Over the last decade a number of research areas have contributed to the concept of advanced intelligent environments, these include ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing, embedded intelligence, intelligent user interfaces, human factors, intelligent buildings, mobile communications, domestic robots, intelligent sensors, artistic and architectural design and ambient intelligence. Undeniably, multimodal spoken language dialogue interaction is a key factor in ensuring natural interaction and therefore of particular interest for advanced intelligent environments. It will therefore represent one focus of the proposed book. The book will cover all key topics in the field of intelligent environments from a variety of leading researchers. It will bring together several perspectives in research and development in the area.

Ontology was once understood to be the philosophical inquiry into the structure of reality: the analysis and categorization of 'what there is'. Recently, however, a field called 'ontology' has become part of the rapidly growing research industry in information technology. The two fields have more in common than just their name.
Theory and Applications of Ontology is a two-volume anthology that aims to further an informed discussion about the relationship between ontology in philosophy and ontology in information technology. It fills an important lacuna in cutting-edge research on ontology in both fields, supplying stage-setting overview articles on history and method, presenting directions of current research in either field, and highlighting areas of productive interdisciplinary contact.
Theory and Applications of Ontology: Computer Applications presents ontology in ways that philosophers are not likely to find elsewhere. The volume offers an overview of current research in ontology, distinguishing basic conceptual issues, domain applications, general frameworks, and mathematical formalisms. It introduces the reader to current research on frameworks and applications in information technology in ways that are sure to invite reflection and constructive responses from ontologists in philosophy.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 14th European Conference on Ambient Intelligence, AmI 2018, held in Larnaca, Cyprus, in November 2018. The 12 revised full papers presented together with 6 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 36 submissions. The papers cover topics such as: Ambient Services and Smart Environments; Sensor Networks and Artificial Intelligence; Activity and Situation Recognition; Ambient Intelligence in Education.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Ambient Intelligence, AmI 2015, held in Athens, Greece, in November 2015. The 21 revised full papers presented together with 5 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 48 submissions. Over the past 20 years, the vision of Ambient Intelligence has gradually materialized into a plethora of technologies and devices, which are being introduced into almost every aspect of everyday life, thus affecting our abilities, activities, behavior and in the end,shaping a new way of thinking.

Ontology was once understood to be the philosophical inquiry into the structure of reality: the analysis and categorization of 'what there is'. Recently, however, a field called 'ontology' has become part of the rapidly growing research industry in information technology. The two fields have more in common than just their name. Theory and Applications of Ontology is a two-volume anthology that aims to further an informed discussion about the relationship between ontology in philosophy and ontology in information technology. It fills an important lacuna in cutting-edge research on ontology in both fields, supplying stage-setting overview articles on history and method, presenting directions of current research in either field, and highlighting areas of productive interdisciplinary contact. Theory and Applications of Ontology: Computer Applications presents ontology in ways that philosophers are not likely to find elsewhere. The volume offers an overview of current research in ontology, distinguishing basic conceptual issues, domain applications, general frameworks, and mathematical formalisms. It introduces the reader to current research on frameworks and applications in information technology in ways that are sure to invite reflection and constructive responses from ontologists in philosophy.

Over the last decade a number of research areas have contributed to the concept of advanced intelligent environments, these include ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing, embedded intelligence, intelligent user interfaces, human factors, intelligent buildings, mobile communications, domestic robots, intelligent sensors, artistic and architectural design and ambient intelligence. Undeniably, multimodal spoken language dialogue interaction is a key factor in ensuring natural interaction and therefore of particular interest for advanced intelligent environments. It will therefore represent one focus of the proposed book. The book will cover all key topics in the field of intelligent environments from a variety of leading researchers. It will bring together several perspectives in research and development in the area.

The-computer-as-we-know-it will have no role in our future everyday lives. This is the position taken in this book which elaborates how it will be replaced by a new generation of technologies, moving computing off the desktop and ultimately integrating it with real world objects and everyday environments. Computing becomes thus an inseparable part of our everyday activities while simultaneously disappearing into the background. It becomes a ubiquitous utility taking on a role similar to electricity an enabling but invisible and pervasive medium revealing its functionality on request in an unobtrusive way and supporting people s everyday activities.

As members of the Steering Group of the EU-funded Disappearing Computer research initiative, the editors of this book successfully assembled a collection of 13 elaborate chapters and three forewords that address the issues and challenges in this area. All authors are prominent researchers who set out investigating, developing and deploying future, people-centred smart environments. This book provides a unique combination of concepts, methods and prototypes of ubiquitous and pervasive computing reflecting the current interest in smart environments and ambient intelligence.

Excerpts from the three forewords for the book:

Thierry van der Pyl and Thomas Skordas from the European Commission state that: The Disappearing Computer initiative anticipated and pioneered the concept of ambient intelligence and allowed to advance the boundaries of what is possible with the computer today.

Gregory Abowd from GeorgiaTech in the US writes about this research: While substantial progress was shown on the creation of information artefacts, it is the new behaviors and user experiences that promise long-term impact.

Finally, Emile Aarts from Philips Research comments on the relationship of ambient technology and people s behavior: "This current volume undoubtedly provides a major contribution to fill up this gap of knowledge.""

Ontology is back at the forefront of philosophy, science and technology. These days ontology comes in at least two main fashions: the traditional philosophical understanding of ontology has been recently flanked by a new computer-based understanding of ontology. The current resurgence of interest in ontological issues displays a number of novel features, both among philosophers and among information technologists.

Broadly speaking, the two research communities of philosophers and engineers have still not found a way to relate to each other systematically. One side is perhaps too theoretical, the other too pragmatic. However, in dynamic terms, one easily foresees mounting social and institutional pressure for the development of tools able to model fragments of reality in terms that are both adequate and efficient. The two volumes of TAO intend to play a role in paving the way for a better mutual understanding between engineers and philosophers. Since the two communities are still very different as to their own languages, conceptual tools and problem-sets, we devised two different volumes, one dedicated to the philosophical understanding of ontology and one to the computer-based understanding of ontologies. Both volumes contain both papers describing the state of the art in their respective topics and papers addressing forefront, innovative and possibly controversial topics.