Mobile Context Toolbox: An Extensible Context Framework for the Maemo Platform

In this paper we describe an open framework utilizing sensors and application data on the Maemo mobile platform enabling rapid prototyping of context-aware mobile applications. The framework has an extensible layered architecture allowing new hardware and software sensors and features to be added to the context framework. We present initial results from in-the-wild experiments where contextual data was acquired using the tool. In the experiments 6 participants were using a Nokia N900 mobile phone continuously with a logger application for an average of 33 days. The study has provided valuable insights into human behavior in terms of places visited, people met, etc. Moreover, it has provided useful insights into platform issues of the system deployed in real-life usage situations, including the stability and power consumption.