Monthly Archives: September 2009

Sept 2009 Workshop at Pervasive 2010: What can the Internet of Things do for the citizen (CIoT)?

Thanks to Florian and Albrecht for inviting me to join the PC for CIoT.

************************* CALL FOR PAPERS ************************

Pervasive 2010 Conference Workshop on

What can the Internet of Things do for the citizen?

CIoT 2010

May 17, 2010

Helsinki (Finland)

http://www.autoidlabs.org/events/ciot2010/

******************************************************************

Topics

——

Submissions should address citizens needs. Topics are proposed but not limited to:

* Emerging applications and interaction paradigms

o using mobile phones and other mobile devices as

gateways to services for citizens

o integrating existing infrastructure in homes

(digital picture frames, smart metering of energy etc.)

o enabling end-user programming and service mash-ups

o embedding virtual services into physical artifacts

o developing emerging services and applications

* Infrastructure and network

o extension of existing network paradigms and web protocols (web of things)

o integration of social networks

o opportunities and limitations of standards

* Case studies and experience reports

o case studies on real-world deployments

o user studies on technology perception and acceptance

* Social impact and consequences

o discussion of anticipated behavioral changes of users

o security and privacy

Submissions:

————

We invite three types of submissions:

Research contributions introducing novel concepts and presenting new insight

may be between 6-10 pages. These submissions are supposed to discuss

experiences and lessons learned from applying as well as new applications

and internet of things interaction paradigms.

Case studies should be 3-5 pages outlining the deployment of pervasive

computing technologies in a real world environment. In particular, we

are looking for reports on the experiences collecting while introducing

internet of things technologies or sensor networks into productive

environments.

Position statements may be up to 2 pages. They should outline a person’s

interest and experience in the topic of the workshop. Position

statements will not be included in the proceedings but will serve as

introductions for panel discussions.

We are looking forward to your submissions!

Deadlines and Dates

——————-

Submissions due by: 15th of January 2010

Notifications due by: 8th of March 2010

Final papers due to LNCS: 31st March 2010

Workshop day: 17th of May 2010

PDF version of the call:

Click to access ciot2010_flyer.pdf

Workhop Chairs and Organizers

—————————–

Florian Michahelles, ETH Zurich

Associate Director Auto-ID Labs

Stephan Karpischek, ETH Zurich

Senior Researcher, Auto-ID Labs

Albrecht Schmidt, University of Duisburg-Essen

Chair of Pervasive Computing and User Interface Engineering

Technical Programm Commitee

—————————

Aaron Beach, University of Colorado

Aaron Quigley, HIT Lab Australia

Alois Ferscha, University of Linz

Anind Dey, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)

Antonio Kruger, DFKI

Carsten Magerkurth, SAP Research

Christian Decker, University of Karlsruhe

Christian Floerkemeier, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Christof Roduner, ETH Zurich

Dieter Uckelmann, University of Bremen

Dominique Guinard, ETH Zurich & SAP Research

Elgar Fleisch, ETH Zurich & University of St. Gallen

Enrico Rukzio, Lancaster University

Felix von Reischach, ETH Zurich & SAP Research

Florian Resatsch, ServTag

Frederic Thiesse, University of St. Gallen

Friedemann Mattern, ETH Zurich

Gaetano Boriello, University of Washington

Gregor Broll, NTT Docomo Europe Labs

Heikki Huomo, Center for Internet Excellence

Jens Str¸ker, University of Freiburg

Jin Mitsugi, Keio University

Juha Laurila, Nokia Research Center Lausanne

Kary Fr‰mling, University of Helsinki

Kristof Van Laerhoven, Darmstadt University of Technology

Lars Erik Holmquist, Swedish Institute of Computer Science (SICS)

Manfred Aigner, Technical University of Graz

Marcus Handte, University of Bonn

Martin Strohbach, NEC Europe Ltd.

