Carl-Fredrik Sørensen Adaptive Mobile Work Processes in Context-Rich, Heterogeneous Environments Carl-Fredrik Sørensen IDI NTNU Welcome: Opponents: Professor Warboys, Professor Ciancarini, Professor Nygård Adviser: Professor Conradi Colleagues Relatives and Friends Other spectators IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 1 -

Outline Introduction Main Contribution RQ Contributions IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 2 -

Background Instrumentation of our (working) environment Augmented artefacts Sensors with communication capability Actuators Wireless communication Instrumentation of our devices Location, time Dynamics Environment affects the behaviour/actions of people and their activities Activities and presence of people affect the environment IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 3 -

Motivation Support work in pervasive, mobile computing environments Safety Establish safe working conditions (to perform activity) Reestablish safe conditions (by performing activity) Reactiveness Perform activities to react to environmental changes Planning Environment decides activity sequence Collaboration Coordination IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 4 -

Research Questions Investigate what is the nature of mobile work and how does this nature relate to supporting technology. How can concepts and frameworks be developed and used to understand and specify how mobile work processes can be supported? How can such concepts and frameworks be used to support the development of mobile work support systems? Investigate how workflow and context information can be modelled and utilised in mobile, heterogeneous and dynamic working environments supporting different organisational forms. Investigate how to support processes in different organisational contexts. Investigate and evaluate how and which technologies can be used to create an infrastructure to provide support of mobile work processes. IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 5 -

Contributions (1) A novel research field investigating and supporting context-aware work processes for mobile workers. Requirements to context-aware workflow are discussed and elaborated; Implications of context-aware workflow transitions are investigated; The WfMC workflow reference model is proposed extended with a new interface to support context-awareness; An adaptive, mobile work process support system has been developed and tested in mobile settings. IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 6 -

Contributions (2) A characterisation framework for mobile work to help to understand and find requirements for mobile work processes. Different properties related to mobility and mobility support are used to understand and define requirements to support these properties. Requirements indicators have been suggested as way to define task complexity related to different properties. IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 7 -

Contributions (3) A three-level process model to support work at different organisational levels. A study of two types of mobile workers to identify needs for mobile information and services to help develop (mobile) technology to support mobile work processes. A context-aware middleware for mobile ad hoc environments to support context-aware, mobile (smart) work processes. IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 8 -

Main Contribution Adaptive Mobile Work Processes in Context-Rich, Heterogeneous Environments Introduces the notion of ”smart”, ”sentient” work process, adapting work process to the actual work environment (context) Pervasive environments ”define” work processes Supporting situated actions, situated planning (activity theory approach). Technology: Context-aware workflow/work process support. Middleware for mobile ad hoc environments (MANET). IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 9 -

Mobile work Two different categories based on context-sensitivity: Work in a mobile environment: Work processes performed in a mobile environment independent of context information extracted from the physical environment. Mobility not necessary to accomplish the process goals. Mobile work: Work processes performed in a mobile environment dependent of context information extracted from the physical environment. Mobility necessary to accomplish the process goals. IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 10 -

Using Context information in Workflow systems How can context affect activities? Context/context changes as pre-conditions to start/stop of activity Provide rules for how and what to do in a process Provide alternative process paths Trigger new activities IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 11 -

Workflow as Actuator in a Pervasive Computing Environment (1) Physical work activities - actuations Change the physical environment (post-condition) Provide pre-conditions to new activities Prepare the environment for a certain activity Establish pre-conditions to perform activities Safety IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 12 -

Problem areas (1) Specification of contextual pre/post-conditions related to process goal Specification of environmental behaviour related to activity (adaptation) Planning, specification, and performance of activities in concert with the current environmental context (Automatic) Definition of activities based on process goal, environmental context and change of context Solving contextual inconsistency in a multi-user process Scheduling of activities as reaction to contextual changes Environmental changes may open new paths to process goal. Synchronisation of environmental context and activity IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 13 -

Problem areas (2) State transitions and process enactment when disconnected from central workflow server. Ad hoc activities based on environmental context. Ad hoc collaboration between environment and users, user to user. Ad hoc workflow enactment in a mobile computing environment. Dynamically specifying other digital actors as participants in activities. IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 14 -

IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www. mowahs. com/ IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 15 -

IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www. mowahs. com/ IDI, 23. Novemberr. 2004 http://www.mowahs.com/ Email: calle@mowahs.com Slide - 16 -