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In this paper, we present a unique mechanism that enables seamless interconnection and scalability of the interface between the sensor platform layer and the middleware layer in pervasive computing. The disadvantages of using one-to-one hard coding for various device drivers and firmware for interfacing sensor platform and middleware layers are primarily a lack of flexibility and scalability when the system changes environments. The encapsulation of access point of the sensor platform layer provides developers and designers with an effective way of interconnecting and scaling up with diverse and various kinds of sensors and actuators. In this paper, we define encapsulation of the access point of the sensor platform layer. The module for encapsulating the detected sensor data is called ‘context representer'. The context representer converts detected sensor data to raw context. For interconnecting with the sensor platform layer and the middleware layer, ‘entity manager' module in the middleware layer for each entity of context representer is defined. The entity manager is for transforming the raw context to a general context. Then, the middleware is able to interact with context-aware applications according to the reasoning with context in the middleware layer, upper layer requests and lower layer status, without being influenced by a change of sensor node and sensor platform environments. We present the encapsulation mechanism and entity manager for efficient interfacing and scalability of contextaware applications and compare them with other approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the rapid mobility of MIP/WLAN is emulated on a test-bed. The performance of MIP/WLAN at different moving speeds is evaluated. The result shows that current MIP protocol is not suitable for rapid moving environments. This paper depicts the relationship between the performance and the moving speed and breaks down the handoff latency of MIP/WLAN. A Speed Adaptive MIP extension is proposed and implemented on Hierarchical MIP. The emulation result shows that the Speed Adaptive MIP greatly improves the performance of MIP/WLAN in rapid moving environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the previous chapters we have given a complete overview of what makes video database technology work and what products can be found in the market. Further, we have given a brief overview of sample applications and how they further the cycle of innovation that started with relational databases enhanced with BLOBs to video storage and multimedia presentation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video databases in combination with today's multimedia (pictures, audio, video, graphics, text) and other technologies (networks, operating systems and so on) are widely used in many areas. Some examples are public information, advertising, entertainment and education. In the near future, such applications will be integrated in distributed systems, composed of computers, (digital) TVs, optical disks, and other electronic units appropriate for information retrieval, presentation, and interaction with users. In this chapter, we introduce some of the applications which we think represent the majority of industrial and academic efforts. As in the last chapter, all the information in this chapter is based on companies' product catalogs, WWW sites, newspapers and magazines. The authors have not checked the accuracy of the information that comes from above sources and thus, disclaim responsibility for its accuracy. All company names and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this chapter is to give readers a basic idea of the state of the market of hardware technologies related to the video database and its applications. We will briefly describe some of the products in three categories: video boards, storage systems, and video server systems. Although the authors have made a considerable effort to keep what they describe here up-to-date, it is by no means a complete listing of all the commercial products now available on the market due to the ever-evolving nature of the market, and the diversity of video products. There are many other video products that we could describe here, for example, in the video board section, the MPEG encoding system and animation controller, removable storage systems, and so on. All information in this chapter was gathered through World Wide Web sites and product catalogs of companies, as well as newspapers and magazines. The authors have not checked the precision of the technical details that come from above sources and thus do not hold any responsibility for their accuracy. All the company names and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of video database systems is not solely dependent on the digital video database techniques discussed in the last chapter, it also relies on many other issues. In this chapter, several important issues are described. Video compression, which is very important for video data storage and transmission, is first introduced. This is followed by the description of the video server system design and file system support, an issue that is critical to the real-time, quality of service guaranteed applications of the video database systems, e.g. video-on-demand systems. Transmission of video data across computer network is posing new challenges to networking technologies; some of the efforts along this line are discussed. Another challenging issue is the protection of the exclusive rights of the owner of the digital video data (as well as other digital media), while at the same time allowing legal digital media sharing. Both are crucial to the success and acceptance of digital media sharing systems, like a video database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With advances in computer technology, digital video is becoming more and more common in various aspects of life, including communication, education, training, entertainment, and publishing. The result is massive amounts of video data that either already exist in digital form, or that are soon to be digitized. According to an international survey [42], there are more than six million hours of feature films and video archived worldwide, with a yearly increase rate of about 10%. This would be equal to 1.8 million GB of MPEG encoded digital video data if they were digitalized. Another example is the NASA's Earth Observation System, which has the capability of generating about 1 terabyte of image data per day when fully operational [45]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Words and phrases like information age, information revolution, and infosphere have been thrown about so much over the past decade that any new phrase using the word information or its derivatives has begun to sound like a cliché. Yet the past decade has probably seen more information generated than ever before in any similar period in human history. In today's age, information is often a commodity and an asset, much like more traditional physical assets. Having the right information at the right time is of critical importance to all kinds of organizations and individuals, from large corporations to the armed forces, to the tourist looking for the nearest metro station. However, the increasing amount of information often leads to information overload, where one is expected to retrieve the right needle of information from the proverbial haystack. Thus, many like Denning have argued that as much attention needs to be paid to the receiving of information as to the generating of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]