At a glance
Today’s consumers are making use of a growing range of mobile devices, from smart phones and PDAs to notebook and tablet computers. Each has multiple wireless access options including Wi-Fi, UMTS, GPRS, 3G and Bluetooth.
The best wireless connection option changes depending on where a user happens to be and the task they’re undertaking. Selecting and changing from one to another can be complex and time consuming and is best done automatically.
The CAMP research team in collaboration with Ericsson Research has developed a context-aware system that determines the most appropriate connection option at any given time. It allows automatic and seamless switching between different wireless access technologies and services.
Our Approach
We have focused our efforts on combining statistical machine learning techniques with mobile wireless technologies to develop a context-aware communications system.
This has the potential to change the way users interact with their mobile devices, ensuring they can automatically be connected via the most appropriate wireless link at any given time.
The team has drawn on expertise across multiple technology areas and worked closely with handset and wireless equipment vendors.
The features
- Determines the most appropriate wireless access technology for an individual user, based on an analysis of current and predicted context information
- Predicts future network availability before selecting a wireless access type
- Accounts for multiple parameters including user environment, individual preferences, access policies and past usage patterns
- Statistical machine learning is used to analyse multiple variables and determine the most appropriate real-time option
The benefits
- Removes the complexity of selecting and managing multiple wireless connection technologies
- Minimises user disruptions due to lost wireless connections • Cost-effective use of available wireless technologies
- Learns from an individual’s behaviour over time
Follow the links for more information on technical details and relevant publications.
The future
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Further development of a distributed framework that can collect and analyse context information from a variety of sources
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Distribution of application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow developers to work with CAMP services, and the widespread deployment of CAMP services across a broad range of mobile devices
For more information about the CAMP Project, please contact Max Ott, on +61 2 8374 5223 or max.ott@nicta.com.au.
Resources
Download a flyer on this project here.