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Workshop Program
Problem
Space
Building on the success of the 2003 and 2004 workshops,
this workshop seeks to build on the results presented in a special issue
of the Journal for Personal
and Ubiquitous Computing, and to develop a roadmap for research on
the essential middleware abstractions and infrastructures for ad-hoc and
pervasive computing in general, and sensor-based services in particular.
Over the past decade, large-scale ad-hoc and pervasive computing environments
have grabbed the attention of the research community as evidenced by the
large number of research and development projects in the area. However,
despite considerable progress, the promise of pervasive computing still
remains elusive. The diversity in currently available devices, networking
infrastructure and information content has complicated research efforts,
forcing many projects to focus only on point-examples of this technology.
This workshop is premised on our belief that underpinning middleware
mechanisms are central in weaving together the multitude of sensing,
computing, communication and information technologies. In this respect,
middleware for pervasive computing and ad-hoc networking provides two
core research areas. In particular, pervasive computing middleware will
allow you to take advantage of the resources in your environment to
tailor your services and applications for seamless access and
unrestricted mobility. Ad-hoc networking middleware will permit the
formation of ad-hoc communities for new applications. However, such
pervasive and ad-hoc environments pose some serious challenges to
existing middleware technologies and approaches.
A synthesis of the discussion that took place in the MPAC 2003 and 2004
workshops has led to the identification of the following areas where
pervasive and ad-hoc environments challenge existing middleware:
1.
Middleware support for programming adaptation and the associated
decision-making process.
Pervasive and ad-hoc computing environments are characterised by the need
of applications to be informed about changes in their operating context
in order to adapt their operation. This need is in conflict with the
emphasis in current middleware on layer encapsulation and transparency.
As a result, new middleware approaches are needed that support adaptation
programming and the adaptation decision making process.
2.
Security, privacy and trust in pervasive environments and ad-hoc
communities.
Pervasive and ad-hoc computing environments are characterised by promiscuous
mobile entities actively seeking opportunities for collaboration. The
promiscuity and the mobility of these entities is at odds with the
emphasis on existing middleware approaches to security and privacy that
aim to provide absolute protection against dangers and to enforce
administrative boundaries. Consequently, new middleware approaches to
security and privacy are needed that allow entities to reason about the
risks and benefits of collaboration and facilitate their mobility.
3.
Benchmarks and frameworks for the comparative evaluation of middleware
approaches for pervasive and ad-hoc computing.
As the number of proposed models, abstractions and infrastructure
components increases it is essential that appropriate frameworks are
developed for the comparative evaluation of alternative proposals both
from the point of view of application developers and the operators of the
infrastructure. Such evaluations require the development of benchmarks
for pervasive and ad-hoc computing systems.
4. Middleware abstraction and infrastructures for sensor based
services.
Sensor-Based Services are a core element of pervasive and ad-hoc
computing environments. They seek to capture, manage, analyse, access and
react to sensor data such as RFID information, GPS location, power
consumption, temperature, license plate snapshot, etc. Architects and
developers of such services require middleware support in tackling the
complexity of sensor infrastructures consisting of distributed nodes with
various capabilities (sensors, gateways, servers, etc) on various
protocols.
Although, the above challenges form a set of potential themes for the
workshop, this list is by no means exhaustive. Consequently, the workshop
seeks papers on the areas, but not limited to, listed below:
- Sensor networks:
applications, infrastructure, middleware support and emerging
standards (OMG DDS, IEEE/NIST 1451.x, OSGi WireAdmin, JSR256 &
257 É);
- Calculi for sensor
data, and middleware support for their processing and distribution;
- Sensor data mining;
- Component-based and
service-oriented architectures, and design patterns for sensor based
services;
- Theoretical foundations
and middleware support for context based adaptation for mobile
pervasive systems, and sensor-based services;
- New notations for
specifying context-sensitive systems;
- Ad-hoc communities:
applications, infrastructure and middleware support;
- Roles and
responsibilities in ad-hoc communities;
- Group management and
communication support for ad-hoc communities;
- Ad-hoc network
communications, quality of service, management and middleware
support;
- Service-connection
middleware and architectures;
- Support for zero
configuration;
- Middleware for
self-assembly, self-configuration, self-distribution and autonomic
computing in general;
- Data management infrastructures
for ad hoc and pervasive systems;
- Trust, security, and
privacy for pervasive systems and sensor based services;
- Reliability and
availability in pervasive systems and sensor based services;
- Technology trade-offs
(agent infrastructures, mobile code systems, event based
middleware);
- Resource discovery and
management;
- Implications of
heterogeneity (addressing needs for protocol interaction across
technologies).
Submission
The workshop format will be focused around submission of position papers
of no more than 8 pages. Please submit your papers in PS or PDF format,
using the ACM proceeding format (see http://www.acm.org/sigs/pubs/proceed/template.html),
to the web site http://www-adele.imag.fr/mpac05/ocs.
Papers are solicited that present a view of the state of the art in a
particular sub-problem area, identify specific middleware challenges, and
suggest potential avenues for exploration by proposing models,
abstractions and infrastructure components addressing these challenges.
Approximately two thirds of the workshop will be devoted to the
presentation and discussion of these papers, while the remaining third of
the time will be devoted to the development of the research roadmap.
Papers will be reviewed by at least 2 members of the programme committee.
The review process will be based upon identifying the relevance and
potential of the position statement to contribute to the elaboration of
the roadmap and to stimulate discussion.
All accepted papers will appear in the ACM Digital Library as
well as in a hard-copy companion proceedings issued to the workshop
participants.
Appropriate publication of extended versions of workshop submissions and
the research roadmap along similar lines to the forthcoming special issue
on middleware and systems software for pervasive computing of the Journal
of Personal and Ubiquitous, is being investigated.
Important Dates
Workshop papers submission: August 31st, 2005 (Final Deadline)
Workshop paper notification of acceptance: September
23rd, 2005
Workshop papers camera-ready: October 14th, 2005
Workshop dates: November 28th – 29th, 2005
Programme
Committee
Roland Balter, Scalagent, FR
Christian Becker, University of Stuttgart, DE
Vinny Cahill, Trinity College Dublin, IE
Dan Chalmers, University of Sussex, UK
Domenico Cotroneo, University of Naples, IT
Simon Dobson, University College Dublin, IE
Didier Donsez, Univeristy Genoble 1, FR [co-chair]
Markus Endler, PUC-Rio, BR
Daniel Hagimont, INRIA, FR
Valerie Issarny, INRIA, FR
Marc-Olivier Killijian, LAAS-CNRS, FR
Philippe Lalanda, University Grenoble 1, FR
Spyros Lalis, University of Thessaly, GR
Paul Marrow, BT Pervasive ICT Centre, UK
Cecilia Mascolo, University College London, UK
Nitya Narasimhan, Motorola Labs, US
Paddy Nixon, University College Dublin, IE
Vincent Olive, France Telecom RD, FR
Pierre Paradinas, CNAM, FR
Sotirios Terzis, University of Strathclyde, UK [co-chair]
Ian Wakeman, University of Sussex, UK
Virginie Watine, THALES, FR
If you have any question then contact either
Sotirios.Terzis<at>cis.strath.ac.uk or
Didier.Donsez<at>imag.fr (replace <at> with @)
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