or in anoffice or car. They may also show a form of intelligence. For instance, a smartelectrical appliance could detect its own


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impending failure and notify its owner aswell as a maintenance company, to arrange arepair.

Figure 1: Evolutionary development of Pervasive computing environment

Pervasive computing has been indevelopment for almost 15 years but stillremains some way from becoming a fullyoperational reality. Some core technologieshave already emerged, although thedevelopment of battery technologies and

user interfaces pose particular challenges. Itmay be another 5-10 years before completePCS become widely available. This dependson market forces, industry, public

perceptions and the effects of any policy/regulatory frameworks. There have been calls for more widespread debate onthe implications of pervasive computingwhile it is still at an early stage of development.

II. HISTORY OF PERVASIVECOMPUTING

The first era of computing is known asthe Mainframe era many people to onecomputer. This computer was the centralsystem from which entire offices, andsometimes, companies called their

computing infrastructure. They wereextremely expensive and very difficult touse for the average employee. Figure 1

below shows the limited effect mainframeshad on everyday society. The second era of

computing is known as the PC era onecomputer to one person. This era saw anexplosion in the area of technology as showin Figure 2. It is an era in which computers

became a mandatory device for use in business applications, and almost ascommon place as a television or telephonein todays homes. It is an era, according toWeiser, with person and machine staringuneasily at each other across the desktop

Figure 2 . Major Trends of Computing.

Ubiquitous computing will advance thetrend of computers being more and moreintegrated into our daily lives. It will

become the Age of Calm Technology, astechnology recedes into the background of our lives (Weiser, 1996).

III. PERVASIVE COMPUTINGTECHNOLOGIES

Pervasive computing involves threeconverging areas of ICT: computing(devices), communications (connectivity)and user interfaces.


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1. Devices:PCS devices are likely to assume manydifferent forms and sizes, from handheldunits (similar to mobile phones) to near-invisible devices set into everyday objects

(like furniture and clothing). These will all be able to communicate with each other andact intelligently.Such devices can be separated into threecategories: Sensors: input devices that detectenvironmental changes, user behaviours,human commands etc; Processors: electronic systems thatinterpret and analyze input-data; Actuators: output devices that respond

to processed information by altering theenvironment via electronic or mechanicalmeans. For example, air temperature controlis often done with actuators. However theterm can also refer to devices which deliver information, rather than altering theenvironment physically.

There are many visions for the futuredevelopment of PCS devices. Severalresearch groups are endeavouring to producenetworks of devices that could be small as agrain of sand. The idea is that each onewould function independently, with its own

power supply, and could also communicatewirelessly with the others. These could bedistributed throughout the environment toform dense, but almost invisible, pervasivecomputing networks, thus eliminating theneed for overt devices.

At the other extreme, augmentedreality would involve overlaying the realworld with digital information.

This approach emphasizes the use of mobile technologies, geographical

positioning systems and internet-linkeddatabases to distribute information via

personal digital companions. Such devicescould come in many forms: children mighthave them integrated into school bags,whereas adults might use devices more

closely resembling personal digital assistants(PDAs).

Ultimately a spectrum of devicesmay become available. These will rangefrom miniaturised (potentially embedded in

surrounding objects) to a variety of mobile(including handheld and wearable) devices.While these could exist as standalone

systems, it is likely that many will beinterlinked to form more comprehensivesystems.

2. Connectivity:Pervasive computing systems will rely onthe interlinking of independent electronicdevices into broader networks. This can be

achieved via both wired (such as Broadband(ADSL) or Ethernet) and wirelessnetworking technologies (such as WiFi or Bluetooth), with the devices themselves

being capable of assessing the most effectiveform of connectivity in any given scenario.The effective development of pervasivecomputing systems depends on their degreeof interoperability, as well as on theconvergence of standards for wired andwireless technologies.

