Support ambient intelligence solutions for small to medium size enterprises: Typologies and taxonomies for developers

This paper examines the concept of ambient intelligence (AmI). Currently research in the area is ambiguous. There are not many definitions and consequently it is difficult to understand the concept. Definitions are fundamental to the understanding of AmI as they illustrate the properties of AmI. This paper seeks to address this deficit. It presents a research project called AMI-4-SME that aims to explore and develop systematic innovation in manufacturing small to medium size enterprises using AmI. Specifically it attempts to define the concept and philosophy of AmI from a systems point of view. The contributions of this paper are towards a generic definition of an AmI typology, focusing in particularly upon systems development. A typology can better facilitate an understanding and communication of the AmI concepts and philosophy. The AmI system typology and AmI taxonomy is developed and discussed The AmI system typology illustrates the tasks and the skills that an AmI system must have. The AmI taxonomy shows the evolution of the technology.