The Context-Dependent Mobile Communication Platform

Context-aware applications for guiding users exist in several versions, mostly using visual interaction. However, users should have eyes and hands free for more important tasks like navigating and observing their surroundings. This report describes the development of a piece of middleware, the context-dependent mobile communication platform, that facilitates easy construction of LBSs using speech interaction by handling much of the conversation logistics internally in the platform itself. The platform is based on both positioning and speech technologies, supporting dynamically generated system responses which can be provided to the user in a push or pull based manner.

In order to demonstrate the platform usability, an LBS has been implemented taking the main concepts of the DELCA (dis-embodied location-specific conversational agents) project. In short, the DELCA project presents a collection of conversational agents capable of generating synthesized speech by using existing speech technologies. Based on the positioning technology, these location-specific conversational agents will be able to make conversation with a registered user according to his/her location.