=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-402/paper-1
|storemode=property
|title=Ambient Information Systems 2008 - Introduction
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-402/paper01.pdf
|volume=Vol-402
}}
==Ambient Information Systems 2008 - Introduction==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-402/paper01.pdf
Ambient Information Systems 2008
William R. Hazlewood1, Lorcan Coyle2, Zachary Pousman3, Youn-Kyung Lim4
1
Indiana University School of Informatics
whazlewo@indiana.edu
2
Systems Research Group, University College Dublin, Ireland
lorcan.coyle@ucd.ie
3
GVU, Georgia Institute of Technology
zach@cc.gatech.edu
4
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
younlim@gmail.com
• How are ambient information systems distinct from other
PREFACE
information technologies?
Current research in pervasive and ubiquitous computing is
guiding us to a future where we are surrounded by • What are examples of useful heuristics, frameworks,
innumerable information sources all competing for our taxonomies, or design principles for the implementation of
attention. These information sources may manifest as both ambient information?
novel devices and as devices embedded in common objects, • Should Ambient Information Systems move beyond the
such as refrigerators, automobiles, toys, furniture, clothes, traditional scope of vision; is there merit in Ambient Noise,
and even our own bodies. While this vision of the future has Ambient Smells, Tactile Ambience, and Ambient Taste?
prompted great advancements in context-aware computing,
• How much ambient information can one perceive and
wireless connectivity, multi-sensor platforms, smart
comprehend?
materials, and location-tracking technologies, there is a
concern that this proliferation of technology will • What, if any, are the appropriate interaction methods for
increasingly overwhelm us with information. Our belief is these information devices?
that information should move seamlessly between the • Where should ambient systems be placed to improve their
periphery and the center of one's attention, and that good chances of being used, without becoming distracting or
technology should be highly transparent. We see ambient annoying?
information systems as a way to support these ideas.
• What sorts of information are best conveyed by an
Ambient Information Systems describe a large set of
ambient display?
applications that publish information in a highly non-
intrusive manner, following on from Mark Weiser's concept • What are the appropriate methods for evaluating ambient
of calm technology. This form of information delivery has information systems, particularly those that are not
manifested in several different implementations, but the necessarily task-based?
overall theme revolves around how best to embed • How do we describe the values of these particular
information into our surroundings. technologies in our everyday lives?
The Second International Workshop on the Design and • How can we make use of existing technologies? (e.g.
Evaluation of Ambient Information Systems was held in smart materials, wearable systems, etc.)
COEX, Seoul, South Korea, on September 21st 2008, in • What knowledge from other domains should we apply?
conjunction with the Tenth International Conference on (e.g., from art, cognitive science, design, psychology,
Ubiquitous Computing. Building on the success of last sociology)
year's workshop at Pervasive 2007 [9], we brought together
researchers working in the areas of ambient displays,
peripheral displays, slow technology, glanceable displays, We were also particularly interested to hear about ambient
and calm technology to discuss and collaborate on information systems in the following areas:
developing new design approaches for creating ambient
information systems. • Resource Consumption, e.g., power, heat, water, food, and
for shared or personal resources
WORKSHOP TOPICS • Work and workload “progress” (e.g., explicitly or
The workshop topics were for the most part listed as a set of implicitly gathered data, or those based on a workflow)
questions. These included:
1
PROGRAM COMMITTEE raindrop to Koert van Mensvoort’s Data Fountain and
Our program committee was responsible for reviewing all Kuribayashi and Wakita’s PlantDisplay. She then proposed
of the papers submitted to the workshop, and consisted of that such observations of nature could inform the design of
the following members: natural interactions and abstraction of the communication
Frank Bentley, Motorola Labs, USA infrastructure in a mobile application, hiding the complexity
and at the same time enhancing the overall experience [x].
Jodi Forlizzi, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
Andrew Vande Moere, University of Sydney, Australia The Evaluation of Ambient Information Systems
While all the presentations discussed the design of ambient
Steve Neely, University College Dublin, Ireland
information systems at some level, a few of the
Aaron Quigley, University College Dublin, Ireland presentations were more focused on evaluations that were
Albrecht Schmidt, Research Group Embedded Interaction, conducted. For instance, Fabian Hemmert described a
Germany system that involved a novel approach for conveying the
status of a mobile phone to its owner [2]. This involved
John Stasko, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA having the phone provide a heartbeat that was smooth and
Erik Stolterman, Indiana University, USA regular when no attention was required, and became erratic
Martin Tomitsch, Vienna University of Technology, otherwise. Several prototypes were constructed, and a user
Austria study was conducted with 6 participants using qualitative
measures such as video interviews, and self-report diaries.
OUTCOMES The results of the study showed that more work would be
There were 8 papers accepted to this year’s workshop, required to refine the system so that it is less annoying at
which was held at the Tenth International Conference on various times, and users requested that the phones be silent
Ubiquitous Computing in Seoul, South Korea. Some of when nothing requires attention, and provide a subtle, but
these papers had a very strong emphasis on the design of perceivable, heartbeat like pulse when the status changes.
