Intelligent environments
Encyclopedia
Intelligent Environments (IE) are spaces with embedded systems and information and communication technologies
creating interactive spaces that bring computation into the physical world. "Intelligent environments are spaces in which computation is seamlessly used to enhance ordinary activity. One of the driving forces behind the emerging interest in highly interactive environments is to make computers not only genuine user-friendly but also essentially invisible to the user" (Steventon and Wright 2006).
IEs describe physical environments in which information and communication technologies and sensor systems disappear as they become embedded into physical objects, infrastructures, and the surroundings in which we live, travel, and work. The goal here is to allow computers to take part in activities never previously involved and allow people to interact with computers via gesture, voice, movement, and context. The annual IET conferences on Intelligent Environments (IE06; IE07) present current trends and applications.
An example of such spaces is the 'Intelligent Room'; a laboratory room which supports computer vision
, speech recognition
, and movement tracking, based on about fifty distinct intercommunication software agents that run on interconnected computers (Cohen 1997). Another is Intelligent cities
, territories that sustain innovation processes with virtual spaces and ICTs (Komninos 2002). An extremely rich source of applications and experimentations in the field is to be found in the Intelligent Community Forum
(2007) and the cities selected by ICF as top intelligent communities.
The critical question is not whether we may build intelligent environments, but how we may use these environments as instruments for distributed problem-solving (Bowen-James 1997; Novak 1997).
company that provides online software products for financial services
organisations and their customers, particularly in the credit card and investment markets.
iE is a Public Limited Company
listed on the Alternative Investment Market
(AIM).
iE produces an online application, account management and administration product built using Microsoft .NET technology and operating using a single product platform called NetFinance, which integrates into existing online banking systems, Customer Relationship Management
(CRM) systems, call centre databases, workflow and back-office systems.
iE is best known for producing a client/server development tool called Application Manager (AM), originally on OS/2 and later for Windows. The Windows version was funded by a loan from Microsoft. AM was widely used by Financial institutions worldwide as a client/server development tool for in-house developmenthttp://www.ie.com/pages.aspx?sid=13&id=82
Information and communication technologies
Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
creating interactive spaces that bring computation into the physical world. "Intelligent environments are spaces in which computation is seamlessly used to enhance ordinary activity. One of the driving forces behind the emerging interest in highly interactive environments is to make computers not only genuine user-friendly but also essentially invisible to the user" (Steventon and Wright 2006).
IEs describe physical environments in which information and communication technologies and sensor systems disappear as they become embedded into physical objects, infrastructures, and the surroundings in which we live, travel, and work. The goal here is to allow computers to take part in activities never previously involved and allow people to interact with computers via gesture, voice, movement, and context. The annual IET conferences on Intelligent Environments (IE06; IE07) present current trends and applications.
Technology
As the Intelligent Environments Conference (2007) points out: 'Types of Intelligent Environments range from private to public and from fixed to mobile; some are ephemeral while others are permanent; some change type during their life span. The realisation of Intelligent Environments requires the convergence of different prominent disciplines: Information and Computer Science, Architecture, Material Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Sociology and Design. In addition, technical breakthroughs are required in key enabling technology fields, such as, microelectronics (e.g., miniaturisation, power consumption), communication and networking technologies (e.g., broadband and wireless networks), smart materials (e.g., bio-implants) and intelligent agents (e.g., context awareness and ontologies)'.An example of such spaces is the 'Intelligent Room'; a laboratory room which supports computer vision
Computer vision
Computer vision is a field that includes methods for acquiring, processing, analysing, and understanding images and, in general, high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information, e.g., in the forms of decisions...
, speech recognition
Speech recognition
Speech recognition converts spoken words to text. The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to recognition systems that must be trained to a particular speaker—as is the case for most desktop recognition software...
, and movement tracking, based on about fifty distinct intercommunication software agents that run on interconnected computers (Cohen 1997). Another is Intelligent cities
Intelligent cities
The term intelligent city has been used with various meanings. At least five different descriptions of what an intelligent city is can be found in the literature:...
, territories that sustain innovation processes with virtual spaces and ICTs (Komninos 2002). An extremely rich source of applications and experimentations in the field is to be found in the Intelligent Community Forum
Intelligent Community Forum
The Intelligent Community Forum , a nonprofit policy research organization, focuses on job creation and economic development in the broadband economy...
(2007) and the cities selected by ICF as top intelligent communities.
The critical question is not whether we may build intelligent environments, but how we may use these environments as instruments for distributed problem-solving (Bowen-James 1997; Novak 1997).
External links
- 1st IET International Conference on Intelligent Environments, Colchester, 28-29 June 2005, http://www.intenv.org/?q=content/past-conferences
- 2nd IET International Conference on Intelligent Environments, Athens, 5-6 July 2006, http://conferences.theiet.org/ie06/
- 3rd IET International Conference on Intelligent Environments, Ulm, 24-25 September 2007, http://www.uni-ulm.de/ie07/
- 4th IET International Conference on Intelligent Environments, Seattle, 21-22 June 2008, http://conferences.theiet.org/ie08/
- 5th IET International Conference on Intelligent Environments, Barcelona, 20-21 July 2009, http://www.intenv.org/?q=conferences/ie09
- 6th IET International Conference on Intelligent Environments, Malaysia, 19-21 July 2010, http://www.intenv.org/?q=conferences/ie10
- 7th IET International Conference on Intelligent Environments - iCampus, Notthingham, 25-28 July 2011, http://www.intelligentcampus.org/IC11/
- 8th IET International Conference on Intelligent Environments, Guanajuato, 26-29 June 2012, http://www.intenv.org/
- URENIOURENIOThe URBAN AND REGIONAL INNOVATION Research Unit is a University Lab in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. URENIO is a non-profit research organization that started its operation in 1995...
watch on intelligent cities, http://www.urenio.org
Business
Intelligent Environments (iE) plc is a BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
company that provides online software products for financial services
Financial services
Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies,...
organisations and their customers, particularly in the credit card and investment markets.
iE is a Public Limited Company
Public limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....
listed on the Alternative Investment Market
Alternative Investment Market
AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, allowing smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable to the main market....
(AIM).
iE produces an online application, account management and administration product built using Microsoft .NET technology and operating using a single product platform called NetFinance, which integrates into existing online banking systems, Customer Relationship Management
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
(CRM) systems, call centre databases, workflow and back-office systems.
iE is best known for producing a client/server development tool called Application Manager (AM), originally on OS/2 and later for Windows. The Windows version was funded by a loan from Microsoft. AM was widely used by Financial institutions worldwide as a client/server development tool for in-house developmenthttp://www.ie.com/pages.aspx?sid=13&id=82