A graph-based approach for interference free integration of commercial off-the-shelf elements in pervasive computing systems

• Reflective framework to manage behavior interferences between COTS Ubicomp systems.
• Meta-model for representing the behavior and interaction of COTS Ubicomp systems.
• OpenSim-based pre-deployment test of behavioral/functional interferences.
• Post-deployment introspection and adaption of behavioral/functional interferences.

Commercial off-the-shelf devices and applications are expected to be pivotal in the coming massive deployment of pervasive computing technology in home settings. The integration of these devices and applications in the same household may result in unplanned interactions involving users and entertainment, communication, and health-related devices and applications. These unplanned interactions are a serious concern when, for example, communication or entertainment applications interfere with the behavior of health-related devices. This paper presents a novel graph-based approach for representing the expected behavior of commercial off-the-shelf devices and applications, their interactions, and for detecting interference in pervasive computing systems. A set of home care scenarios is used to assess the applicability of this approach. We then provide two setups where this approach can be applied: (i) in a pre-deployment setup, where simulation is used to detect possible instances of interference, and (ii) at run-time, collecting observations from devices and applications and detecting interference as it occurs. For pre-deployment and simulation we use Opensim to recreate a home household. For run-time, we use Simple Network Management Protocol for systems state introspection and a sliding window mechanism to process the collected data-stream.