AIS technologies, some centered on evaluation strategies,
Umar Rashid presented a thorough case study on the
and others focused on new systems that have been
utilization of ambient displays in an academic setting [6]. In
developed. Below we will discuss the presentations that
this study he applied a questionnaire-based survey to collect
occurred during the workshop organized by their emphasis
the experiences and expectations of those who are
on design, evaluation, and new system implementation.
potentially affected by the displays installed within his own
department. One finding was that people reported that one
The Design of Ambient Information Systems
of the most useful pieces of information presented on the
Alois Ferscha presented “Ambient Façades”, which
displays is the profiles academic and research staff. During
explored how people perceive urban environments by
the discussion at the workshop, it was suggested that people
enhancing the local architecture’s ability to convey what
seeing the images of a select group of people on the
sorts of activities are taking place within a particular
displays may help people to understand something about
building by projecting information directly onto a
the structure of the hierarchy within the lab so that the lab
building’s façade [8]. During the workshop, an example
directors and major contributors could be recognized more
was given of an opera house that displayed clips of the
quickly. Of course, as always, people reported several other
opera within to better inform people who may be looking
types of data they would like to see upon these displays.
for that particular kind of entertainment, as well as give
onlookers a sense of the local culture.
New Ambient Information Systems
Dietmar Offenhuber delved more deeply into the Ross Shannon presented the initial results for a system that
application of context on AIS design by having us consider monitors a person’s communication behaviors with friends,
the concept of the “Invisible Display” [5]. He proposed that and builds a model that can help remind people to stay in
the experience of an ambient display is determined by the touch with one another [3]. During the workshop
way it is situated within its local context whether than with discussion, this example brought up a great deal of
various intrinsic qualities, and that a redefinition of the controversy in that people were not sure that they wanted a
concept of a display is needed which looks beyond the system that prompted people to contact their friends in such
traditional notion of a screen. In his discussion, he proposes a manner, but it was concluded that there are possibilities
several strategies for integrating information specifically for such a system as a form of data input for other ambient
into urban contexts. displays. For example, such a system could be used to drive
an ambient display intended to promote cohesiveness
Rosaleen Hegarty presented a thought provoking piece of
amongst a social network, such as a group of friends or a
work on ambient interface design for Mobile Browsing
project team within a company.
Experience [1]. In this presentation she provide a strong
design rational that looked at how ambient information Lorcan Coyle presented a system that allowed people to
exists in nature, comparing the signal and suggestion of a construct “ambient jewelry” that can be shared with friends
so as to provide a strong sense of presence and awareness Phones. Proc. of 2nd Workshop on Ambient Information
[4]. In this system, a user can construct a jewel of their own Systems. Colocated with Ubicomp 2008, Seoul, South
design, which changes based on their mouse moments, Korea, September 21, 2008.
keyboard activity, connection state, etc. A user of this 3. Eugene Kenny, Ross Shannon, and Aaron Quigley:
system can quickly see the state of his or her social network Stay-in-touch: a system for ambient social reminders.
by arranging these jewels on the desktop of their computer Proc. of 2nd Workshop on Ambient Information
and perceiving the subtle changes as they go about their Systems. Colocated with Ubicomp 2008, Seoul, South
normal activities. A bit of discussion arose during the Korea, September 21, 2008.
presentation as to the possible difficulty in explaining how
each user mapped their actions to the animation shown on 4. German Lado Insua, Mike Bennett, Paddy Nixon, and
their jewels, and whether this would provide an overall Lorcan Coyle: User Generated Ambient Presence. Proc.
benefit to a community by spawning more back channel of 2nd Workshop on Ambient Information Systems.
communication and socialization. Colocated with Ubicomp 2008, Seoul, South Korea,
September 21, 2008.
Silva Torsi described a new system that made use of some
of the tenants of ambient display technology to inform the 5. Dietmar Offenhuber: The Invisible Display - Design
development of a device for landmine detection [7]. In this Strategies for Ambient Media in the Urban Context.
system a display was attached to a standard landmine Proc. of 2nd Workshop on Ambient Information
detector, and the basic steps of landmine detection were Systems. Colocated with Ubicomp 2008, Seoul, South
isolated to produce a visualization that made the process Korea, September 21, 2008.
more efficient by offloading some of the cognitive effort of 6. Umar Rashid and Aaron Quigley: Ambient Displays in
the operator. Academic Settings: Avoiding their Underutilization.
Proc. of 2nd Workshop on Ambient Information
CONCLUSION Systems. Colocated with Ubicomp 2008, Seoul, South
We consider this year’s workshop to have been a great Korea, September 21, 2008.
success. Several valuable discussions were spawned, and as
7. Silvia Torsi and Antonio Rizzo: A Notification System
with last year, some very strong research connections were
for a Landmine Detector Using Distributed Cognition.
created that will hopefully lead to good collaborations in
Proc. of 2nd Workshop on Ambient Information
the future. Because of the success of this workshop, we are
Systems. Colocated with Ubicomp 2008, Seoul, South
already considering where would be the optimum place to
Korea, September 21, 2008.
host AIS 2009.
8. Bernhard Wally and Alois Ferscha: Ambient Façades
REFERENCES Proc. of 2nd Workshop on Ambient Information
1. Rosaleen Hegarty, Tom Lunney, Kevin Curran, and Systems. Colocated with Ubicomp 2008, Seoul, South
Maurice Mulvenna: Ambient interface design for a Korea, September 21, 2008.
Mobile Browsing Experience (AMBE). Proc. of 2nd 9. William R. Hazlewood, Lorcan Coyle, Sunny Consolvo:
Workshop on Ambient Information Systems. Colocated Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on
with Ubicomp 2008, Seoul, South Korea, September 21, Ambient Information Systems, Colocated at Pervasive
2008. 2007, Toronto, Canada, May 13, 2007 CEUR-WS.org
2. Fabian Hemmert: Ambient Life: Interrupted Permanent 2007
Tactile Life-like Actuation as a Status Display in Mobile
3