Three‐dimensional context‐aware tailoring of information
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521011099397 |
| Date | 30 November 2010 |
| Published date | 30 November 2010 |
| Pages | 892-906 |
| Author | Tor‐Morten Grønli,George Ghinea |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Three-dimensional
context-aware tailoring of
information
Tor-Morten Grønli
Norwegian School of Information Technology, Oslo, Norway, and
George Ghinea
School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics,
Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion of context in ubiquitous computing.
Personal Information Managers exploit the ubiquitous paradigm in mobile computing to integrate
services and programs for business and leisure. Recognising that every situation is constituted by
information and events, context will vary depending on the situation in which users find themselves.
The paper aims to show the viability of tailoring contextual information to provide users with timely
and relevant information.
Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted after testing on a group of real world
users. The test group used the application for approximately half a day each and performed a number
of tasks
Findings – The results from the survey show the viability of tailoring contextual information to
provide users with timely and relevant information. Among the questions in the questionnaire the
users were asked to state whether or not they would like to use this application in their daily life.
Statistically significant results indicate that the users found value in using the application.
Originality/value – This work is a new exploration and implementation of context by integrating
three dimensions of context: social information, activity information, and geographical position.
Keywords Information control,Information retrieval
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Integrating multiple dimensions into a mobile application context is a goal often talked
about but seldom achieved in practice. In the information communication era we use
increasingly advanced technology and we are getting used to being able to acquire the
information we want almost anywhere, anytime – a paradigm encapsulated by
ubiquitous computing technology. Moreover as the mobile phone has become a
personal accessory it has continuously increased its role and importance in daily life
(Schmidt et al., 2001), with industry producing increasingly advanced devices with a
rising number of sophisticated functions. In this context Personal Information
Managers (PIMs) (Toney et al., 2003) have become increasingly popular. A PIM is a
mobile device running a complicated operating system and often containing phon e
capabilities, a camera, a calendar, a text editor, a spreadsheet, a document reader and a
range of other utility applications. In addition to carrying a PIM or other advanced
mobile phone with us almost all the time, links between our daily activities and
registered information are increasingly commonplace. This can range from noting
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OIR
34,6
892
Refereed article received
20 July 2009
Approved for publication
14 March 2010
Online Information Review
Vol. 34 No. 6, 2010
pp. 892-906
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/14684521011099397
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