Matthias Kranz, TU Munich

Matthias Wagner, NTT Docomo Europe Labs

Michael Beigl, University of Braunschweig

Michael Rohs, Deutsche Telekom Laboratories, Berlin

Osamu Nakamura, Keio University

Paul Holleis, NTT Docomo Europe Labs

Rene Mayrhofer, Vienna University

Rick Han, University of Colorado

Rob van Kranenburg, Founder of Council

Trevor Bubridge, BT

Sanjay Sarma, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Sarah Spiekerman, Vienna University of Economics and Business

Tom·s S·nchez LÛpez, University of Cambridge

Wontack Woo, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)

for further questions please contact: ciot2010@ethz.ch

Sept 2009 Ubiquitous Computing Fundamentals

I have a chapter on UbiComp User Interfaces in a new book called “Ubiquitous Computing Fundamentals” Edited by John Krumm in Microsoft and published by Chapman & Hall/CRC; 1 edition (September 18, 2009) ISBN: 978-1420093605. [ Amazon ]

The user interface represents the point of contact between a computer system and a human, both in terms of input to the system and output from the system. There are many facets of a “Ubiquitous Computing” or ubicomp system, from the low-level sensor technologies in the environment, through the collection, management and processing of the context data through to the middleware required to enable the dynamic composition of devices and services envisaged. These hardware, software, systems and services act as the computational edi ce around which we need to build our Ubicomp User Interface, or UUI. The ability to provide natural inputs and outputs from a system which can allow it to remain in the periphery is hence the central challenge in UUI design.

While this chapter surveys the current state of the art to the user beyond the classical keyboard, screen and mouse, it is important to also acknowledge that UUIs represent a paradigm shift in human computer interaction with input and output technologies not yet envisaged. UUIs are built around a next generation technological paradigm which in essence reshapes our relationship with our personal information, environment, artefacts and even our friends, family and colleagues. The challenge is not about providing the next generation mouse and keyboard but instead making the collection of inputs and outputs operate in a fuid and seamless manner.

Chapters
1. Introduction to Ubiquitous Computing Roy Want
2. Ubiquitous Computing Systems Jakob Bardram 
and Adrian Friday
3. Privacy in Ubiquitous Computing Marc Langheinrich
4. Ubiquitous Computing Field Studies A.J. Bernheim Brush
5. Ethnography in Ubiquitous Computing Alex S. Taylor
6. From GUI to UUI: Interfaces for Ubiquitous Computing 
Aaron Quigley 7. Location in Ubiquitous Computing 
Alexander Varshavsky and Shwetak Patel
8. Context-Aware Computing Anind K. Dey
9. Sequential Sensor Processing John Krumm

Sept 2009 Proceedings of the 3rd Irish Conference on Human Computer Interaction I-HCI 2009

Along with my colleague (and former classmate) Dr. Gavin Doherty we are the conference chairs for the 3rd Irish Conference on Human Computer Interaction (I-HCI 2009) held in Trinity College Dublin on the 17th and 18th of September 2009. The program chair for I-HCI 2009 is Dr. Saturnino Luz
 from Trinity College Dublin.

Registration for the conference is now open. The conference proceedings, all 142 pages, contains the papers presented at (I-HCI 2009). As the Irish HCI community is evolving there isn’t a specific theme for I-HCI 2009 but instead we aim to draw together the research community through this conference. 
I-HCI 2009 presents new research on human computer interaction. We sought short and long technical papers and student papers describing original, previously unpublished research results including:

– Collaborative System UIs
– Computer-Mediated Communication and Online Communities
– Design Methods
– End-User Programming and Adaptation
– Ethnography and design-oriented fieldwork
– Evaluation Methods
– Human-Centered software engineering
– Hypermedia and Web Design and Usability
– Intelligent User Interfaces and User Modeling
– Location-aware Interaction
– Ubiquitous and Context-Aware Computing
– Speech and Natural Language
– Information Visualisation

Special topics of interest include
– Human Factors in Health Care Informatics
– Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing in the wild
– Evaluation Methods suitable for study in home, workplace and mobile settings.

