An ontology-based framework for dynamic resource management in ubiquitous computing environments

Ubiquitous computing applications are supported by sophisticated middleware components enabling dynamic discovery, invocation and management of resources, as well as reasoning in cases of uncertainty. This paper advocates semantic Web technologies as primary vehicles to achieve dynamic management of resources in ubiquitous computing infrastructures and services. We introduce a framework for implementing ubiquitous computing services comprising a large number of sensors and perceptive interfaces, emphasizing the role of knowledge bases for dynamic registration and invocation of resources. We present the use of ontology-based mechanisms for controlling sensors and actuators. Moreover, we describe the implementation of a knowledge base server that can leverage different ontology management systems, while also exposing a host to different client access interfaces. The introduced framework has been exploited in implementing real prototype ubiquitous computing services, which we also outline in the paper.