RestContext: A service framework for context retrieval

Todays context frameworks provide solutions for context mechanisms for individual applications only: context aware working spaces, easier mobile development frameworks or higher-level context abstractions. RestContext solves this problem with a service logically separating context as a set of information that can characterize a situation from further context interpretation mechanisms. RestContext is a resource oriented architecture which manages sensors of different types. A context may consist of sub-contexts as well as sensors that are linked to one or many contexts. With the help of RestContext it is possible to create topologies of contexts. Sensors can interact with context instances by push and pull mechanisms. We demonstrate how RestContext can be used in a distributed weather forecasting example.