Optimizing background-communication of mobile devices and sensors to drive End-User Services

Developing system software for ubiquitous computing makes consideration of numerous requirements necessary. This is primarily due to the dynamic, mobile, unpredictable and heterogeneous environment of ubiquitous computing systems. Middleware provide solutions to common tasks in ubiquitous computing, e.g. communication, discovery, deployment, personalisation, group management etc. To drive modern End-User Services, especially those ones used in a ubiquitous manner, sensors are used to measure a multitude of values in order to adapt the applications accordingly. Although many devices have already built-in sensors typical applications are relying on external sensors as well as sensors built in the environment, accessible by wireless communication, in order to personalize and feed the desired applications. In this paper scalable middleware for ubiquitous computing environments is presented and its shown how such a platform can be used to access sensors not directly from the mobile device but from available stations around. By utilizing other stations to communicate with needed sensors the amount of traffic needed to get the information can be reduced significantly, depending on the update-rate of the information. This paper will explain how those mechanisms can be used to save communication time and power on the mobile device