SP Simulator

The SPSimulator tool enhances the semantic modeling of context information by providing means to build contextual models of different environments without requiring any particular knowledge of semantic technologies such as ontologies. The goal of the SPSimulator component is to support SP developers to comprehend the whole smart products ecosystem (e.g. “smart kitchen”, “A/C assembly”) from the stance of proactive knowledge base. The SPSimulator tool enhances the semantic modeling of context information by providing means to build contextual models of different environments without requiring any particular knowledge of semantic technologies such as ontologies. Additionally, it enables developers to visualize these context models. The semantic context models created with the simulator tool are saved as OWL files that can be used by applications or published as context sources for more dynamic use

SPSimulator supports the simulation of different changes that may occur in a context by providing simple graphical operations for generating context change events . For example, a user may change the location of a person or generate a new set of sensor values thus allowing client applications to test their behavior against different context changes. The integration with MundoCore provides well defined interfaces for remote or local client applications to register as listener for SPSimulator context events.

Developer: Ilkka Niskanen

License:

At this moment the SPSimulator tool is available for the project internal use. In future, the approach is targeted to be published under the BSD licence. The SPSimulator tool uses Jena Semantic Web framework for managing ontologies and MundoCore and communication middleware for sharing context information for either remote or local applications.

Download

Is currently available in the project SVN repository. Will be made publicly available. 

How to get started

Once the user has downloaded and compiled the tool with the 'ant' tool, the building of semantic context models can be started. Different areas or rooms are created by drawing them with a mouse.

Items can be instantiated by drag-n dropping them inside rooms.

Once the user has completed the creation of a context model, it can be saved as an OWL file. This OWL file can be used by other applications as a source of context information or re-opened with the SPSimulator to be visualized and/or edited at a later time. The context model can also be used as a more dynamic source of context information, which is described next.

The editing operations provided by the SPSimulator can simulate changes that may occur in real life contexts, such as home environments. Each time a context model is edited, the simulator tool forms a context event description that can be passed to other applications. By receiving these context change events, context aware applications can test their behaviour against different changes in a context. The sharing of context data is carried out by utilizing the MundoCore middleware. SPSimulator provides a function to publish itself to a MundoCore channel and start sending context change information for client applications. To receive context data, a client application must subscribe itself to the same channel that the simulator tool is using.

API Documentation

SPSimulator tool does not provide any explicit API descriptions for other applications to use. Instead, it supports the end-users by providing a possibility to create context models and simulate context change events.

Related Tools (if applicable)

• http://www.vtt.fi/proj/vantagepoint/index.jsp?lang=en

Additional Material

• D3.1.1 Requirements analysis for Smart Products based Knowledge Management

• D3.1.2-D3.2.1-D3.3.1 Initial Version of Knowledge management Methodologies and Technologies
• D.3.4.1 Design of Knowledge Management Methodologies and Technologies - Update