Model, properties, and applications of context-aware web services

Context-aware Web services is a seamless interaction between service requestors and services considering both contextual requirements of services and contextual conditions of the service requestors. We envision that providing context-aware Web services is the first step toward the ultimate goal of e-services by delivering right services from right partners at right time. This chapter aims for the models, properties, and applications of context-aware Web services by developing an ontology-based context model, and identifying context-aware applications as well as their properties. We have developed an ontology-based context model to enable formal description and acquisition of contextual information pertaining to service requestors and services. The context model is supported by context query and phrased acquisition techniques. We will also report three context-aware applications built on top of our context model as a proof-of-concept to demonstrate how our context model can be used to enable and facilitate in finding right services, right partners (collaborators), and right information (content presentation).