SCOUT: Social Context-Aware Ubiquitous System

Abstract

The proliferation of social-networks, localization systems, and high-end mobile devices have all created fertile ground for the development of novel context-aware systems and applications. Such applications introduce numerous challenges to the research community, many of which are better identified, studied, and addressed, with a true systems approach. Therefore, in this paper, we design a system that integrates the core functionalities of context-awareness, particularly localization, along with online social network (OSN) information, to pave the way for the creation of novel social-based context-aware applications. We introduce, design, and implement a generic social-based context-aware ubiquitous system, SCOUT, above which a multitude of mobile applications can seamlessly adapt to user preferences and context. We implement a prototype application that utilizes the SCOUT architecture as a proof-of-concept. We utilize this prototype application to evaluate SCOUT in terms of reliability, responsiveness, and robustness.