3. User interfaces:User interfaces represent the point of contact

between ICT and human users. For examplewith a personal computer, the mouse andkeyboard are used to input information,while the monitor usually provides theoutput. With PCS, new user interfaces are

being developed that will be capable of sensing and supplying more informationabout users, and the broader environment, tothe computer for processing. With futureuser interfaces the input might be visualinformation for example recognising a

persons face, or responding to gestures. Itmight also be based on sound, scent or touchrecognition, or other sensory informationlike temperature. The output might also bein any of these formats. The technology


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could know the user (for example throughexpressed preferences, attitudes, behaviours)and tailor the physical environment to meetspecific needs and demands. However,designing systems which can adapt to

unforeseen situations presents considerableengineering challenges. There is debate over the degree of control users will have over future pervasive computing user interfacesas the technology develops.Three very different forms of human-

computer interaction are postulated: active, passive and coercive

Active: Users could have overt controlover pervasive computing technologiesand devices in the environment. This

could be achieved through language- based interfaces, allowing users to issuedirect spoken or written commands.Digital companions (possibly in theform of smart phones and PDAs) couldact as personal, wireless control unitsfor the intelligent environment(activating a home central heatingsystem prior to returning from holiday,for example).

Passive: Pervasive computing could

disappear into the background. Peoplewould no longer know they wereinteracting with computers. Thetechnology would sense and respond tohuman activity, behaviour and demandsintuitively and intelligently (for example, lighting altering in reaction tousers location, mood and activity).

Coercive: Pervasive computing couldcontrol, overtly or covertly, lives andenvironments (for example if a devicedid not have an off-switch or a manualover-ride). Decisions made bydevelopers (such as programming asystem in accordance with health andsafety regulations), development errors,unintended device interactions and

malicious interference could all lead toloss of user control, and could possiblyhave negative implications for users.

IV. APPLICATIONS FOR PERVASIVE COMPUTING

Pervasive computing could have a rangeof applications, many of which may not yethave been identified. Applications inhealthcare, home care, transport andenvironmental monitoring are among themost frequently cited, as discussed below.Research is taking place in industry andacademia, often collaboratively, and somegovernment activities are underway

a. Healthcare:

Pervasive computing offers opportunities for future healthcare provision in the UK, bothfor treating and managing disease, and for

patient administration. For instance, remotesensors and monitoring technology mightallow the continuous capture and analysis of

patients physiological data (Figure 3).Medical staff could be immediately alertedto any detected irregularities. Data collectionon this scale could also provide for moreaccurate pattern/trend analysis of long-termconditions such as heart disease, diabetesand epilepsy.

Wearable sensors may offer greater patient mobility and freedom withinhospitals and save both time and money byreducing the need for repeated and intrusivetesting. Hospital administration could also

be transformed. Patients might be taggedwith wristbands containing digital

photographs and medical notes. Thesewristbands would allow patients to be tracedmore effectively through hospitaladministration systems, reducing the risk of misidentification and treatment errors.


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Figure 3 : Example for Health Care in Pervasive environments

b. Domiciliary care

Over the next 20 years there will be a rise inthe proportion of people over 65 years old inmost developed countries. In the UK the

over-65s will increase from 20% to 40% of the total population by 2025. These peoplemay increasingly require care from adiminishing working population. PCS mayhelp address the consequences of thisimbalance. Improved methods for monitoring health and wellbeing could allow

people to live longer in their own homes.Sensors embedded in items of clothing, for example, might allow constant monitoringof heart rates, body-mass index, blood

pressure and other physiological variables.Further sensors embedded throughout thehome could detect movement andfluctuations within the ambient environment(such as temperature change) to alert care-workers to any irregularities. Visual displaysor voice messages could also have the

potential to remind people to take

medications, while video telephones could provide personal contact with friends, familyand careers.

c. Environmental monitoring

Pervasive computing provides improvedmethods to monitor the environment. It willallow for continuous real-time datacollection and analysis via remote, wirelessdevices. However, this poses significantchallenges for PCS developers. Devices may

be required to withstand harshenvironmental conditions (such as heat, coldand humidity). There is also a risk thatdevices, once deployed, may prove too

costly or impractical to recover; thus theywill have to be cheap and, where possible,environmentally sensitive (see Issues).Power is also a challenge as systems willneed to operate over long periods of time,requiring high levels of energy efficiencyand robust energy supplies.


