title: Flexibility Support for Homecare Applications Based on Models and Multi-Agent Technology.
abstract: In developed countries, public health systems are under pressure due to the increasing percentage of population over 65. In this context, homecare based on ambient intelligence technology seems to be a suitable solution to allow elderly people to continue to enjoy the comforts of home and help optimize medical resources. Thus, current technological developments make it possible to build complex homecare applications that demand, among others, flexibility mechanisms for being able to evolve as context does (adaptability), as well as avoiding service disruptions in the case of node failure (availability). The solution proposed in this paper copes with these flexibility requirements through the whole life-cycle of the target applications: from design phase to runtime. The proposed domain modeling approach allows medical staff to design customized applications, taking into account the adaptability needs. It also guides software developers during system implementation. The application execution is managed by a multi-agent based middleware, making it possible to meet adaptation requirements, assuring at the same time the availability of the system even for stateful applications.
authors.affiliation: Automatic Control &amp; Systems Engineering Department, ETSI Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48013 Bilbao, Spain. aintzane.armentia@ehu.eus.
authors.forename: Aintzane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Armentia
authors.affiliation: Automatic Control &amp; Systems Engineering Department, ETSI Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48013 Bilbao, Spain. unai.gangoiti@ehu.eus.
authors.forename: Unai
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gangoiti
authors.affiliation: Automatic Control &amp; Systems Engineering Department, ETSI Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48013 Bilbao, Spain. rafael.priego@ehu.eus.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Priego
authors.affiliation: Electronic and Automation Engineering Department, University of Jaen (UJA), 23071 Jaén, Spain. eestevez@ujaen.es.
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Estévez
authors.affiliation: Automatic Control &amp; Systems Engineering Department, ETSI Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48013 Bilbao, Spain. marga.marcos@ehu.eus.
authors.forename: Marga
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marcos
mesh_terms: D003195:Computer Communication Networks; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008491:Medical Informatics Applications; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012984:Software
keywords: AAL systems; adaptability; availability; domain modeling; homecare; multi-agent systems; stateful components