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This work was previously published in Semantic Web Technologies and E-Business: Toward the Integrated Virtual Organiza-
tion and Business Process Automation, edited by A. Salam and J. Stevens, pp. 405-420, copyright 2007 by IGI Publishing (an
imprint of IGI Global).
Section VIII
Emerging Trends
7KLVVHFWLRQKLJKOLJKWVUHVHDUFKSRWHQWLDOZLWKLQWKH¿HOGRIHEXVLQHVVZKLOHH[SORULQJXQFKDUWHGDU-
eas of study for the advancement of the discipline. Chapters within this section highlight evolutions in
agent-based e-business systems, enhancing e-business on the semantic web, and new trends in electronic

payment systems for e-business. These contributions, which conclude this exhaustive, multi-volume set,
provide emerging trends and suggestions for future research within this rapidly expanding discipline.
2337
Copyright © 2009, IGI Global, distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.
Chapter 8.1
A Roadmap for Ambient
E-Service:
Applications and Embracing Model
Yuan-Chu Hwang
National Chengchi University, Taiwan
Soe-Tsyr Yuan
National Chengchi University, Taiwan
ABSTRACT
M o s t of t h e e x i s t i n g m o b i l e s e r v i c e s we r e d e s i g n e d
based on the client/server architecture. Those mo-
bile services neither paid much attention to mobile
users’ interactions with their environments nor
considered the collective efforts between the mo-
bile users in a dynamic peer group. In this article,
WKHQRWLRQRIDPELHQWHVHUYLFHLVVRGH¿QHGDVWR
identify a new scope of mobile e-service, which
address dynamic collective efforts between mobile
users (enabled by mobile peer-to-peer technology),
dynamic interactions with ambient environments
(envisioned by location-based service), the mo-
ment of value (empowered by wireless technolo-
gies), and low cost service provision. The notable
features of ambient e-services are the exhilarated
OLQNDJHEDVHGRQVRFLDOFRQWH[WDQGVLJQL¿FDQWO\
rapid growth of connections. We also present

an ambient e-service framework that character-
izes ambient e-services with three dimensions
(value stack, environment stack, and technology
stack), followed by several exemplars of ambient
e-service applications. Moreover, we present the
ambient e-service embracing model (ASEM) that
addresses the integrated consideration of trust,
reputation, and privacy required for fostering
the growth of ambient e-services and steers the
directions of future fruitful relevant research.
INTRODUCTION TO AMBIENT
E-SERVICE
7KH QRWLRQ RI DPELHQW HVHUYLFH LV GH¿QHG WR
identify a new scope of mobile e-services. Until
now, there have been two different design para-
digms in mobile commerce. Most of the current
mobile commerce applications are grounded in the
client/server architecture, where the only interac-
tions involved are between a service provider and
2338
A Roadmap for Ambient E-Service
a mobile user. Mobile users are standalone. Users
under such service environments cannot interact
with each other easily. Although the issues of
human-computer interaction with mobile devices
has been brought to public attention for the last
several years (Paternò, 2003). In current mobile
service scenarios, interactions, or cooperation
between mobile users are not considered as im-
portant issues. Therefore, collective efforts from

mobile user groups cannot be produced.
Fortunately, the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) technol-
ogy with mobile devices makes it possible for
mobile users to communicate with each other
easily. Mobile users can exchange information
wirelessly under a sensors-enabled environment.
Ambient e-service is designed based on the P2P
architecture that highlights the collaborative
interactions of mobile users.
The notion of ambient e-services addresses
dynamic collective efforts between mobile users
(enabled by mobile-P2P), dynamic interactions
with ambient environments (envisioned by loca-
tion-based services), moment of value, and low
cost service provision. The collective effort is
based on the collaborative interactions of mo-
bile users, which facilitate the low cost service
provision. In a sensor-enabled environment, infor-
mation presentations are embedded in everyday
objects such as pens, walls, or doors. It makes the
environment become an interface of the context
information. Using the Mobile P2P Technol-
ogy, users can exchange their information wire-
lessly and proceed highly extensive interactions.
Grounded on location-based service, location
information of mobile users can be retrieved.
Hence, ambient e-service can provide personal,
timely, and relevant services to mobile users.
Comparing with the client/server design, an
ambient e-service has two major distinguished

