In recent years the mass adoption of mobile devices and increasingly ubiquitous connectivity have contributed to a radical change in the way people interact with computer systems. Moreover cloud computing infrastructures have paved the way for the development of smart systems in such settings, whose goal is to provide a service to enhance user experience based on environment and user sensed data. In this context, there is a clear disconnection between the two streams that flow continuously between user and cloud-based systems. On the one hand, user- and environment-generated data is being, for the most part, disregarded by service providers. On the other hand, services offered do not address users’ specific needs and preferences. In addition, service discovery is a cognitive demanding process and it may have detrimental consequences in user experience. In this paper we propose a user-centric framework that addresses the disconnection between these two streams: Cloud2Bubble. The framework facilitates the design and development of smart systems. It aims at leveraging existing technology, such as environment sensors and personal devices, to aggregate localised user-related data - defined as a bubble - into the cloud. This aggregation later supports the delivery of personalised services, contextually relevant to users. The delivery of services with such characteristics has the potential to enhance quality of experience and influence user behaviour. A first iteration of the platform was developed and an evaluation in a simulated environment was performed with encouraging results. Thus, the platform will be further expanded for instantiation and evaluation in the context of urban public transports. We intend to investigate the effects of relevant service delivery in terms of enhancement of quality of experience and influencing user behaviour. The delivery of a service with these characteristics presents benefits for both users and service providers.

1. Cloud2Bubble:
Enhancing Quality of Experience in
Mobile Cloud Computing Settings
Pedro Maurício Costa Mobile Cloud Computing & Services
Intelligent Systems and Networks Lake District, 25 June 2012

2. Introduction
Cloud2Bubble Framework
• Smart Environment
• Cloud2Bubble interaction loop
Domain of Application
• Application on Urban Public Transport
• Scenario
Platform Architecture
• Domain Management
• Rule Engine
• Reasoner
Experiment in Public Transport
Conclusion

3. Introduction
Pervasive Computing
• miniaturisation of devices
• modern communication networks
• Internet of Things
Human Computer Interaction
• shift in paradigm: from PCs to multiple portal-like devices
• increases the opportunities to interact with users
• Affective Computing, making systems empathic
Smart Environments
• making human interaction with the system a pleasant
experience
• enhance Quality of Experience

4. Introduction
Main Data Streams
• user & environment generated
• service offering, excessive at times
• excessive choice may be detrimental to UX and frustrating
Collection of Data
Service Offering

5. Cloud2Bubble
Cloud 2 Bubble
abstract computing infrastructure user-centric, local
*-as-a-Service composed of devices and services
aggregates data streams collects user and environment data
generates individual profiles delivers relevant services
action generation and selection

6. Cloud2Bubble Framework
Continuous loop of interaction between user and system
• leverages existing technology and context
• integrates emotional context
Delivery of personalised services
• enhancing Quality of Experience
• influence user behaviour
Criteria for service offering
• environment conditions
• user preferences
• system goal

7. Cloud2Bubble: Smart System
Smart System
• collects user and environment data
• assesses its current state
• generates and selects actions
• acts on the environment accordingly
World Modelling
Decision Making
• high-level events
• environment model
• user profiling World Modelling
Decision Making Hardware
• imprecise and incomplete data
Environment Action
• fuzzy reasoning
Perception Execution

8. Cloud2Bubble: Interaction Loop
user data collection stream
Aggregation
Environment User
State Profile
Disaggregation
personalised service delivery stream

9. Domain of Application
Urban Public Transport
• need for Intelligent Traveller Information Systems
• equipped modern networks (sensors, info)
• large user base with idle time
• potential to enhance Quality of Experience
• benefits for both users and providers
Scenario
• Maria: daily commuter
• has reported noisy journeys
• actual journey noise levels recorded
• noise levels decrease journey QoE
• journey alternatives ranked accordingly
• notification of a better alternative

10. Platform Architecture
Decision Making Fuzzy Reasoner
Rule Engine
World Modelling
Domain Manager
Hardware
Environment Action
Perception Execution

11. Domain Manager
Manages devices and low-level environment state
• simple Event-Condition-Action rules
• policy-based behaviour specification
• propagation of events to the next layer
Ponder2
• software framework for ubiquitous systems
• facilitates heterogeneous component management
• adapts to users’ activity or environment
Public Transport
• integrates existing the information system
• manages sensors and other environment devices
• integrates Maria’s smartphone

12. Rule Engine
Support for complex rule definition
• adds complex event and temporal reasoning
• generates actions to take based on system goals, environment conditions
and user profiles
JBoss Drools
• shares the world model on a high-level with Domain Manager
• hybrid chaining rule engine, Rete-based
• builds a network based on the rules, fast-processing
Public Transport
• environment update: selects travellers to notify
• generates actions to take

13. Fuzzy Reasoner
Deals with imprecise and fuzzy data
• validates actions to be delivered
• improves the decision making process
Fuzzy Inference System
• deals with approximate reasoning
• inference over imprecise or incomplete date
Public Transport
• validates actions generated for each user
• adapts user profiles given new user updates
Environment User Profile User QoE
Fuzzy Rules
State (inputs) (Fuzzy Set) Evaluation
Fuzzification Defuzzification

14. Cloud2Bubble in Public Transport
Public Transport
• world model based on sensors and other environment devices
• contributes to build a user profile in relation to environment
• allows for the identification of (un)comfortable journeys
Travellers’ interactions
• user reports identify (un)comfortable journeys subjectively
• is notified accordingly to her preferences
Benefits for both travellers and service providers

15. Policy-based Behaviour Specification
Policy-based action generation
• User profile
• Environment conditions
• System goals
Idea of approaching system goals and individual behaviour
Policy example: lowering carbon-emissions
• high-level goals transformed into low-level behaviour
• persuade users to change habits
» reduction of CO2 emissions
» tailored user influencing

16. Experiment in Public Transport
Collection of environment and user data
• sensor data from smartphone
• feedback from user
• relationship between environment and user
• integration of emotion into the loop
Experiment in Porto, Portugal
• 2 week (beginning of June)
• 10 travellers
• 135 journeys
• 30h of sensed data
Early findings
• Found the concept very interesting
• Would use in return for this valuable service
• Users don’t feel the app intrusive

17. Conclusion
Cloud2Bubble
• generic smart platform
• user-centric
• systemic
• applied to Public Transport
Offer services for enhancing Quality of Experience
• focus on interaction with user
• emotion dimension
Policy-based computing
• bringing together high- and low-level dimensions
Next steps
• continue the development of Cloud2Bubble
• establish the relationship between emotion and QoE

18. Thank you
Pedro Maurício Costa
pm.costa@imperial.ac.uk
Intelligent Systems and Networks