Context Information vs. Sensor Information: A Model for Categorizing Context in Context-Aware Mobile Computing

Context-aware computing proposes technology that adapts according to the user’s situation and environment. Within mobile collaborative work the situation is viewed as an important factor, here context-awareness attempts to facilitate coordination in several ways. Although much research has been conducted, context-awareness is still defined very differently. Besides differing in definitions of context, most research fails to separate between complex context information and precise sensor information. Knowing that collaborative work can benefit from some degrees of context-awareness and that context-awareness is essential to a ubiquitous computing environment, this paper focuses on initial design of context-aware applications. After reviewing past categorization models of context, The Context Information Model is proposed. Categorizing from the user’s view point, the model separates strictly between context information and sensor information. It is then exemplified how the model can be applied to an actual consumer device. The paper concludes that if context-aware computing applications are to be developed for real collaborative and consumer settings, sensor measures should be gradually incorporated to comprise a simplistic categorization of context rather than define context in detail.