Context-Aware Workflow Management Engine for Networked Devices

In this paper, the authors present a novel Context-aware Workflow Management Engine (CWME) which offers seamless control and coordination of ubiquitous networked devices in a Heterogeneous, Autonomous, and Distributed (HAD) environment. CWME adopts the concept from contemporary Business Process Management (BPM) systems where end users are allowed to design or customize activities and workflows involving network devices. A working CWME prototype has been developed as a proof of concept and tested using a device simulator. During the workflow design phase, a Feature Interaction Detection Engine (FIDE) is adopted in their system to detect all possible operation conflicts between the devices.