HyCon and HyConExplorer was developed in the ContextIT project, which was funded by the Danish National Center of IT research. The Partners were: Euman A/S, TDC/InnovationLab, Aalborg University, Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Department of Computer Science. HyCon development and deployment continues in Center for Interactive Spaces, under ISIS Katrinebjerg, at University of Aarhus (http://www.interactivespaces.net).
HyCon is a framework and infrastructure for context aware hypermedia systems developed primarily by the hypermedia group at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. The HyCon framework encompasses annotations, links, and guided tours associating locations and RFID- or Bluetooth-tagged objects with maps, Web pages, and collections of resources. The HyCon architecture extends upon earlier location based hypermedia systems by supporting authoring in the field and by providing access to browsing and searching information through a novel geo-based search (GBS) interface for the Web.
HyconExplorer/J2ME
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HyconExplorer for Java-enabled wireless devices.
HyconExplorer/J2ME can be installed directly from the phone. Just point your phone's Wap/Web browser to the following URL:
http://www.daimi.au.dk/~fah/hycon and follow the instructions on the page.
For the best use experience make sure to set the proper permissions for the application, otherwise the phone will promt for access to the network, GPS, and camera each time they are used (On Series60 phones permissions are set through the Symbian App. Manager: [Manager->Hycon MIDlet Suite->Settings]).
If you prefer an offline installation then download and transfer the two files above to the phone. Install HyconExplorer/J2ME by activating the JAD file and follow the instructions. After the installation has completed you may delete the files from the phone. Screenshots from PalmOS: [1] |
HyconExplorer/J2ME requires a Java device supporting at least the MIDP-2.0 profile and the BlueTooth APIs for Java (jsr-82). The prototype has been tested on Nokia 6600 phones and any newer Nokia Series60 phone should work as well (note the Nokia Series60 phones 3650 and 7650 won't work, since they only support MIDP-1.0). Update: there seems to be a bug in the Stream implementation over BlueTooth on Nokia 7610 and 6670 phones, and the GPS implementation in HyconExplorer/J2ME will not run on these models. The new Nokia 6630, on the other hand, works fine.
An online installation can be made directly from the phone, by pointing the Wap/XHTML browser to: http://www.daimi.au.dk/~fah/hycon and click on the JAD file.
HyconExplorer Tablet Edition
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HyconExplorer for TabletPCs and laptop computers.
HyconExplorer Tablet Edition is packaged as a Java WebStart. To install the application just press the link above.
Screenshots: [1]
[2]
[3]
Older videos: [1: Basic browsing support (wmv, 1,2M)] [2: Geo Based Search (GBS) (wmv, 444k)] [3: Annotations (wmv, 806k)] [4: Trail blazing (wmv, 952k)] |
HyconExplorer Tablet Edition is designed to run on Tablet PCs, but can also be used on standard Microsoft Windows based laptop and desktop boxes. HyconExplorer Tablet Edition has the following prerequisites:
These packages should be installed prior to downloading the HyconExplorer Tablet Ed. Webstart package.HyconBoard
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User-tracker and awareness display for SmartBoards.
HyconBoard is packaged as a Java WebStart. To install the application just press the link above.
Screenshots:
[1]
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Features
HyCon adds context-aware support to the classical hypermedia concepts of browsing, searching, and, creating and following links, annotations and guided tours. Using HyCon, users can create links, annotations, and trails of links, which are automatically tagged with context information sensed from the physical environment. When moving about in the physical world, these hypermedia structures are presented to the user, if the user's context matches that of the structures. Similarly, automatic execution of searches through unstructured Web resources for information relating to the user's context may be initiated when parameters change in the user's physical context (time, location, etc.).
HyCon and the HyCon client applications are not GIS (geographic information systems), but utilize maps in the user interface as a way to present the relations between digital information and the user's context.
School projects have inspired the design of the HyCon framework. Initial prototypes were developed in a participatory design process together with kids and teachers from a local school. Children engaged in learning activities away from the classroom may benefit from context aware hypermedia services in several ways. Modern pedagogy is project oriented and stimulates pupils to work in groups where they research a subject and make some report, multimedia production and/or oral presentation. For such learning activities pupils and students need to document their exploration of subjects outside the class room. This requires some mobile tools to support the documentation and preliminary production of content for the final reporting. Thus pupils may carry mobile devices that let them collect, organise and work with information they produce or find through our context-based hypermedia services. The mobile devices may be used both to capture and collect information in the field and as an interface to start presentations of the collected information in interactive room environments in schools, universities, libraries or other learning environments.
The development and evaluation of HyCon will continue to the end of 2006.