LERIS – Laboratory of Network, Innovation and Software Studies

Lines of Research:

RFID Middleware development

This project intends to investigate the minimal requirements for a robust RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) middleware for Internet of Things. After that, the middleware project and development will be performed, directed for practical application of pilots in the field of Internet of Things.

A Ubiquitous Platform for Internet of Things

The possibility of direct communication between objects, in which the internet acts as the core of telecommunications, without any human intervention, triggers a frisson for the technical, economical and social potential. This direct communication between objects has been receiving the name of “Internet of Things”. Therefore, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tagged objects may become smarter and communicate through Internet. Thus, enabling a higher mobility of the objects, enabling the access anywhere/anytime to different services, a facilitator for the digital inclusion of individuals of several social classes, expanding, diversifying and simplifying the information accessibility. Alternatively, numerous online services are available to expedite and facilitate the information access, although not commonly known or explored. In this respect, this project will investigate, develop and validate a ubiquitous platform for Internet of Things aiming the integration of online services, in the context of a university, to all its community of students, which utilize these services.

Software development for ubiquitous applications

The adaptation of software systems according to the user interaction requirements is a subject widely explored in the last few years. Apart the user interaction, another fundamental item is related to the environment in which the user is inserted in the moment of the interaction. The diversity and heterogeneity of devices characterize the ubiquitous computing. The ubiquitous computing emerged as the new Computing paradigm, which has as its purpose to enable resources and services anywhere/anytime, bringing some challenges to the field of software development. Among these challenges, one is to enable the configuration of the application’s behavior according to the context in which the application is inserted. It is necessary to provide the field of software development with mechanisms and tools, which enable the applications to work with context science, providing flexibility to plan the variations that the application may present during its execution. The ubiquitous applications integrate a certain domain where it is possible to adopt software reuse approaches, since they present adapting needs of the applications according to the execution context, instigating the need of creating mechanisms, which enable the reutilization of artifacts for different contexts. The objective of this research project is to produce mechanisms and tools, which support the software development capable of assisting the ubiquitous computing.

Study and Evaluation of Network Technologies and Cloud Computing Development Platforms

Recently, a modification has been observed in the form, which we interact with services and applications. The paradigm (still under progress) of cloud computing provides services and applications throughout the Internet with the commitment of infinite capacity and service models such as the pay-as-you-go. However, this new computing model requests drastic changes in the network infrastructure and IT systems of network providers, since they require a significant flexibility level to available the management of an efficiently bigger computing potential to process applications, services and data storage. The objective of this project is to investigate the cloud computing paradigm under the perspective of network infrastructures and technologies and development and experimentation platforms. The project consists in the utilization of OpenFlow and NetFPGA boards to study, evaluate and propose solutions concerning cloud computing.

Funding: FAPESP

Collaborative Communication: Study and Development of a Context-Sensitive Architecture for Mobile Applications

The diversity of devices available today makes us perceive an increasing trend that the miniaturization and ubiquity are already part of our daily lives. The Internet, when devised almost 40 years ago, did not hope to promote global connectivity regarding the most distinct fields of applications and contents scattered throughout the globe. These fields of applications not only access information through the Internet but are also acquiring self life, rendering the communication and interaction increasingly situated. In this regard, the term collaborative communication emerges to represent the most diverse forms of interaction performed through devices presently available (PDAs, laptops, smartphones, etc.) on a local range. Examples of this sort of scenario includes the interaction of devices for content exchange (musics, films, files, etc.), peer-to-peer communication and opportunistic communication (sensor and vehicular networks). The objective of this project is to investigate the collaborative communication and understand the interoperability aspects of the devices, considering different applications and their usage on real scenarios. We purport to study the diverse communication technologies including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and how such technologies may be used to introduce collaborative situations. The project also has as target, to perform real experiments at the campus of the Federal University of São Carlos situated in Sorocaba, stimulating the students of the Computer Science course to invest in research lines connected with collaborative communication.

Development of iPhone Applications

This project aims to exploit the environment of iPhone development, enabling software components to achieve benefits concerning software reuse to develop iPhone applications. Real applications will be developed and made available through the Apple Store.

Electronic collaborative learning in the Web 2.0

Collaborative activities have been part of the daily lives of the people since a remote past. However, the Web 2.0 and online social networks have motivated miscellaneous fields of knowledge to focus their efforts in the development of environments, which further stimulate the collaborative work. Among various fields, we may highlight e-learning, which emerged as a solution to fulfill not only distance education as also to support several presential activities. The online collaborative learning may be seen as a teaching-learning strategy, which enables the involved actors (teachers and students) to ascertain solutions for problems and share insights and views so that they may be the ground of the construction of knowledge. The Web utilization as platform to search contents and materials has been widely utilized in recent times. The interfaces available to search and their updating mechanisms are essential to motivate the student to interact with an environment. The Web 2.0 arises as a concept whose objective is to render an online environment more dynamic and that the users contribute to the content organization. Applications classified as Web 2.0 fulfill a set of principles, which characterize itself. Among these principles, we may highlight the use of collective intelligence (the user begins to be part of the content elaboration process) and the user’s rich experience (offer sensitivity, resources and functionalities, which approach desktop applications). The objective of this research project is to investigate and produce mechanisms and tools, which support the development and utilization of electronic learning environments in the Web 2.0. Amid the pertinent lines, we may emphasize social networks, user interfaces development and development for mobile devices. This project exhibits intersections with the projects: “Software development for ubiquitous applications”.

Faculty Members

Prof. Dr. Alexandre Álvaro
Prof. Dr. Fábio Luciano Verdi
Prof. Dr. Luciana Aparecida Martinez Zaina
Prof. Dr. Yeda Regina Venturini

For more information concerning the group, access here.

Entry at the Directory of Research Groups in Brazil (Diretório dos Grupos de Pesquisa no Brasil) – CNPq
dgp.cnpq.br/dgp/espelhogrupo/9419266920961372