features. First, under the client/server architecture,
it is not possible to effectively attain the collec-
tive efforts that are tailored to the contexts of the
user. Second, with the P2P design, the number
RIFRQQHFWLRQVJURZVE\DVLJQL¿FDQWO\UDSLG
pace especially in an open space. For a better
understanding of ambient e-services, we will use
an ambient e-service framework (as shown as
Figure 1) to identify some possible deliverables
(values) of ambient e-services and address the
technologies required to support the applications
of ambient e-services.
This framework is composed of three dimen-
sions, the value stack, the environment stack,
and the technology stack. The descriptions of the
stacks will be detailed as follows.
Value Stack
The ambient YDOXH VWDFN FRPSULVHV ¿YHOD\HUV
indicating the supporting value layers for ambient
Figure 1. Ambient e-service framework
2339
A Roadmap for Ambient E-Service
e-services (deliverables of higher levels requiring
the provision of deliverables of lower levels). The
EDVLFOD\HULVWKH³FRQWH[WLQIRUPDWLRQ´ZKLFKLV
attained from the ambient sensor environments.
A mobile user can interact with the environments
(e.g., entering a room) and the context sensors,
then retrieve context information with the device
carried by the user (e.g., informing the user of his

RU KHU ORFDWLRQ &RPSDULQJ WKH XVHU¶V SUR¿OH
WKH VHFRQG OD\HU ³&RQWH[W $ZDUH ,QIRUPDWLRQ
Items” sends information items to the user that
matches his or her preferences. The information
items received from the environments may be
useful to the user, but sometimes some of the
information items may be irrelevant. With the
communication ability, a mobile peer can col-
laborate with another mobile peer and exchange
carried information items stored in their mobile
devices. Through these collaboration interactions,
it may be the case that there is someone whose
information items are valuable to me and thus I
can exchange or trade with them with a micro
SD\PHQWRUDEDUWHUSURFHVV7KLVLVFDOOHG³&RO-
laboration Value Added Process.”
Not only communicating with only one peer, a
p e e r c a n a l s o i n t e r a c t w i t h a p e e r g r o u p o f mu l t i pl e
peer s. A im ing at the sa me goal or i nterests, a pe er
group can collect their abilities to accomplish the
goal that is impossible for a single peer to reach.
7KHUHIRUH ³&ROOHFWLYH (IIRUW´ UHSUHVHQWV WKH
power of a peer group (or multiple peer groups).
The ambient value subsequently refers to the col-
lective efforts, which include the peers’ interac-
tions and peer groups’ interactions.
Environment Stack
The environment stack consists of three layers
indicating the supporting environment layers for
ambient e-services (environments of higher levels

comprising those of the lower levels). The sketched
stack diagram is shown in Figure 2.
7KH³$PELHQW&RQWH[W6HQVRUV´LVWKHERWWRP
layer, which include three categories of environ-
ments. Schilit, Adams and Want (1994) claim that
the important aspects of context are: where the
user is, who the user is with, and what resources
are nearby.
The user environment includes the user con-
text, the activity context, and the social context.
7KHXVHUHQYLURQPHQWUHSUHVHQWVWKHSUR¿OHRID
XVHUVXFKDVSHHULGHQWL¿FDWLRQZKHUHWKHXVHULV
who the user is, the user’s preference, their privacy
concern, their social situation, and relations with
others, etc. The physical environment includes
the physical context and the device context. The
physical environment refers to things like tem-
perature, noise, lighting level, and device context.
The computing environment includes the network
context and the services context. The computing
Figure 2. Ambient environment stack
2340
A Roadmap for Ambient E-Service
environment represents the network connectivity,
available processors, cost of computing, band-
width, and available nearby services, etc.
7KHOD\HU³3HHU'HYLFH,QWHUDFWLRQ´UHSUHVHQWV
environments (featuring peer-to-peer interactions)
in which mobile users may exchange their experi-
ence and trade attained information items with

QHDUE\SHHUV7KH³3HHU'HYLFH,QWHUDFWLRQ´OD\HU
UHVWVRQWKH³$PELHQW&RQWH[W6HQVRUV´OD\HUWKDW
is, all peers’ information items originally come
from the interaction with the dynamic environ-
ments of the bottom layer.
The top layer of the environment stack rep-
resents environments featuring peer groups’
interactions and collaboration. Peer groups can
collect all peers’ power for certain objectives (e.g.,
collective buy, forming a task-oriented workforce
group, etc.).
Technology Stack
The technology stack is shown in Figure 1.
Network infrastructure is the fundamental of all
ambient technology stacks. The wired and wire-
less hybrid network infrastructure provides the
basic communication infrastructure for context
sensors and peer devices. Above the network
infrastructure layer, context sensors and sensor
communication can interact with the surround-
ing peers. Peer devices function on top of the
sensor communication network and the mobile
device’s hardware, operation systems, and soft-
ware platforms.
The layer above the peer device technology
layer has two folds: (1) For peers to interact with
each other, a peer communication protocol is
required (similar to that in Web services). (2)
In ambient environments, peers may just know
nearby peers for quite a short period of time. How

