Ubiquitous Computing and Communication for Product Monitoring

Abstract

The present discussion summarises the benefits provided with resort to IT instruments, by dealing with the delivery of extended artefacts, under the responsibility of extended enterprises. In view to establish the IT environment, one needs to address the market paradigm-shift, from earlier commodity- to mainly utility-based economics, having supply chains concerned by products-services, where the latter delivering often outruns the former. Outstripping the pertinent material flows, effectiveness quickly turns on the information flows, supported by networked organisations and cooperative set-ups, with mainly, a twofold outcome: (1) value added in totally new provisions, enhancing the supply effectiveness; (2) value added to the joined information and related transparency of overall environmental impact. Ambient intelligence is technology-driven opportunity based on the user friendly exploitation of ubiquitous computing and communication (Riva, Vatalaro, Davide, & Alcañiz, 2005; Stephanidis, 2001; VanLoenen, 2003). Turning ambient intelligence toward collaboration activities and eco-compatibility certifying duties could be the winning option to support enterprise competitiveness, privacy protection and eco-system safeguard through cooperative organisations. The involved IT aids basically will move from the existing World Wide Web capabilities, enhancing the extended enterprise, with the qualifying functions of service engineering, and fitting out the on-duty incumbents by users’ adaptive interfaces.