Mobile Sensors and Context-Aware Computing

Manish J. Gajjar

• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9780128017982
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Computer Networking
• Index: Computer Science

Mobile Sensors and Context-Aware Computing is a useful guide that explains how hardware, software, sensors, and operating systems converge to create a new generation of context-aware mobile applications. This cohesive guide to the mobile computing landscape demonstrates innovative mobile and sensor solutions for platforms that deliver enhanced, personalized user experiences, with examples including the fast-growing domains of mobile health and vehicular networking.

Users will learn how the convergence of mobile and sensors facilitates cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things, and how applications which directly interact with the physical world are becoming more and more compatible. The authors cover both the platform components and key issues of security, privacy, power management, and wireless interaction with other systems.

• Shows how sensor validation, calibration, and integration impact application design and power management
• Explains specific implementations for pervasive and context-aware computing, such as navigation and timing
• Demonstrates how mobile applications can satisfy usability concerns, such as know me, free me, link me, and express me
• Covers a broad range of application areas, including ad-hoc networking, gaming, and photography

Chapter 1

Introduction

Abstract

This chapter provides introduction to mobile computing, its constraints and market influence, trends and future growth area examples.

Keywords

Introduction to mobile computing; constraints; market trends; growth areas

Information in This Chapter

• Definition of Mobile Computing

• Constraints and the Challenges Faced by Mobile Computing System

• Historical Perspectives and the Influences of Market

• Market Trends and Growth Areas

Definition of Mobile Computing

Mobile computing refers to the computing that happens when the user interacts while the computer or parts of the computer are in motion during the use. Hardware components (like computing silicon, various sensors, and input/output devices), software components (like programs that communicates with underlying hardware, device drivers, applications, and software stacks to support communication protocols), and communication protocols like Wi-Fi protocols and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) are some of the main components of mobile computing. Through these components user-to-computer or computer-to-computer communications/computing happens.

The following are the three main classes of mobile computing:

• Mobile phones: Mobile phones are primarily used for voice calls and voice communication but with the advent of smartphones these devices are now used for computing applications, games, and data access over Wi-Fi or other wireless networks. These devices are increasingly adding to computational capabilities.

• Portable computers: Portable computers are devices with only essential computing components and input/output devices. These are lighter in weight than desktops, and weight reduction is achieved through removal of nonessential input/output devices like disc drives, use of compact hard drives, and so on. Extra connecting ports like USB and Firewire are used to connect external I/O drives or other devices if needed. These compact, lightweight computers have full-character-set keyboards and host software like Windows, Android, and Mac OS. Examples are laptops, notebooks, tablets, notepads, and so on.

• Wearable computers: These are mobile computing devices that have the technology that users may want to put on their body with the dual purpose of fashion plus computation/connection to the external world through wireless or communication protocols. These devices are capable of sensing, computing, running applications/software, reporting, and connecting. Examples are watches, wristbands, necklaces, keyless implants, and so on, which can take voice commands, or sense various environmental or health parameters and communicate either with mobile phones, portable computers, or the Internet.

Let us evaluate the differences of mobile computing devices versus other computing devices, as shown in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1

Quick Comparison Between Different Forms of Mobile Computing Devices

	Mobile Phones and Smartphones	Tablets	Laptop	Wearables
Primary use	Phone/voice communication; text messages	Surf web, video chatting, social networking	Computing, cannot make phone calls (need to use VOIP/software to make calls)	Fashion+sensing environment/health parameters
Features	Virtual keyboard on screen	Virtual keyboard on screen	Full keyboard (including virtual keyboard), better multimedia experience, bigger screen	Sensors, no keyboard, no multimedia, extremely small screen if any
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, 3G/4G, etc.	Wi-Fi, 3G/4G, etc. (sometimes with additional cost)	Has Wi-Fi but 3G/4G, etc. connectivity comes with additional costs	Wi-Fi, Voice networks (3G/4G, etc.)
Usage	Make calls, surf net, take pictures, shoot videos, chat live with friends, social networking	Connectivity and basic computing, watching videos, social networking	Basic computing functions, watching videos and listening to MP3 songs on the Internet, take picture/videos, social networking, play a CD or DVD	Sensing, computing, reporting user health or environment parameters surrounding the user
Form factor	Very portable, able to carry in pocket	Heavier than phones but lighter and smaller than laptops	It is heavier, has bigger screens, additional I/O devices like CD or DVD drivers	Designer form factor that user can wear
Software/applications	Apple iOS, Android and Win OS. Additional custom applications downloaded as needed	Apple iOS, Android, Win OS, Linux. Custom Applications downloaded as needed	Can run almost all desktop software and operating system	Custom OS and applications to collect, compute, and report sensing data

Constraints and the Challenges Faced by Mobile Computing Systems

Mobile computing devices have a smaller form factor than traditional desktops. There is need to impose constraints on space, weight, and form factors of these devices since their users are on the move while computing or connecting. These constraints in turn impose various technological and design restrictions on the devices. Let us briefly look at those restrictions:

Resource Poor

A computer system requires various components to process, compute, or connect. Hence any device in the computer system or connected to the computer system is a resource or system resource. These resources can be physical or virtual component. Example of such resources include the CPU, RAM, hard disks, storage devices, various input/output devices like printers, and connectivity components like Wi-Fi or modem. Mobile computing devices are resource limited. For example, their screens and keyboards are small, they have reduced I/O connections, reduced RAM, power storage, and so forth. This makes them challenging to use, program, and operate.

Resource restrictions can be mitigated with the use of alternate methods for input, storage, processing, and so on. For example, alternate input methods of speech or handwriting recognition can be used instead of keyboards, alternate storage methods such as cloud storage can be used instead of hard disks, and cloud computing can be used for certain processing instead of more power hungry on device CPU. These methods however require training of the devices and efficient communication capabilities.

Less Secured/Reliable

All compute devices have important resources and store valuable data and/or programs. It is important to protect access to all of these compute resources and data through user recognition and user authentication. Appropriate gatekeeper procedures and mechanisms should be deployed to protect the underlying data, programs, and applications while enforcing appropriate privacy guidelines and protocols. Since mobile devices are mostly in transit, their security becomes increasingly more challenging since these devices may use wireless channels, public resources, or networks that can provide easy access to these mobile systems.

With the explosion in smartphone usage, a lot of personal information is now saved and stored on smartphones. Users employ smartphones for communication, planning, organizing, and accessing and processing financial transactions.

Hence smartphones and information systems supporting them carry increasingly more sensitive data, thereby introducing new security risks while posing serious privacy access and processing complexities.

Some of the sources of security risks are

• Through messaging systems like SMS, MMS

• Through connection channels like Wi-Fi networks, GSM

• Through software/OS vulnerabilities to external attacks

• Through malicious software and user ignorance about it.

Some of the mitigation options are

• Use of encryption methods (Wired Equivalent Privacy: WEP, Wi-Fi Protected Access: WPA/WPA2) encryption

•...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• Chapter 2. Context-aware computing
• Chapter 3. Sensors and actuators
• Chapter 4. Sensor hubs
• Chapter 5. Power management
• Chapter 6. Software, firmware, and drivers
• Chapter 7. Sensor validation and hardware–software codesign
• Chapter 8. Sensor calibration and manufacturing
• Chapter 9. Sensor security and location privacy
• Chapter 10. Usability
• Chapter 11. Sensor application areas
• Index