The following deliverables are publicly available for download:

Abstract

Ambient Intelligence futures offer exciting business opportunities for telecommunications services and technologies, but there are also challenges to be faced in correctly understanding and anticipating user needs, desires and pleasures. The very concept of Ambient Intelligence suggests that ICT objects and interfaces can ‘intelligently’ and intuitively respond to their owners’ wishes, tastes, preferences and identifications; and this requires an ability to adapt, personalise and appropriate those objects and interfaces to a high degree. Questions about how ICTs in an Ambient Intelligence environment should be able to be personalised or appropriated and whether users indeed want all their ICTs ‘ambient’ leads to the need to understand the range of role and identity issues that have emerged so far in relation to ICTs. Gaining this understanding is initially attempted through a literature review which aims to provide an evaluation of the state of the art in the area of roles, identities and ICTs.

This literature review concludes that there are both aspects of identity and applications which are over-represented in the existing identities and ICTs research. These particularly concern issues of identity play with gender and sexuality, mostly in MUD, MOO and IRC spaces. The ‘fashionability’ of research in these areas has led to a relative neglect of other identity issues. This includes ethnicity, diaspora and nationality and how they are negotiated or supported through ICTs, other than through newsgroups or web portals. There is nearly a complete absence of research on how older people or the elderly express or constitute their identities through ICTs, or ultimately disidentify with them. There is additionally a paucity of research on how ICTs are important in constituting or expressing class identities (distinctions), and issues of disability in general. Ultimately, a review of the state of the art does not give a clear and unambiguous picture of what identity issues will be pertinent for an Ambient Intelligence environment, partly because of the chaotic collection of enabling technologies that constitute ‘Ambient Intelligence.’ But it does hint at some areas which could be explored further – such as how ‘always on,’ pervasive wireless devices cross and blur the boundaries of work and home, which requires ‘intelligent’ solutions to accommodate ‘integrationist’ or ‘separatist’ approaches to work and home identities.

Targeted readers

Executives in telecommunications companies, ICTs researchers and those with a particular interest in social identities and the presentation of self.

Please note that this is a very detailed document, and requires that the readers familiarise themselves with the subject.

Why you should read this project report

This document sets out to provide a comprehensive review and critical evaluation of the current state of the art in the area of roles, identities and ICTs – including an awareness of the current trends more generally in identities academic research.

The document is initially aimed at telecommunications companies looking towards existing qualitative research to provide key insights about roles and identities for the development of new business scenarios and prototypes, particularly in an Ambient Intelligence environment.

P1302 Deliverable 2 (STEEP Analyses)

Abstract

The STEEP analyses provide concentrated information covering Social, Technological, Economic, Ecological and Political aspects of everyday life.  These were performed by the Hungarian, Norwegian and UK PROFIT-teams, creating a snapshot of today's socio-political reality and existing trends in UK, Norway and Hungary.  Knowing what's going on at this present moment will assist us in visualising the needs, roles, identities and relationships between consumers and suppliers of tomorrow.

The STEEP analyses were created as an analytical tool for backing the PROFIT [Potential pRofit Opportunities in the Future ambient InTelligence world] project, a collaborative activity the main objectives of which are

• to examine the social and economic issues that will arise as the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) vision develops,

• achieve a thorough understanding of the business environment of AmI and

• investigate emerging business models most likely to generate revenue and profits.

 A key factor for the project's success will be its ability to identify the demand drivers of the future and the competencies that must be developed in order to cover this demand.  Therefore, awareness of socio-political dynamics is paramount. The PROFIT team will use these STEEP analyses to develop a likely vision for the year 2010, aiming at understanding characteristics of future markets and identifying new services in a new era.

Targeted readers

Business and market oriented people, interested in roles and identities of people in the ambient intelligence world, particularly from telecommunication companies.

P1302 Deliverable 3 (Strategic business models for the new economy)

Abstract

A major part of the Eurescom project “PROFIT” has analysed the components of profitability i.e. both the market attractiveness, and the competitive advantage in terms of business models and demand, for 2010. Drawing on indications from each of these areas predictions have been made in terms of future profitability for telcos. These have been provided by a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, which result in a ranking of most promising services.   Additionally an analysis has been made of ways of looking at the relative profitability of new businesses both strategically and at the micro level. The operation of centralised and decentralised services has been analysed and an investigation of the components of business models has been carried out, in particular the revenue component, with analysis applied to a number of businesses.

Targeted readers

Executives in telecommunications companies, ICTs researchers and those with a particular interest in ambient intelligence and pervasive ICTs.

Abstract

This document explores the key issues and implications of work/ home boundaries for a pervasive information and communication technology (ICT) and Ambient Intelligence (AmI) environment.  Always on, pervasive and particularly mobile devices challenge the boundaries of work and home, especially for those who wish to maintain a separation between these domains.  The report identifies how ICTs currently meet the need to separate or integrate work and home life, as well as unmet needs in this area. 

One of the main aims of the project was to write a more realistic AmI scenario than those constructed to date.  Existing scenarios did not, for example, question user acceptance.  The report, therefore, additionally analyses user responses to key elements of existing AmI scenarios, and explores these in terms of their business implications.  Qualitative quotations from interviewees show likely user acceptance problems for AmI devices and services, but also some positive qualities of the AmI vision, which are better received. 

Targeted readers

Executives in telecommunications companies, ICTs researchers, and those with a particular interest in Ambient Intelligence and pervasive ICTs