The program includes an IxDA Industry Session, a tutorial on Inclusive Design for Older and Disabled Users offered by Prof. Helen Petrie and colleagues from the Univ. of York, a workshop on experience, usability, and functionality: exploring the components of interaction, organised by HFRG, UCC and UL along with a keynote presentation by Professor Barry Smyth from the University College Dublin.

“Doherty G., Quigley A. and Luz S. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 3rd Irish Conference on Human Computer Interaction (I-HCI 2009), ISBN: 9781871408485, Dublin Ireland, Sept 17-18 2009 ”

For more details on the program of events visit the conference program.

Sept 2009 Congratulations to Dr. Bennett

It is with great pride that I congratulate Mike Bennett on passing his Viva on Wednesday the 2nd of September 2009. Mike or (Dr. Bennett designate, as we should call him) is my second PhD student completed. He came to work with me in mid 2005 on a startup scholarship UCD afforded me and Mike was awarded for his studies. Amusingly, we met while both a little drunk at an MLE farewell party where he had been a researcher. He was the third student I’d convinced to come work with me after a bout of heavy drinking which is thankfully a habit I’ve managed to break. (Large grants or lovely scholarships or my insane desire to stay upto 3am working on our nth+1 paper are the attractions to work with me now 😉

Mikes’ keen intellect and curiosity impressed me greatly then as it does now. It’s been my great pleasure to have had the chance to work with Mike over the past few years. Dr. Bennett is now a postdoc researcher with the CLARITY Centre for Sensor Web Technologies and is moving onto bigger and better things in his research. I wish him all the very best for the rest of his very bright research career.

Mike’s thesis work is on designing for an individual’s eyes with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction, Vision And Individual Differences. Mike’s examiners Professors Alan Dix and Paddy Nixon said his work demonstrated clearly his mastery of the area of his thesis. And that he clearly has a deep understanding of human vision and the application of the knowledge to design and has applied strong methodological rigor to his work.

The abstract of Mike’s Thesis.
When a user interface, information visualisation or graphic designer is conceiving and creating design mockups how does the designer know whether the intended audience is able to perceive the design? When a designer does know how well an intended audience can or cannot see, such as with a design targeted at an aging audience, how does that knowledge influence the visual layout of the design?

There are rules of thumb about font size, contrast, and the interaction between unused space that are learnt and handed down as design lore. If a designer follows good use of font size, with good contrast then a proposed design should be readable as long as its not too cluttered. Unfortunately “good usage”, “good contrast” and “not too cluttered” are subjective measures. What one designer defines as good another could find distinctly lacking, though experience and training do help a designer acquire knowledge of what visually works.

This thesis is concerned with examining and showing how the experience of seeing a design can be non-subjectively quantified. Then it demonstrates how the quantifications tied together with individual differences in the Human Visual System (HVS) can be used to evaluate and adapt the designs, such that they are customised to individual eye sight.

In order to non-subjectively quantify the experience of seeing a design we introduce, evaluate and demonstate two measures of perceptual stability. Perceptual stability is defined by us as a measure of how stable or unstable a visual design or image is due to differences in a perceiver’s perception. The first measure PERSva evaluates how easy or difficult it is for people to see visual detail in a design. While the second measure PERScp evaluates how different forms of colour perception effect the legibility of a visual design.

Objective quantifications which are capable of modelling individual differences are useful for automating design judgements, i.e. automatically compare a range of potential interface designs and make a decision about which is best for a specific user. Demonstrated in this work are automatic evaluations of text and font styles, network graph designs and layouts, and the pseudocolouring of scientific visualisations.

In the longer term, as we move into a world where Mass Customisation and Product Personalisation become common place, objective design quantifications are useful for adapting and customising designs to suit individual physiologies, capabilities and preferences.

Congrats once again. His site has copies of his papers and thesis.

ps. Mike your gift is in the post 😉