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d. Intelligent transport systems

Traffic congestion and accidents cost theUK 25 billion a year in lost productivityand wasted energy. Pervasive computing

technologies are being employed in thedevelopment of intelligent transport systemsto try to alleviate these costs. Such systemsseek to bring together information andtelecommunications technologies in acollaborative scheme to improve the safety,efficiency and productivity of transportnetworks.

Electronic devices could be directlyintegrated into the transport infrastructure,and into vehicles themselves, with the aim

of better monitoring and managing themovement of vehicles within road, rail, air and sea transport systems.

Computers are already incorporated intomodern cars via integrated mobile phonesystems, parking sensors and complexengine management systems. Intelligenttransport systems take this process further

by introducing 'intelligent' elements intovehicles. Vehicles could become capable of receiving and exchanging information onthe move via wireless technologies and beable to communicate with devices integratedinto transport infrastructure, alerting driversto traffic congestion, accident hotspots, androad closures.

Alternative routes could be relayed to in-car computers, speeding up journey timesand reducing road congestion. This would

bring added coordination to the roadtransport system, enabling people and

products to travel more securely andefficiently.

Greater communication and coordination between different transports sectors (road,rail, air, etc.) may help fulfil integratedtransport policies.

V. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ATRADITIONAL

NETWORKING AND APERVASIVE COMPUTING

These connections are fundamentallyunlike those we associate with networks.Rather than using the network to connectcomputers that are being used directly by

people, these appliances communicate over networks such that people do not directlymonitor the communication betweenmachines and programs. The majority of these communications will occur in an end-to-end structure that does not include ahuman at any point.

The number of machines connected tothe Internet has been increasing at anexponential rate and will continue to grow atthis rate as the existing networks of embedded computers, including those thatalready exist within our automobiles, areconnected to the larger, global network, andas new networks of embedded devices areconstructed in our homes and offices.

The kinds of devices that will be used toaccess the Internet are no longer confined todesktops and servers, but include smalldevices with limited user interface facilities(such as cell phones and PDAs); wirelessdevices with limited bandwidth, computing

power, and electrical power; and embedded processors with severe limitations on theamount of memory and computing power available to them. Many of these devices aremobile, changing not only geographic

position, but also their place in the topologyof the network.

Unlike traditional Desktop Computersand existing networks, the new devices willhave the following characteristics:

Many will have small, inexpensive processors with limited memory andlittle or no persistent storage.


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They will connect to other computingelements without the direct interventionof users.

Often, they will be connected bywireless networks.

They will change rapidly, sometimes by being mobile, sometimes by going onand offline at widely varying rates.Over time, they will be replaced (or fail) far more rapidly than is nowcommon.

They will be used as a source of information, often sending thatinformation into the center of thenetwork to which they are attached.

VI. ISSUES OF PERVASIVECOMPUTING

There are engineering problems to besolved before many of the envisagedapplications of PCS can become a reality.Moreover, the operation of PCS raisesquestions over privacy, security, safety andenvironmental impact. Many of these issuesoccur already with ICT such as the Internetor mobile phones.

However the potential ubiquity andintegration of PCS into the environment

pose additional challenges.

1. Engineering issues

The UK Computer Research Centre(UKCRC) highlights specific issuesincluding the current lack of low costtechnology to locate devices and the lack of suitable power sources. Also the complexityof PCS systems means that their communications, software and hardware arelikely to suffer from faults. These might beaccidental, or the result of deliberateattempts to damage the system. The

National Consumer Council (NCC) suggeststhere may be questions over liability for example if systems are interconnected it will

be harder to establish who is responsible if something goes wrong. The NCC also pointsout that faulty systems may be harder torepair because of the degree of interconnection.

