Ubiquitous Computing

Ubiquitous computing, also known as calm computing, ambient intelligence, and pervasive intelligence, is the integration of our computing environments into the real world. Human-computer interaction can occur through various devices, in different locations, and through different mediums.

There are several systems that support ubiquitous computing in modern society, to include the Internet, operating systems, both mobile and otherwise, sensors, user interfaces, networks, microprocessors, and location and positioning software.

History

Mark Weiser

The founder of ubiquitous computing is Mark Weiser , who was of the chief scientists at Xerox PARC in Palo Alto, California. He officially introduced this topic to the world in his 1991 paper, The Computer for the 21st Century.

Examples

Within his initial paper in 1991, Weiser introduces three different forms of devices to be used in ubiquitous systems. These are tabs, pads, and boards.

Tabs are on the scale of centimeters, which can be worn on one's person. The are the smallest components of what Weiser terms as embodied reality. Some of his examples include clip-on computers the size of an ID for scanners and receivers, which are modernly represented as RFID tags.

The second device introduced by Weiser is the pad, which range between a standard 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper. Their main potential, according to Weiser, comes from their being able to be used anywhere, much like scrap paper.

The board, now at a scale of about a yard, serve multiple purposes. Placed in different rooms, casual computer interaction can enhance different rooms in a building. Additionally, these can share information between and within different areas, interconnecting buildings and rooms. One benefit of boards is that they can serve to display personalized, public information.

Some notable modern examples of ubiquitous computing can be seen in the form of sensors such as Radio-frequecy Identification (RFID) Tags . These perform different actions upon being scanned, and can hold data in the form of links and pre-programmed activities.

Ethical Issues

Privacy

The most prevalent ethical issues currently plaguing ubiquitous computing revolve around privacy. With the advent of computing being integrated into different environments, new contexts arise that there are no previous notions for. Particularly, a research paper published in 2009 by Linda Little and Pam Briggs analyzes how the currently established privacy principles can grow and adapt in the face of new environments and considerations.

More specifically, Little and Briggs examine if users will have enough confidence in the procedures developed to administer and manage different privacy preferences. Motahari, et al., (2007) present the argument that more holistic approach is needed to address current privacy threats in ubiquitous computing. Further, privacy threats are more likely to depend on different situations, for which systems must be developed in privacy management that are context-rich. This presents the user with more detailed information upon which to base privacy considerations, thereby allowing tailored privacy management in environments within ubiquitous computing.

Policy Making

More specifically, long-term policy making is an issue in ubiquitous computing that has significant ethical implications. With new forms of interaction and a merging of environments comes the need for strong ethical bases that can be implemented and reinforced through policy making that is developed through the joint efforts of ubiquitous system developers and the makers of the policies themselves.

In this way, policy making will be created to regulate both the use and creation of such systems, which can have embedded values in their designs, as defined by Phillip Brey in his article on values in technology and disclosive computer ethics.

Defining "Content"

In order to determine the proper ethical considerations in ethical computing, the notion of how content can be represented becomes an issue. When analyzed from a purely digital or purely physical environment, a clear distinction can be formed.

The issue with ubiquitous computing is that the digital and physical worlds merge and coexist as one. In this ambient, the communication of information through environments that are pervasive and ubiquitous is defined as content. Artur Lugmayr explored the components of such an environment, separating them into ambient media form, ambient media content, and ambient media technology. The principles of ambient media are defined by him as manifestation, intelligence, morphing, and experience .

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