WINcell platform - A Pervasive Communication Environment for Nomadic Workers

The WINcell is the acronym of a subproject working on cellular systems. Other subprojects work on ad-hoc and on kiosk systems. The aforementioned set of subprojects are collectively devoted to the emerging issue of Wireless INternet, respectively INfrastructure (WIN). The WIN compound of projects are subsidized by the German Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF) and ran nearly 3,5 years from mid of 2002 to end of 2005. To this end the WINcell project provides a middleware that supports nomadic users and workers in general. More specifically, the middleware provides built-in notions such as hoarding to download - controlled by safety and security constraints - data records from a server onto mobile device of nomadic users, navigation to guide persons - controlled by privacy constraints - through unknown areas, buildings, city districts or, office management to support - controlled by personal context profiles - mobile managers or nomadic workers on their mobile devices with office functionality by any type of communication services, serving from remote sensor and actuator technology - controlled by timeliness and QoS constraints supporting maintenance engineers in large plants, etc