Abstract
Pervasive computing is emerging as the new paradigm for the XXI century. Although it may be a new concept for many, its first ideas were introduced in 1991, in the seminal paper of Mark Weiser (Weiser, 1991). The primary vision of such a paradigm is that computing becomes part of our lives, being available anytime and anywhere. In other words, it replaced the idea of each person using a single computer at a time (i.e., the personal computer paradigm) to the one where each person can use many computers, which are embedded in everyday life objects (e.g., clothes, phone and automobile).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Context: Any information that can be used to characterize the situation of an entity.
Pervasive Computing: The vision conceived by Mark Weiser which consists of a world where computing is a part of our lives, being embedded in every day objects.
Ontology: The study of the nature of being, reality, and substance.
Paradigm: An abstract basic structure, of some tenure, in which knowledge is related within a given realm.
Context-Awareness: To be aware of the context in order to give relevant services to the user.
Computing Devices: Everyday objects embedded with computing and communication capabilities.
Pervasive Environment: Environments saturated with computing devices acting proactively on behalf of the persons.