can a peer trust the nearby peers? Is it possible to
build a reputation system for the aforementioned
situation so that it is feasible to trust unfamiliar
peers? Similarly, privacy control should be ad-
dressed in ambient e-services. Resting on trust,
reputation, and privacy control as the dependable
basics, mobile users can engage ambient interac-
tions to handle some operations between peers.
7KHVHRSHUDWLRQVDUHWKHOLNHVRI³GLVFRYHU\´
³UHTXHVW´³UHVSRQG´³EDUJDLQ´³WUDQVDFW´DQG
³GHOLYHU\´
Since a mobile user plays different roles in
different interactions, the peer role module can
be applied to the peer in response to the dynamic
roles rendered. Mobile users, who have the infor-
mation items required by other users, play the
seller role by applying the seller module. The
surrounding peers (who have attained various
kinds of information) then can play as the broker
role by applying the broker module. Mobile users,
who need the information from others, apply the
buyer module and play the buyer role (who can
trade or barter with other mobile users).
Beyond the peer-to-peer interactions, peer
group collective effort is the communal power
of peers. Collaborative technologies that support
peer and peer groups to work together underlie
the key character of ambient power. Based on the
collective technology, ambient e-services can be
unfolded in various applications, which we will

discuss in the next section.
The remaining sections of this chapter are
RUJDQL]HGDV IROORZV1H[WVHFWLRQH[HPSOL¿HV
several ambient e-service application scenarios,
followed by the challenges and the state of the art
for embracing ambient e-services. In the ASEM
section, we present an embracing model of ambient
e-services in terms of its framework design. In
addition, we illustrate the roadmap and impact
of the embracing model in the roadmap section.
Finally, a conclusion and the directions of our
IXWXUHZRUNDUHSURYLGHGLQ¿QDOVHFWLRQ
AMBIENT E-SERVICE
APPLICATIONS
It will be useful, to begin with, making a distinc-
tion between two kinds of ambient e-services.
2341
A Roadmap for Ambient E-Service
One is for the distributed trading; another is for
the distributed collaboration. Please note that the
social context and the rapid growth of connections
are the major incentives of applying the ambient
e-service design. The two characteristics are not
mutually exclusive; of course, one scenario may
apply both of the ambient characteristics.
This section aims to identify several important
ambient e-service application scenarios presum-
ing ambient environments of mobile commerce
are provided. Without loss of generosity, the
physical context of location is referenced and

considered in the ambient environments addressed
in the following scenarios, naturally relating to
the LBS (Location-Based Service) research. As
mentioned in the introduction section, ambient
e-services aim to identify a new scope of mobile
e-services mainly addressing dynamic collected
efforts between mobile users (enabled by M-P2P)
and dynamic interactions with ambient environ-
ments (envisioned by LBS).
Since LBS was categorized into four major
types (transaction services, information services,
navigation and tracking services, and safety ser-
vices), we accordingly exemplify some scenarios
UHÀHFWLQJ WKH LBS types as well as exhibiting
dynamic collected efforts based on M-P2P.
We introduce an ambient shopping mall sce-
nario to be a representative of ambient transaction
services. The shopping mall scenario can easily
EH PRGL¿HG WR DFW DV DPELHQW VDIHW\ VHUYLFHV
The information items distribution cooperation
scenario then is considered as an exemplar of
ambient information services. The cooperative
peer group scenario then can be instantiated into
ambient navigation and tracking services. As to the
ambient location information acquisition scenario,
it can be considered as an instance of ambient
transaction services, ambient information services
or ambient navigation and tracking services. We’ll
take the ambient shopping mall scenario for detail
description in the next subsection.

These applications differ from the past mobile
e-services in addressing dynamic collected efforts
between mobile users and dynamic interactions
with ambient environments. The collective efforts
of mobile users are not possible in the primal mo-
bile services framework that deploys the services
with the client/server architecture. Moreover,
mobile devices in ambient e-services applications
are very personal to the users, and thus the social
contexts retained in the personal devices (e.g., the
social relationships in the vicinity) can unfold the
e-services of high complexity and security than
that of no social contexts in sensor networks.
E-services with the social context environment
render ambient e-services capable of providing the
most appropriate collaborative power for mobile
users anywhere whenever needed.
Ambient Shopping Mall Scenario
In Figure 3, a picturesque view of the ambient
shopping mall scenario is presented. In a shopping
mall (fully equipped with wireless network infra-
structures), information items (e.g., advertisement
or sales promotion information) can be broadcast
to passing-by peers with Info_BC_Station. This
means the attained information items of a peer
vary based on the peer’s interactions with the
shopping mall ambient environments.
The ambient e-service addressed in this
scenario will be delineated for the case of new
customers of high buyer perishability (entering

