Title: Context Information Modelling Based on Ontologies
Author: Martín Serrano
e-mail: mserrano@nmg.upc.edu
Partner: UPC
Supervisor: Joan Serrat
Committee: Gabi Dreo (CETIM)
Year of start: 2002
Year of end: 2007
Funding institution: GenCat (FI-IQUC)

The main objective of this Doctorate Thesis is to provide an innovative Information Model Based-Ontology for Context Information that supports the Definition, Deployment and Management of Context-aware Services applications. For this purpose, this thesis will describe some concepts that integrate the base of knowledge of Context-Aware Services, Context Information Model and Ontologies paying special attention to the Ontology-Oriented Philosophy to integarte a formal Context Information Model through the study of Ontologies as formal language.
We start presenting the thesis objectives as “To provide an innovative solution to integrate Context Information to allow the gathering, management and efficient storage of this information in the scope of Context-aware Services Management Operations in Autonomic Environments” following immediately with the state of the art on context information and context-aware services specially addressing the definition of concepts that will be used as foundation ideas. Among the different definitions of context information, we conclude, in advance, that context information is any information characterizing the situation of a participant (human or not) in an interaction with its environment. How to represent context and how to store it are also questions addressed.
However the context information is the raw material to be used and then we come out with context-aware services. We describe, in a cursory way, these services as a service which takes into account all the information related to the context in order to offer its services; concept that nowadays is present in more and more applications turning into a premise. In this line what are the context-aware services and which are their impact are questions pointed out to emphasize the importance of having a model on context information.
Once the need for modelling has been depicted through the previous topic, we introduce the formalism of ontology and its capability to represent information and provide enough semantic enrichment. Ontology can be defined as a representation mechanism of a concept; in other words, a formal specification mechanism which will support the generation of a solid information model. Also important to highlight are why to use ontology and what advantages and potential benefits would be the purpose of the context modelling. These matters we addressed here.
The methodology marks the guidelines and milestones to follow among the time since now and with a future view to the effective and correct activity into the Doctorate Thesis. The work plan with time estimation and the references used for the preparation of this document conclude it, not without mentioning the publications of the author previously

1. Serrano, J. Martín., Serrat, Joan., “Ontologies and Services Support” 2007 IEEE Pervasive Computing Magazine, Work in progress, Special issue in Urban Computing., July–September 2007
2. Serrano, J. Martín; Serrat, Joan; Strassner, John; Ó Foghlú, Mícheál, “Management and Context Integration Based on Ontologies, Behind the Interoperability in Autonomic Communications” 2007 System and Information Sciences Notes Journal (SISN). Journal as proccedings of SIWN International Conference on Complex Open Distributed Systems (CODS’2007), 22-24 July 2007, Chengdu, China. ISSN 1753-2310 (Print), ISSN 1753-2329 (CD-ROM).
3. Serrano, J. Martín; Serrat, Joan; Strassner, John, “Ontology-Based Reasoning for Supporting Context-Aware Services on Autonomic Networks” 2007 IEEE/ICC International Conference on Communications – ICC 2007, 24-28 June 2007, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
4. Serrano, J. Martín; Serrat, Joan, Meer, Sven van der, Ó Foghlú, Mícheál “Ontology-Based Management for Context Integration in Pervasive Services Operations“. 2007 ACM International Conference on Autonomous Infrastructure Management and Security. AIMS 2007, 21-23 June 2007, Oslo, Norway.
5. Serrano, J. Martín; Serrat, Joan; Strassner, John; Cox, Greg; Carroll, Ray; Ó Foghlú, Mícheál “Services Management Using Context Information, Ontologies and the Policy-Based Management Paradigm: Towards the Integrated Management in Autonomic Communications”. 1st IEEE International Workshop on Autonomic Communications and Network Management - ACNM 2007 as part of 10th IFIP/IEEE International Symposium on Integrated Management - IM 2007, 21-25 May 2007, Munich, Germany
6. J. Martín Serrano, Joan Serrat, Declan O’Sullivan; “Onto-Context Manager Elements Supporting Autonomic Systems: Basis & Approach”. 1st IEEE International Workshop on Modelling Autonomic Communications Environments - MACE 2006 as parto of 2006 IEEE Management Week – ManWeek 2006. 23 - 27 October 2006, Dublin, Ireland.
7. J. Martín Serrano, Joan Serrat, Alex Galis; “Ontology-Based Context Information Modelling for Managing Pervasive Applications”. 2006 IEEE/IARIA International Conference on Autonomic and Autonomous Systems - ICAS’06. AWARE 2006: Design and deployment of context-awareness networks, services and applications. July 19-21, 2006 - Silicon Valley, Santa Clara, California, USA