2. Privacy, security and safety

Pervasive computing systems may haveimplications for privacy, security and safety,as a result of their ability to: gather sensitive data, for example on users'everyday interactions, movements,

preferences and attitudes, without user intervention or consent; retrieve and use information from large

databases/archives of stored data; alter the environment via actuatingdevices.

2.1. Privacy:With personal information being

collected, transmitted and stored in greater volume, the opportunities for datainterception, theft and ubiquitoussurveillance (official and unofficial) will beheightened. PCS could be embedded in

places considered private, such as the home.Data on many aspects of personal life could

be recorded and stored, with the risk of breaches of privacy.

The advent of pervasive computing maymean that data can be collected without a

persons knowledge or consent. Some arguethat this could violate existing data

protection law. This law also requires that personal data should be collected for aspecified purpose only. However theopportunities for data mining activitiescould be vastly increased with PCS. Datamining involves processing large quantitiesof data to spot patterns and trends. In termsof consumer data, this can lead to moreeffective targeted marketing. However,

because data mining activities can detectunknown relationships in data, some argue


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that there is the potential to violate existinglegislation. There is debate over how

privacy can be protected while still realisingthe benefits of pervasive computing, andwhether new legislation will be required.

2.2. Safety and security:Pervasive computing also gives rise to

debate over safety. Integrated transportsystems could involve road vehicles havingactuating devices that intervene in thedriving process, possibly responding tohazards more quickly than humans. For example the new Mercedes S-Class featuresan active braking system that can detectrapidly slowing vehicles in front, activating

the brakes without driver intervention.While this may help avoid accidents, thereare also potential risks, for example if thesecurity of the vehicle's controlling softwareis breached. Similar concerns exist over

prospective PCS applications in domiciliarycare. Breaches of security could exposevulnerable individuals to malicious actswithin their own homes for example thewithholding or over-prescribing of medications.

2.3. Technological measures:It is argued that privacy, safety and

security can be better protected if appropriate procedures and protocols areintegrated into PCS at the design level rather than implemented retrospectively. Threemeasures are frequently cited as vital inestablishing robust security measures: The volume of transmitted data should

be kept to a minimum; Data that require transmission should be

encrypted and sent anonymously(without reference to the owner);

Security should be treated as an ongoingand integral element of PCS.These principles are accepted by many

centres of PCS research and development.However, consumer groups such as the NCC

say that developers need to give moreconsideration to privacy issues. The NNCargues that in the case of RFID, privacyissues were considered onlylate in development and have still not been

fully addressed.

3. Environment

While the consumption of naturalresources might be reduced through theminiaturization of PCS devices, any gainsare likely to be offset by technological

proliferation. This may be compounded by problems of treating microelectronic wasteembedded in other objects and has

implications for recycling because of the possibility of such waste contaminatingrecycling channels.

While some of these issues are likely to be covered by the transposition into UK lawof the EC Directive on Waste Electrical andElectronic Equipment, further action(including further regulation) may berequired.

4. Health

Non-ionising radiation is a by-product of thewireless signals that are likely to be used toconnect pervasive computing devices into

broader networks. As these devices may becarried close to the body (more so thancurrent ICT) and remain constantlyactivated, there may be increased risk fromexposure of body tissues to the potentiallydamaging effects of such radiation.

5. Digital divide

There is a risk of technological andsocial isolation for those who do not use thetechnology (whether it be through choice,lack of income or skills). For instance,

banking, education and retail services arelikely to be delivered through PCS


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embedded within smart homes; this couldlead to some consumers being deprived of access and freedom of choice. Pervasivecomputing could improve the lives of thosewith illnesses and disabilities, and the

elderly. However, it is widely agreed that inorder for these groups to benefit from PCS,their needs and capabilities should beconsidered from an early stage in the designof the system.

