Andrei Ciortea, Olivier Boissier, Antoine Zimmermann, and Adina Florea. The 4th International Workshop on the Web of Things. September, 2013.

1. Reconsidering the Social Web of Things
(Position Paper)
Andrei Ciortea1,2 Olivier Boissier1 Antoine Zimmermann1
Adina Florea2
1 ´Ecole Nationale Sup´erieure des Mines, FAYOL-ENSMSE, LSTI, Saint-´Etienne,
France
2University ”Politehnica” of Bucharest, Romania
4th International Workshop on the Web of Things
September 9, 2013

2. 1 On the Evolution of the Web
Socialness
Pervasiveness
When Social meets Pervasive
Pro-activeness
2 Towards a Social Web of Things
Vision
Objective and Motivation
Challenges
3 A Layered Model for the SWoT
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 2/27

3. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Socialness
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 3/27

4. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Socialness
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 3/27

5. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pervasiveness
WoT [Guinard, 2011]
Webinos
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 4/27

6. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
When Social meets Pervasive
WoT [Guinard, 2011]
Webinos
[Guinard et al., 2010]
[Kranz et al., 2010]
Ericsson Research
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 5/27

7. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
I’m a Web user
and I consume
content.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 6/27

8. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
I’m a Web user
and I consume
content.
I’m a Web user
and I write
my own Web.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 6/27

9. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
I’m a Web user
and I consume
content.
I’m a Web user
and I write
my own Web.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 6/27

10. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
I’m a Web user
and I consume
content.
I’m a Web user
and I write
my own Web.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 6/27

11. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
I’m a Web user
and I consume
content.
I’m a Web user
and I write
my own Web.
• Web technologies enabled users to be proactive on the Web.
• Exciting times ahead: semantic Web Technologies, Linked Data
Platform, Push API, WebRTC, CoAP, etc.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 6/27

12. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
I’m a Web user
and I consume
content.
I’m a Web user
and I write
my own Web.
• Web technologies enabled users to be proactive on the Web.
• Exciting times ahead: semantic Web Technologies, Linked Data
Platform, Push API, WebRTC, CoAP, etc.
• How about things?
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 6/27

13. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
• Properties of agents (the weak notion of agency) [Wooldridge et al.,
1995]:
• social ability;
• reactivity;
• autonomy;
• pro-activeness: the ability to exhibit goal-driven behavior by taking
the initiative.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 7/27

14. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
• Properties of agents (the weak notion of agency) [Wooldridge et al.,
1995]:
• social ability;
• reactivity;
• autonomy;
• pro-activeness: the ability to exhibit goal-driven behavior by taking
the initiative.
• Multi-agent systems [Boissier, 2012]:
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1 op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1
Environment
Agent
Interaction
op2
op1
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 7/27

15. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
• Properties of agents (the weak notion of agency) [Wooldridge et al.,
1995]:
• social ability;
• reactivity;
• autonomy;
• pro-activeness: the ability to exhibit goal-driven behavior by taking
the initiative.
• Multi-agent systems [Boissier, 2012]:
role
mission
scheme
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1 op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1
Environment
Agent
Organization
Interaction
op2
op1
group
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 7/27

16. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Pro-activeness
• Properties of agents (the weak notion of agency) [Wooldridge et al.,
1995]:
• social ability;
• reactivity;
• autonomy;
• pro-activeness: the ability to exhibit goal-driven behavior by taking
the initiative.
• Multi-agent systems [Boissier, 2012]:
role
mission
scheme
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1 op2
op1
op2
op1
op2
op1
Environment
Agent
Organization
Interaction
op2
op1
group
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 7/27

17. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Vision
Pervasiveness
Web of Things
Socialness
Web of People
Pro-activeness
Web of Agents
Social Web
of Things
(SWoT)
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 8/27

18. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Objective and Motivation
• Placing autonomous and proactive things on the Web.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 9/27

19. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Objective and Motivation
• Placing autonomous and proactive things on the Web.
• Where to start?
• Extend and transform social networks into socio-technical
networks (STN) by introducing autonomous and proactive
things as full-fledged users and service providers.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 9/27

20. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Objective and Motivation
• Placing autonomous and proactive things on the Web.
• Where to start?
• Extend and transform social networks into socio-technical
networks (STN) by introducing autonomous and proactive
things as full-fledged users and service providers.
• Such a STN would be suitable for:
• providing a good experience to the WoT user (straightforward
model of interaction);
• extending the perception of things by tapping into the rich
amount of information being published on social networks;
• providing a framework for the development of complex WoT
applications.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 9/27

21. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Challenges
• Enable things as active participants in an open set of social
networks.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 10/27

22. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Challenges
• Enable things as active participants in an open set of social
networks.
• Enable things to reason and make decisions in achieving their
goals.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 10/27

23. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Challenges
• Enable things as active participants in an open set of social
networks.
• Enable things to reason and make decisions in achieving their
goals.
• Enable control over the autonomy of things and enhance
coordination towards achieving goals.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 10/27

24. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
A Layered Approach
Application
Organizational
Social
Agency
RESTful WoT API
Devices addressable through IRIs
RESTful API for the WoT
Identification and representation of things
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 11/27

25. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Agency Layer
Application
Organizational
Social
Agency
Agents
Agent architecture: simple model, reactive, cognitive, etc.
Integration with APIs of social networking services.
RESTful WoT API
Devices addressable through IRIs
RESTful API for the WoT
Identification and representation of things
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 12/27

26. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Agency Layer
Agents as individuals
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 13/27

27. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Agency Layer
Agents as individuals
Hey washing machine,
do my laundry!
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 13/27

28. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Agency Layer
Agents as individuals
Hey washing machine,
do my laundry!
Washing.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 13/27

29. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Agency Layer
Agents as individuals
Hey washing machine,
do my laundry!
Washing.
Done
washing.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 13/27

30. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Agency Layer
Agents as individuals
Hey washing machine,
do my laundry!
Washing.
Done
washing.
• Connectivity: Integration at the level of the social networking service
(SNS).
• Relationship management: Hardcoded in the agent.
• Decision-making: Based on agent’s knowledge.
• Coordination mechanisms: Hardcoded in the agent.
• Control of autonomy: Application-level.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 13/27

31. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
Application
Organizational
Social
Agents in social structures
Agency
Agents
Agent architecture: simple model, reactive, cognitive, etc.
Decision-making based on individual knowledge.
RESTful WoT API
Devices addressable through IRIs
RESTful API for the WoT
Identification and representation of things
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 14/27

32. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
• What would a STN look like?
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 15/27

33. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
• What would a STN look like?
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 15/27

34. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
• What would a STN look like?
• The Socio-technical Graph (STG) is an edge-labeled directed
multigraph.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 15/27

35. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
• What would a STN look like?
• The Socio-technical Graph (STG) is an edge-labeled directed
multigraph.
• Uniform interface: the set of common relevant nouns in SNSs.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 15/27

36. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
Agents in social structures
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 16/27

37. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
Agents in social structures
Hey washing machine,
do my laundry!
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 16/27

38. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
Agents in social structures
Hey washing machine,
do my laundry!
What is the current
power consumption
in the building?
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 16/27

39. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
Agents in social structures
Hey washing machine,
do my laundry!
What is the current
power consumption
in the building?
Some big
value!
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 16/27

40. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
Agents in social structures
Hey washing machine,
do my laundry!
What is the current
power consumption
in the building?
Some big
value!
John, would it be ok
to wait a bit?
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 16/27

41. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
Agents in social structures
Hey washing machine,
do my laundry!
What is the current
power consumption
in the building?
Some big
value!
John, would it be ok
to wait a bit?
• Connectivity: Access to an open set of social networks.
• Relationship management: Hardcoded in the agent.
• Decision-making: Based on collective knowledge.
• Coordination mechanisms: Hardcoded in the agent.
• Control of autonomy: Application-level.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 16/27

42. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Social Layer
Application
Organizational
Social
Agents in social structures
Access to an open set of social networks.
Decision-making based on collective knowledge.
Agency
Agents
Agent architecture: simple model, reactive, cognitive, etc.
Decision-making based on individual knowledge.
RESTful WoT API
Devices addressable through IRIs
RESTful API for the WoT
Identification and representation of things
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 17/27

43. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Application
Organizational
Agents in organizations
Social
Agents in social structures
Access to an open set of social networks.
Decision-making based on collective knowledge.
Agency
Agents
Agent architecture: simple model, reactive, cognitive, etc.
Decision-making based on individual knowledge.
RESTful WoT API
Devices addressable through IRIs
RESTful API for the WoT
Identification and representation of things
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 18/27

44. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Agents in organizations
• Organizational models: AGR [Ferber et al., 2004], MOISE+
[Hubner et al., 2007], OperA [Dignum, 2004], etc.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 19/27

45. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Agents in organizations
• Organizational models: AGR [Ferber et al., 2004], MOISE+
[Hubner et al., 2007], OperA [Dignum, 2004], etc.
• Organizations can enable control on 3 dimensions: structural,
communication, and functional.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 19/27

46. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Agents in organizations
• Organizational models: AGR [Ferber et al., 2004], MOISE+
[Hubner et al., 2007], OperA [Dignum, 2004], etc.
• Organizations can enable control on 3 dimensions: structural,
communication, and functional.
• A SWoT app for student houses:
• Setting:
• 6 floors;
• 20 studios and 1 laundry room per floor;
• 1 washing machine and 1 dryer per laundry room.
• Objectives:
• Enhance interaction among students.
• Improve the QoS of the laundromats.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 19/27

47. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Structural control
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 20/27

48. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Structural control
Hello StudentHouse!
I’m Joe’s door
and I’m enacting
role Door in
group 3rd floor.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 20/27

49. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Structural control
Hello StudentHouse!
I’m Joe’s door
and I’m enacting
role Door in
group 3rd floor.
Hello Joe’s door!
In this student
house, all Doors
are connected.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 20/27

50. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Structural control
Hello StudentHouse!
I’m Joe’s door
and I’m enacting
role Door in
group 3rd floor.
Hello Joe’s door!
In this student
house, all Doors
are connected.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 20/27

51. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Structural control
Hello StudentHouse!
I’m Joe’s door
and I’m enacting
role Door in
group 3rd floor.
Hello Joe’s door!
In this student
house, all Doors
are connected.
• The structural specification can encourage or discourage
connections in the STG.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 20/27

52. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Communication control
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 21/27

53. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Communication control
Door, I’m going to throw
a party on my floor!
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 21/27

54. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Communication control
Door, I’m going to throw
a party on my floor!
All Doors in
3rd floor, Joe is
throwing a party!
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 21/27

55. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Communication control
Door, I’m going to throw
a party on my floor!
All Doors in
3rd floor, Joe is
throwing a party!
Woohoo!:(
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 21/27

56. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Communication control
Door, I’m going to throw
a party on my floor!
All Doors in
3rd floor, Joe is
throwing a party!
Woohoo!:(
• Placing information in the appropriate context.
• Object-centered communication.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 21/27

57. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Functional control
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 22/27

58. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Functional control
You will have to
check out the demo
for this one! ;)
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 22/27

59. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Functional control
You will have to
check out the demo
for this one! ;)
• Coordination mechanisms through top-down specifications of
organizational processes.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 22/27

60. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
• Agents in organizations
• Connectivity: Access to an open set of social networks.
• Relationship management: Can be enforced at the organizational
level.
• Decision-making: Based on collective and organizational knowledge.
• Coordination mechanisms: Organizational proceses (e.g. goal
decomposition trees).
• Control of autonomy: Organization-level.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 23/27

61. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Organizational Layer
Application
Organizational
Agents in organizations
Control and coordination at the organization-level.
Decision-making based on organizational knowledge.
Social
Agents in social structures
Access to an open set of social networks.
Decision-making based on collective knowledge.
Agency
Agents
Agent architecture: simple model, reactive, cognitive, etc.
Decision-making based on individual knowledge.
RESTful WoT API
Devices addressable through IRIs
RESTful API for the WoT
Identification and representation of things
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 24/27

62. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
The Application Layer
Application
Standards, protocols and mechanisms
Management of services, content and social platform
resources.
Organizational
Agents in organizations
Control and coordination at the organization-level.
Decision-making based on organizational knowledge.
Social
Agents in social structures
Access to an open set of social networks.
Decision-making based on collective knowledge.
Agency
Agents
Agent architecture: simple model, reactive, cognitive, etc.
Decision-making based on individual knowledge.
RESTful WoT API
Devices addressable through IRIs
RESTful API for the WoT
Identification and representation of things
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 25/27

63. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
• We have offered an interpretation on the evolution of the Web
from several perspectives: socialness, pervasiveness, and
pro-activeness.
• We have defined and motivated our vision for the SWoT at
the convergence of these 3 dimensions.
• We have discussed a possible approach towards implementing
this vision, introducing a layer of normative organizations for:
• bringing more autonomy to things;
• enabling control over the autonomy of things;
• supporting coordinated behavior in SWoT apps.
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 26/27

64. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
Thank you!
Reconsidering the Social Web of Things (Position Paper) 27/27

65. On the Evolution of the Web Towards a Social Web of Things A Layered Model for the SWoT Conclusions
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Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 2012. URL
http://2012.ai4ie.de/presentations/ai4ie_boissier.pdf.
MV Dignum. A model for organizational interaction: based on agents, founded in logic. 2004.
Jacques Ferber, Olivier Gutknecht, and Fabien Michel. From agents to organizations: an organizational view of
multi-agent systems. In Agent-Oriented Software Engineering IV, pages 214–230. Springer, 2004.
Dominique Guinard. A Web of Things Application Architecture: Integrating the Real-world Into the Web. PhD
thesis, 2011.
Dominique Guinard, Mathias Fischer, and Vlad Trifa. Sharing using social networks in a composable web of things.
In Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops (PERCOM Workshops), 2010 8th IEEE International
Conference on, pages 702–707. IEEE, 2010.
Jomi F Hubner, Jaime S Sichman, and Olivier Boissier. Developing organised multiagent systems using the moise+
model: programming issues at the system and agent levels. International Journal of Agent-Oriented Software
Engineering, 1(3):370–395, 2007.
Matthias Kranz, Luis Roalter, and Florian Michahelles. Things that twitter: social networks and the internet of
things. In What can the Internet of Things do for the Citizen (CIoT) Workshop at The Eighth International
Conference on Pervasive Computing (Pervasive 2010), 2010.
Michael Wooldridge, Nicholas R Jennings, et al. Intelligent agents: Theory and practice. Knowledge engineering
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