Contextual Computing

We have been using GPSs on our smartphones for years. A GPS system delivers location-based services—for example, telling you which street to take when you’re traveling from the eastern part of a city to the western part in order to arrive at a particular place.

Applications such as Apple’s Siri and Google Now carry this idea a bit further. For example, Google Now uses information it has about a particular user to offer, say, weather forecasts, street directions, or sports scores for games that the user is interested in. It provides such information based on a user’s previous behavior and the user’s current location.

Humans make decisions based on what they know and how they feel about something, drawing on experiences they have accumulated throughout their lives. Sometimes referred to as our sixth, seventh, and eighth senses, contextual computing refers to a computing environment that is always present, can feel our surroundings, and—based on who we are, where we are, and whom we are with—offer recommendations.

The principle behind contextual computing is that computers can both sense and react to their environments similar to how human brains understand and interpret stimuli. In essence, contextual computing allows for tailoring a course of action to a user in a particular situation and environment based on what it knows about the user. To achieve this, many of the information technologies discussed in this textbook may be used, including computer networks, software, hardware, database systems, and AI technologies.