VII. ADVANTAGES OFPERVASIVE COMPUTING

We increasingly rely on theelectronic creation, storage, and transmittal

of personal, financial, and other confidentialinformation, and demand the highestsecurity for all these transactions and requirecomplete access to time-sensitive data,regardless of physical location. We expectdevices -- personal digital assistants, mobile

phones, office PCs and home entertainmentsystems -- to access that information andwork together in one seamless, integratedsystem. Pervasive computing gives us thetools to manage information quickly,

efficiently, and effortlessly.It aims to enable people to

accomplish an increasing number of personal and professional transactions usinga new class of intelligent and portableappliances or "smart devices" embeddedwith microprocessors that allow users to

plug into intelligent networks and gaindirect, simple, and secure access to bothrelevant information and services.. It gives

people convenient access to relevant

information stored on powerful networks,allowing them to easily take actionanywhere, anytime.

Pervasive computing simplifies life by combining open standards-basedapplications with everyday activities. Itremoves the complexity of newtechnologies, enables us to be more efficient

in our work and leaves us more leisure timeand thus pervasive computing is fast

becoming a part of everyday life (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Pervasive Computing

VIII. FUTURE WORK

Today the uses of Internet are limitedas its users look for read-mostlyinformation. As we move to a world wherethe Internet is used as an infrastructure for embedded computing, all this will change.

We can hypothesize that the individualutility of mobile communication, wirelessappliances and the respective mobileservices - pervasive technologies in general -will be exploited through a digitalenvironment that is

aware of their presence sensitive, adaptive and responsive to

their needs, habits and emotions and Ubiquitously accessible via natural

interaction.IX. CONCLUSION

Pervasive computing provides anattractive vision for the future of computing.Well, we no longer will be sitting down infront of a PC to get access to information. Inthis wireless world we will have instant


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access to the information and services thatwe will want to access with devices, such asSmart phones, PDAs, set-top boxes,embedded intelligence in your automobileand others, all linked to the network,

allowing us to connect anytime, anywhere seamlessly, and very importantly,transparently.

Computational power will beavailable everywhere through mobile andstationary devices that will dynamicallyconnect and coordinate to smoothly helpusers in accomplishing their tasks.

We are heading toward a reality that plays like a scene from Star Trek . We mayhave difficulty envisioning these

possibilities, but they are not remoteanymore. Technology is rapidly finding itsway into every aspect of our lives. Whether its how we shop, how we get from one

place to another or how we communicate,technology is clearly woven into the way welive. Indeed, we are hurtling "towards

pervasive computing".In this paper, we have also discussed

the growing debate over privacy, safety andenvironmental implications.

X. REFERENCES

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[2]. Weiser, Mark, The Computer for theTwenty-First Century, Scientific

American, September 1991, pp. 94-10.[3]. An article from softwaremag.com

Pervasive Computing Era SoftwareMagazine, April, 2000 by Dan Kara

[4]. " Enabling Pervasive Collaborationwith Platform Composition " Trevor

Pering, Roy Want, Barbara Rosario,Shivani Sud and Kent Lyons conducted by Pervasive 2009, May 11-14, Nara,Japan

[5]. Beresford A, Stajano F (2003)Location privacy in pervasive

computing. IEEE PervasiveComputing 2(1):4655

[6]. Garfinkel S, Rosenberg B (eds) (2005)RFID : Applications, Security, andPrivacy Addison-Wesley

[7]. Fano, A.; Gersham, A.: The Future of Business Services in the Age of Ubiquitous Computing.Communications of the ACM, 45 (12),2002; pp. 83-87.

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(March, 2000). Charting past, present,and future research in ubiquitouscomputing. ACM Transactions onComputer-Human Interaction, 7, pp.2958.

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[13]. Stanton, N.A. (Ed.). (2001).Ubiquitous computing: Anytime,anyplace, anywhere? [Special Issue].

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Society: Ubiquitous computing: shall we understand it?

moving towards pervasive environments

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