Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Structural representations
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Hierarchy and abstraction levels
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Environmental neighborhood relations
For a self-explanatory object, all of its associated multimedia views need
to be organized and presented in such a way that the semantic richness of
the object-related data and knowledge would be clearly pronounced. This
means that the right group of corresponding multimedia frames has to be
extracted and presented through the right channel at the right point of time.
The explanatory process can be initiated either by conscious user actions
or through some indirect means based on observations of user behavior. If
the later method is used, self-explanatory objects could disburse context-
dependent multimedia information even in the absence of specific user
requests and could thus be considered as active knowledge entities.
Interactions with self-explanatory objects and implementation of active
knowledge components could be achieved through digital encoding of
object and environment surfaces. Since coverage of diverse surfaces would
be needed, we suggest employment of carpet codes that could be applied to
flat and curved surfaces. Such codes carry both surface position, and object
identification information, and can lead to total identification solutions, if
properly applied. In this way walls in different places outside and inside
buildings, along with attached pictures and other environmental objects,
could be augmented with semantics about “what,” “where,” “how,” and
“why” through the embedded carpet encoding. This could become a new
basis for supporting ubiquitous computing through transformation of self-
explanatory features into self-awareness features. In other words, the rich
semantics of real world objects would be exposed through the ubiquitous
computing devices employed as human interface components and capable
of transparent identification and tracking of surface embedded carpet
codes.
Such interfaces and corresponding knowledge are for enhancing people
abilities to overcome the barriers of geography, time, and individual intel-
ligence. This is illustrated in Figure 9.10 where recognition of environment
embedded codes on semantic surfaces provides the right context for active
knowledge objects carrying out communications and videoconferencing
with fixed and mobile equipment.
The semantic surface approach could also activate hidden reserves of
human intelligence. Many everyday human activities require extensive
rote memorization and involve high levels of abstraction and mental simu-
lations dictated by the constant need for adaptation of people to existing
technologies, and so forth. This often leads to various troubles and health
disorders and, in some cases, even to more serious illnesses. The human
brain is a very adaptive biological computer but it is questionable as to what
extent it should be forced to follow every advance in current technologies
