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Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) is a compelling vision for how people will interact with multiple computer systems in the course of their daily lives. To date, practitioners have created a variety of infrastructures, middleware and toolkits to provide the flexibility, ease of programming and the necessary coordination of distributed software and hardware components in physical spaces. However, to-date no one approach has been adopted as a default or de-facto standard. Consequently the field risks losing momentum as fragmentation occurs. In particular, the goal of ubiquitous deployments may stall as groups deploy and trial incompatible point solutions in specific locations. In their defense, researchers in the field argue that it is too early to standardize and that room is needed to explore specialized domain-specific solutions. In the absence of an agreed upon set of standards, we argue that the community must consider a methodology that allows systems to evolve and specialize, while at the same time allowing the development of portable applications and integrated deployments that work between between sites. To address this we studied the programming models of many commercial and research ubicomp systems. Through this survey we gained an understanding of the shared abstractions required in a core programming model suitable for both application portability and systems integration. Based on this study we designed an extensible core model called the Ubicomp Common Model (UCM) to describe a representative sample of ubiquitous systems to date. The UCM is instantiated in a flexible and extensible platform called the Ubicomp Integration Framework (UIF) to adapt ubicomp systems to this model. Through application development and integration experience with a composite campus environment, we provide strong evidence that this model is adequate for application development and that the complexity of developing adapters to several representative systems is not onerous. The performance overhead introduced by introducing the centralized UIF between applications and an integrated system is reasonable. Through careful analysis and the use of well understood approaches to integration, this thesis demonstrates the value of our methodology that directly leverages the significant contributions of past research in our quest for ubicomp application and systems interoperability.

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of how ubiquitous computing would affect an elementary teacher's ability to more fully operationalize her existing constructivist teaching philosophy.Research on computing technologies in K-12 schools has documented that there are numerous important barriers to technology integration in the classroom, one of which is access to computer technologies. In addition, the research documents that new technologies can act as a catalyst toward teacher change of instructional practices over time when using such technologies for teaching and learning. The literature also suggests that a teacher's use of computing technologies may contribute to a shift toward more constructivist teaching practices. Ubiquitous computing technologies are becoming more and more prevalent in K-12 schools and are removing the barriers of sufficient access and related issues of infrastructure, making it increasingly feasible to study the impact of computer-saturated environments on teaching and learning.This qualitative single case study investigated the impact of full-time in school computer ubiquity via wireless laptops for every student and the teacher in a fifth grade classroom during the 2002-2003 school year. Qualitative methods were used in the gathering and analysis of multiple forms of data.Findings1.Key enabling conditions of ubiquitous technology-supported constructivist practices were (i) peer support and collaboration, (ii) ubiquitous access to information, curriculum, and tools, (iii) time to plan, implement, and assess inquiry-based instruction, (iv) technical support, technical knowledge, and reliable hardware, and (v) software to support student construction of knowledge and projects.2. This teacher's preexisting pedagogical beliefs positively impacted her ability to implement and sustain a shift toward more constructivist teaching practices.3.Computing ubiquity facilitated this teacher's (i) planning for inquiry-based learning activities, (ii) ability to remain flexible and spontaneous, (iii) desire and motivation to pursue her own professional inquiry, (iv) it reduced the amount of risk required to make and sustain changes of pedagogy coupled with high technology use, and (v) it accelerated the time required to assume ownership of a technological innovation.This study concludes with the suggestion for a new model of ubiquitouscomputing based upon the findings of this study. / Department of Elementary Education

Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) is a compelling vision for how people will interact with multiple computer systems in the course of their daily lives. To date, practitioners have created a variety of infrastructures, middleware and toolkits to provide the flexibility, ease of programming and the necessary coordination of distributed software and hardware components in physical spaces. However, to-date no one approach has been adopted as a default or de-facto standard. Consequently the field risks losing momentum as fragmentation occurs. In particular, the goal of ubiquitous deployments may stall as groups deploy and trial incompatible point solutions in specific locations. In their defense, researchers in the field argue that it is too early to standardize and that room is needed to explore specialized domain-specific solutions. In the absence of an agreed upon set of standards, we argue that the community must consider a methodology that allows systems to evolve and specialize, while at the same time allowing the development of portable applications and integrated deployments that work between between sites. To address this we studied the programming models of many commercial and research ubicomp systems. Through this survey we gained an understanding of the shared abstractions required in a core programming model suitable for both application portability and systems integration. Based on this study we designed an extensible core model called the Ubicomp Common Model (UCM) to describe a representative sample of ubiquitous systems to date. The UCM is instantiated in a flexible and extensible platform called the Ubicomp Integration Framework (UIF) to adapt ubicomp systems to this model. Through application development and integration experience with a composite campus environment, we provide strong evidence that this model is adequate for application development and that the complexity of developing adapters to several representative systems is not onerous. The performance overhead introduced by introducing the centralized UIF between applications and an integrated system is reasonable. Through careful analysis and the use of well understood approaches to integration, this thesis demonstrates the value of our methodology that directly leverages the significant contributions of past research in our quest for ubicomp application and systems interoperability.

This dissertation presents interaction techniques for ubiquitous computing environments equipped with multiple, heterogeneous display devices and with novel augmented reality visualisation. Ubiquitous computing work environments are typically enhanced with a range of display technologies, personal information appliances, speech and natural language interfaces, interaction devices and contextual sensors. Interaction in these environments introduces new challenges not previously encountered in shared display or single display environments. / This dissertation describes a number of novel contributions that improve the state of the art in human computer interaction within ubiquitous computing environments. Firstly an interaction model is provided that can be used to categorise interaction tasks performed in ubiquitous computing environments. When interacting across multiple displays, users typically require temporary storage of information to allow data to be copied between devices. The second contribution of this dissertation of a clipboard model for ubiquitous computing environments to allow users to perform this task. Thirdly, a number of infrastructure modules were created to support interaction within these environments. The modules developed include: an Interaction Manager that implements the interaction model to allow any device to be used to control displays in the environments; a Clipboard Manager to manage the creation and access of ubiquitous computing clipboards as defined in the clipboard model; an Interaction Client to be run on each display to be controlled to implement the interaction tasks; and a rapidly adaptable tracking facility for ubiquitous computing environments. Fourthly, a Universal Interaction Controller was created to allow seamless interaction and control of displays in ubiquitous computing environments. With the Universal Interaction Controller, users are able to select a display by pointing at it, and then the interactions performed on the controller are forwarded to the selected display via the Interaction Manager. The controller also provides access to a number of clipboards as defined using the clipboard model. Finally, this dissertation describes the results of a user study that was run to determine the intuitiveness of the Universal Interaction Controller in multiple display and single display environments. This is performed by comparing users' performance with the device to their performance with the leading mobile pointing device and the traditional mouse. / Based on these contributions, two applications were developed to demonstrate how the infrastructure can be used in real world situations. The first application demonstrates the use of a Universal Interaction Controller and a Clipboard Manager for information visualisation. The second application interfaces with the traditional system clipboard to allow ubiquitous computing clipboards to be defined and accessed through traditional desktop clipboard techniques. / Thesis (PhDInformationTechnology)--University of South Australia, 2005.

Literature has identified the need to study socially pervasive ICT “in context” in order to understand how user acceptability of innovation varies according to different inputs. This thesis contributes to the existing body of knowledge on innovation studies (Chapter 2) and proposes a methodology a conceptual model, for representing dynamic contextual changes in longitudinal studies. The foundation for this methodology is the “Price of Convenience” (PoC) Model (Chapter 4). As a theory development Thesis, it deals with two related studies of socially pervasive ICT implementation: (1) voluntary adoption of innovations and (2) acceptance of new socially pervasive and ubiquitous ICT innovations (Chapters 6 and 7). / Thesis (PhDInformationTechnology)--University of South Australia, [2006]

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Tampere, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Stuttgart, Univ., Diss., 2007.

Zugl.: Freiburg (Breisgau), Universiẗat, Diss., 2008 u.d.T.: Strasser, Moritz: EMIKA-ZiG - Zur Selbstorganisation der Patientenlogistik mit allgegenwärtigen Rechnern.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-125). Also available in electronic version.