the shopping mall and being in a rush to buy
certain items without the knowledge of where to
buy and how to buy cheap given relevant sales
promotion). Those new customer peers carrying
mobile devices can communicate with nearby
peers when they just enter the shopping mall.
In such scenarios, the goal of ambient shop-
ping mall e-service is to provide a new channel
for customers to get needed information. The
assumption of this scenario is that the contents
of information items kept in peers are different
from one another based on their membership sta-
tus (i.e., preference, location). Mobile users will
receive the information items based on their user
2342
A Roadmap for Ambient E-Service
context such as their preferences or membership
data. Those members with higher loyalty points
will get a higher discount e-coupon. This would
encourage customers to join the membership
program.
All mobile peers have their temporary peer
ID number, preference, context data, transaction
history, and the information attained informa-
tion items. Peers can do basic operations such
as bargain and payment. Mobile peers can apply
GLIIHUHQWUROHPRGXOHVWRGRVSHFL¿FRSHUDWLRQV
There are the buyer modules, the seller modules,
and the broker modules for mobile peers.
When a peer applies the seller module, it can

respond a buyer’s product discovery operation.
If a seller peer has the information items that the
buyer required, the seller then responds the buyer’s
request and starts a bargain operation with the
buyer peer. After the payment process, the seller
delivers the information items to the buyer. The
operations performed by the buyer module are
complementary to those performed by the seller
module. But the buyer module has been designed
not only to handle the transactions with seller
module, but also to request the package service
from the broker module.
The broker module is applied to those peers
who will stay in the mall for a long time and own
more complete information items. The broker
module is designed for peers serving as service
providers. The EURNHUPRGXOHKDVWKH³JHQHUDWH´
package, which can generate services of produc-
ing information items of the buyer’s interests and
preference. (Similar to service bundles in Baida,
Gordijn, Akkermans, Saele, & Morch, 2005).
Package templates are used for the broker module
to produce a service package in an easy way. Also,
the broker module has the same ability as the seller
module that can deliver the products.
Although the effective reach is one of the shop-
ping mall’s goals. If the contents of information
items are the same for everyone, both client/server
and P2P designs can pass the items to the public
but in different ways. However, mass broadcasts

like spam mails will annoy customers and they
will be reluctant to join this shopping program,
attaining the contrary results. When considering
user differentiation, content differentiation will be
LQUHODWLRQWRXVHUSUR¿OHVDQGWRDPELHQWFRQWH[W
sensors in the environment stack (that subse-
quently will involve social context and correlate
to the privacy concerns of the customers). Those
concerns make the P2P design more applicable
than the client/server architecture.
A UML class diagram is depicted (as shown in
Figure 4) and represents the relationships between
the different modules, as well as the peer module
basic functions.
Information Items Distribution
Cooperation Scenario
The information items distribution cooperation is
an ambient e-service based on a mobile advertising
infrastructure. Distributor companies can broad-
cast shop’s

advertisement items (e.g., e-coupons)
through an ambient advertising infrastructure,
which dispatches advertisement items relevance
to their preferences to proximate users. Shops
may be geographically distant from the broad-
cast stations of the distributor companies. In this
scenario, e-coupons are considered as valuable
information items. When a mobile user passes
through a shop and wants to buy certain products

but is short of the relevant e-coupons, the mobile
Figure 3. Ambient shopping mail scenario
2343
A Roadmap for Ambient E-Service
peer can probe the surrounding environment to
see if there are some nearby peers that own the
desired e-coupons.
The P2P design combined with social aware-
ness will make the connections not only in a rapid
growth, but also with persuasiveness, being more
powerful than the client/server design. Moreover,
e-coupons become a valuable information item if
the contents of information items are different. In
this business model, mobile users can get some
¿QDQFLDOEHQH¿WE\H[FKDQJLQJWKHLUHFRXSRQV
and thus be attracted to join the program so as
to create a large scale of the participants. That
is a win-win situation for both customers and
the shops.
Figure 5 depicts a UML class diagram of the
scenario, representing the relationships, attributes,
and operations between all participators. When a
mobile user (the barter initiator) passes through
a shop and is lacking certain e-coupons, the peer
can discover the e-coupons from the ambient
peer groups. Whenever the requested e-coupons
are found and owned by another peer (the barter
responder), the barter initiator requests a barter-
ing process with the barter responder. E-coupons
can be distributed not only to the mobile users

falling into the broadcast range of the distributor
companies, but also to the primary target peers
(who really need the certain e-coupons in the
right time and right place).
Ambient Location Information
Acquisition Scenario
There are mobile services providing location-
based services for mobile users with devices of
handheld positioning technologies. For instance,
Pocket Map delivers nearby restaurants or theater
information to mobile users who have the current
location information. Those services require loca-
tion information of the mobile user as a basis to
provide various services. Some mobile services
simply furnish a mobile user his or her current
position with their positioning technologies.
However, it is often the case that not every
mobile device is empowered with the handset
Figure 4. Class diagram of the ambient shopping mall scenario