AbstractsComputer Science

Over the last two decades, mobile computing has gone from being a mere vision to becoming a reality, ubiquitously present in our everyday lives. There are different types of mobility, from user and terminal mobility, to mobility of services and sessions. This thesis focuses on service mobility, the possibility of accessing and using services regardlessof location or device. In particular, this thesis discusses two specific variants of service mobility, being application mobility (the ability for an application to migrate between different host devices during its execution), and mobile e-services (internet-based services delivered anytime and anywhere). The aim of this thesis work is to explore and advance the areas of application mobility and mobile e-services respectively. The thesis approaches this goal through focusing on four research issues: Concept exploration and architectural considerations for application mobility; Cross-platform support and adaptability for mobile applications and e-services; Design considerations for mobile e-services; and Transforming citizen involvement in e-service processes. The thesis proposes and evaluates a concept for the transformation of citizen involvement in e-government processes through the application of mobile e-services. The contributions of this thesis include the identification of requirements for application mobility and mobile e-services, which inform the design and implementation of prototype systems used as proofs-of-concept. Also, the thesis work specifies the unique characteristics of mobile e-services and presents an identification of the most important challenges to overcome in the area.