Vol.1 No.1 March, 2005

Editorial (pp001-002)
        D. Taniar, J-H Ma, I.K. Ibrahim, and K.H. Liu       
Research articles:
MUVA: a Flexible Visualization Architecture for Multiple Client Platforms (pp003-017)
        L. Skorin-Kapov, H. Komericki, M. Matijasevic, I. Pandzic and M. Mosmondor
Information visualization techniques are invaluable tools in numerous applications such as those involving large databases and document collections. Ubiquitous usage of such techniques can provide universal access to complex information. The main goal of our work is to provide such universal visual access to information through the proposed Multiplatform Universal Visualization Architecture (MUVA). MUVA is a collection of software modules that allow visualization of the same data across a wide range of platforms, from workstations to mobile phones, while automatically adapting the visualization and delivery modes to the particular platform. In the center of the architecture are the visualization tools, which represent various concepts of visualizing the data, such as 3D tree displays or simple 2D tables. The visualization tools are separated from actual client platforms by platform drivers, which adapt the output and delivery mode to each particular platform. On the input side, MUVA separates the data retrieval from the abstract visualization tools, so that any data source can be easily connected by implementing a thin application interface. In this way, MUVA can be used to provide ubiquitous information visualization for various services spanning a wide range of application domains. Implementation of the proposed architecture is demonstrated in two multiplatform visualization case studies; one for visualization of Grid monitoring data, and the other for weather data based on geographical location.

Combining Location-Aware Mobile Phone Applications and Multimedia Messaging (pp018-032)
        J. Häkkilä and J. Mäntyjärvi
The quickly emerging usage of multimedia messages offers a new approach for mobile collaboration between users and services by providing a mature and easily accessible technology. This article presents a model for combining multimedia messaging, location awareness of a mobile phone and phone applications, and presents a study of users’ experiences when they receive the functionality by multimedia message. The results show that the visual information provided in MM messages was perceived to support orientation in the current location and it was considered important. The results also show that social acceptance of the location-aware multimedia message attached application functionality varies between different message categories, favoring user control and personal filtering. It is suggested that the distinct information elements to be considered carefully in technical implementation and in user interface design include sharing and access right management. Particular attention must be paid to designing a categorization system, which is required for successful information filtering and for user interface design. The categorization system must be either commonly agreed or highly customizable.

An Implementation of Location-aware Multimedia Information Download to Mobile System (pp033-046)
        P.K.C. Tse, W.K. Lam, K.W. Ng and C. Chan
Current mobile devices can capture and receive multimedia objects via the network operators. There are not many application systems that handle multimedia objects existing in both computers and mobile devices. We have successfully developed an application system to directly deliver multimedia objects from computers at local exhibition booths to the multimedia-enabled mobile phones. In this paper, we describe our target application as the location-aware multimedia information system in an exhibition centre. We have used different techniques including file stripping, proxy delivery, image preprocessing, transcoding, and Bluetooth protocol in this system.

Road Talk: a Roadside Location-Dependent Audio Message System for Car Drivers (pp047-061)
        M. Östergren and O. Juhlin
We present the Road Talk application which is a mobile message system for car drivers. It is designed to allow messaging while driving, for instance, sending notes to surrounding drivers to tell them about hazards. The user annotates the road with audio recordings, typically voice memos.  This annotation is location-based, which means that messages are automatically coupled to the location where the audio was recorded. When another driver coincides with this location the audio file is automatically played. In the background, messages are also shared with fellow car drivers. This distribution draws on wireless mobile ad hoc networking (MANET) and the physical movement of vehicles. We designed messages to spread ‘epidemically’, since MANETs between vehicles are often disconnected. Messages hop from one car to the other when there is coverage and then passively travel some physical distance. Then they hop again when coverage reappears. The design of Road Talk is motivated and informed by a statistical analysis of commercially available systems for distributing warnings of speed trap events. These events occur where police monitors conformance to speed limits and although our intention is not to improve these services the analysis gave insights in, for example, temporal and spatial occurrences of roadside location-dependent messages.

Dynamic Multimedia Templates for Users of Wireless Pervasive Computing Devices (pp062-090)
        E.M. Poon and D.J. Chen
The advent of wireless computing has created a myriad of opportunity for developing mobile applications, but it has also created several challenges for application software developers because of the limited computing resources offered by these devices. Porting multimedia application software from traditional desktop computers to pervasive computing devices, in particular, has become a big challenge. Both academic and industrial sectors are investing great attention and effort to overcome issues posed by this problem. In an effort to address this problem, we present the use of dynamic web-based multimedia templates. In a mobile environment where time and resources are scarce and user productivity is particularly demanding, templates minimize the complexity of creating presentations by offering assistance and flexibility for mobile e-learners to create and customize them directly from their devices in an efficient and effective way. Application examples based on the proposed dynamic web-based multimedia templates are constructed and used to demonstrate the applicability and feasibility on pervasive computing devices. Also, an assessment of the proposed approach is given to address some application challenges that exist in a pervasive computing environment.