Framework for development of rule based sensor services in the Argos middleware platform

Abstract

Argos is a middleware platform developed at the University of Tromsø. It provides tailored, flexible and extensible middleware support. In this thesis we suggest a new approach to creating user services for Argos by using a rule engine to setup the program flow for components in Argos. The users are provided with a graphical tool where they can set up rules that can trigger an action. The input, called a fact, to the rule and the action that is triggered has to be picked from the methods of the components in Argos. These fact/ action-methods are component methods annotated with fact/action annotation which is part of the created rule engine system service for Argos.

The created rule engine system service also provides an API that is available to all programmers that want to use rules in their Argos components. There are many advantages to expressing functionality trough rules opposed to conventional declarative programming. By only telling the program what to do and not how to do it, rules are more easily understood by humans. This can benefit both the experienced programmer and the non-technical partner in a project.

Lifestyle diseases are a growing problem in Western Europe and North-America. An application, realized trough the rule editor tool, for monitoring a user’s activity and give feedback will also be presented.