This book presents fundamental new techniques for understanding and processing geospatial data. These "spatial gems" articulate and highlight insightful ideas that often remain unstated in graduate textbooks, and which are not the focus of research papers. They teach us how to do something useful with spatial data, in the form of algorithms, code, or equations. Unlike a research paper, Spatial Gems, Volume 1 does not focus on "Look what we have done!" but rather shows "Look what YOU can do!" With contributions from researchers at the forefront of the field, this volume occupies a unique position in the literature by serving graduate students, professional researchers, professors, and computer developers in the field alike.

This book presents fundamental new techniques for understanding and processing geospatial data. These "spatial gems" articulate and highlight insightful ideas that often remain unstated in graduate textbooks, and which are not the focus of research papers. They teach us how to do something useful with spatial data, in the form of algorithms, code, or equations. Unlike a research paper, Spatial Gems, Volume 1 does not focus on "Look what we have done!" but rather shows "Look what YOU can do!" With contributions from researchers at the forefront of the field, this volume occupies a unique position in the literature by serving graduate students, professional researchers, professors, and computer developers in the field alike.

" a must-read text that provides a historical lens to see how ubicomp has matured into a multidisciplinary endeavor. It will be an essential reference to researchers and those who want to learn more about this evolving field."

-From the Foreword, Professor Gregory D. Abowd, Georgia Institute of Technology

First introduced two decades ago, the term ubiquitous computing is now part of the common vernacular. Ubicomp, as it is commonly called, has grown not just quickly but broadly so as to encompass a wealth of concepts and technology that serves any number of purposes across all of human endeavor. While such growth is positive, the newest generation of ubicomp practitioners and researchers, isolated to specific tasks, are in danger of losing their sense of history and the broader perspective that has been so essential to the field 's creativity and brilliance.

Under the guidance of John Krumm, an original ubicomp pioneer, Ubiquitous Computing Fundamentals brings together eleven ubiquitous computing trailblazers who each report on his or her area of expertise. Starting with a historical introduction, the book moves on to summarize a number of self-contained topics. Taking a decidedly human perspective, the book includes discussion on how to observe people in their natural environments and evaluate the critical points where ubiquitous computing technologies can improve their lives. Among a range of topics this book examines:

• How to build an infrastructure that supports ubiquitous computing applications
• Privacy protection in systems that connect personal devices and personal information
• Moving from the graphical to the ubiquitous computing user interface
• Techniques that are revolutionizing the way we determine a person 's location and understand other sensor measurements

While we needn t become expert in every sub-discipline of ubicomp, it is necessary that we appreciate all the perspectives that make up the field and understand how our work can influence and be influenced by those perspectives. This is important, if we are to encourage future generations to be as successfully innovative as the field 's originators.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, UbiComp 2007, held in Innsbruck, Austria, in September 2007.

The 29 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 150 submissions. The papers address all current issues in the area of ubiquitous, pervasive and handheld computing systems and their applications including topics like: tools and techniques for designing, implementing, and evaluating ubiquitous computing systems, mobile, wireless, and ad hoc networking infrastructures for ubiquitous computing, laboratory and in situ studies of ubiquitous computing technologies in use, location-aware and context-based systems for ubiquitous computing, privacy, security, and trust in ubiquitous and pervasive systems.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Location- and Context-Awareness, LoCA 2006, held in Dublin, Ireland, in May 2006. The 18 revised full papers presented were carefully selected during two rounds of reviewing and improvement from 74 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on location sensing, mapping, privacy and access, context sensing, social context, representation and programming.