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Research goals, and key
issues & problems to be addressed
Laboratory departments are established in the areas of 1)
Internet Computing and 2) Multimedia and Imaging Systems. Members of
these 2 departments perform research into the associated
elements that are essential for the development of prototypes of
E-Services.
Internet Computing Department
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Network Interoperability:
The focus will be on wireless communications (eg. WLAN, Wi-Max, GSM,
GPRS, UMTS, ad-hoc networks) including roaming between the
different technologies
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Service interoperabilty:
By service interoperability is meant:
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integrating services into different
terminal types (eg. mobile phones, PDAs,lap-tops), having varying
capabilities
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enabling composite services to be
built from individual services
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User profiling:
A user profile is fundamental to the efficient operation of a
Location-Based Service system. It enables the location-based service
to push only relevant data to a user, and is the first step towards
the incorporation of ambient intelligence
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Location-Based Services:
Adding interaction with the user on the move, for example:
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using GPS, GSM and WLAN location
methodologies
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offering services that are relevant
to his/her profile, according to their current location
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delivering the services, according
to the service requirements, the user’s situation and the terminal
capabilities
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liaising with service providers to
refine the product offerings and techniques …. and the ability to
purchase remotely
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Trust:
New businesses will be encouraged to add their services, thereby
making the services as attractive as possible. This requires open
interfaces and new E-Business tools for secure open systems
(possibly based on social engineering models). To avoid the abuse of
such a system, a trust mechanism has to be incorporated
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Security:
The systems have to be secure, to avoid malicious disruption to the
service, and to give users confidence that any data they input to
the system (eg. a user profile) is only accessible by authorised
parties.
The social aspects of Ambient Intelligence also raise issues that
require precautionary research, particularly in the areas of
privacy, control and social cohesion.
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Ambient Intelligence:
The concept of Ambient Intelligence is on greater user-friendliness,
more efficient services support, user-empowerment, and interfaces
that are embedded in all kinds of objects. Ambient Intelligence
works in a seamless, unobtrusive and often invisible way.
This vision is one of people
benefiting from services and applications whilst supported by new
technologies in the background and intelligent user interfaces.
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Ubiquitous computing:
By ubiquitous computing is meant:
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access to Internet and computing
resources, independent of the current location and other competition
for the resources, through smart antennas, agents, communicating
devices, smart buildings/spaces and sensors (eg. for environmental
conditions)
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Personal Area Networks (PANs) allowing seamless and intuitive
contacts between people
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Standards and products for Smart Houses are emerging, based on the
use of embedded systems to enhance (for example) security and
energy-savings.
Figure 1 Integration of devices in a
Smart House Environment
Multimedia and Imaging Systems
Department
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Image processing:
The term image processing in conjunction with multimedia
systems covers a wide range of skills and complexity. It is the
intention to focus on objectives that are both realistic to achieve
and where the results can be applied in a practical way to benefit
the Macau community. This is best illustrated by giving examples of
potential applications:
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Count the
number of people entering or exiting a building, or “just” to detect
densely populated areas (eg. for subsequent input to a network
resource provisioning mechanism, or as a trigger to alert casino
operators to advise people in that location to move to other
less-busy tables)
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Monitor at a “low-granularity”
people’s behaviour indoors (ie. detecting the flow of a crowd of
people to/from certain areas)
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