Abstract
Most computer programs are controlled strictly based on program parameters and user input. Context awareness is the ability for a computer program to obtain information and alter behavior based on sources other than user input. Information that may be used in a context aware system is the actual physical location of the device, the people in the room, physical data obtained from sensors, or information about the current computer. While there have been a variety of attempts to create context aware systems most leave the developer using proprietary tools or mandate a particular programming paradigm. Scarlet is a new system for developing context aware applications that harnesses the power of web services technologies to allow communication and flexibility among the devices in a context aware system. It has shown itself to be scalable, cross-platform, modular, and extensible through the development of several sample applications.