Design of an Open Context-Aware Platform enabling Desk Sharing Office Services.

In the coming years user-centric services will be deployed in our homes, cars, offices, etc. Users expect that these services are autonomous and user-friendly. This requires that these services can adapt themselves to changes in the environment, implying that they have to become contextaware. In this paper we present a formal context model and an OSGi based framework that allows easy development and installation of context-aware services. The platform is open since it allows that new components are easily plugged in. Applicability is illustrated with a location determination use case in an desk sharing office environment where employees don’t have a fixed location or desk.