Nearby: People of the Ubiquitous Web Domain.
W3C's Ubiquitous Web Domain is focusing on technologies to enable Web access for anyone, anywhere, anytime, using any device. This includes Web access from mobile phones as well as other emerging environments such as consumer electronics, interactive television, and even automobiles. To enable the next generation of Web user interfaces, we are working on best practices for mobile Web content, device independence technologies (DISelect), VoiceXML and technologies for multimodal interaction (EMMA, InkML). The device- and application-independence of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a key ingredient to the mission of the Domain, and the Ubiquitous Web Domain is responsible for the ongoing development of XML and related specifications.
"The Web is becoming more and more pervasive as an applications platform, and effective standards are crucial for reducing the costs of deploying applications across a wide range of devices and environments, whether in the office, at home or on the move. The Ubiquitous Web will provide people with access whenever and wherever they find themselves, with applications that dynamically adapt to the user's needs, device capabilities and environmental conditions. " -- Philipp Hoschka, Ubiquitous Web Domain Leader
From the introduction of the Mobile Web Initiative Activity Statement:
While becoming increasingly popular, mobile Web access today still suffers from interoperability and usability problems. W3C’s Mobile Web Initiative (W3C MWI) addresses these issues through a concerted effort of key players in the mobile production chain, including authoring tool vendors, content providers, handset manufacturers, browser vendors and mobile operators.
Mobile Web access has many advantages. Unlike the fixed Web, the mobile Web will go where you go. No longer will you have to remember to do something on the Web when you get back to your computer. You can do it immediately, within the context that made you want to use the Web in the first place.
With mobile devices, the Web can reach a much wider audience, and at all times in all situations. It has the opportunity to reach into places where wires cannot go, to places previously unthinkable (e.g., providing medical information to mountain rescue scenes) and to accompany everyone as easily as they carry the time in their wristwatches.
Moreover, today, many more people have access to mobile devices than access to a desktop computer. This is likely to be very significant in developing countries, where Web-capable mobile devices may play a similar role for deploying widespread Web access as the mobile phone has played for providing "plain old telephone service".
Currently, the W3C MWI is focusing on developing best practices for "mobileOK" Web sites and mobile Web applications, test suites for improving interoperability of mobile Web software, outreach activities, and the usage of the mobile Web for social development. It also hosts workshops that look into new areas of work that relate to the Mobile Web.
Read more on the Mobile Web Initiative Activity home page.
Dominique Hazaël-Massieux is the Activity Lead.
The Activity includes these groups:
From the introduction of the Multimodal Interaction Activity Statement:
The Multimodal Interaction Activity seeks to extend the Web to allow users to dynamically select the most appropriate mode of interaction for their current needs including any disabilities in order to enable Web application developers to provide an effective user interface for whichever modes the user selects. With multimodal Web applications, users can provide input via speech, handwriting and keystrokes, with output presented via displays, pre-recorded and synthetic speech, audio, and tactile mechanisms such as mobile phone vibrators and Braille strips.
The goal of the Multimodal Interaction Activity is to clearly define how to author concrete multimodal Web applications, for example, coupling a local XHTML user agent with a remote VoiceXML user agent. The Multimodal Interaction Working Group is important as a central point of coordination within W3C for multimodal activities, and the group collaborates with other related Working Groups, e.g. Voice Browser, Compound Document Formats and Ubiquitous Web Applications.
Read more on the Multimodal Interaction Activity home page.
Kazuyuki Ashimura is the Activity Lead.
The Activity includes this group:
From the introduction of the Ubiquitous Web Applications Activity Statement:
The Ubiquitous Web Applications Activity was launched on 30 March 2007 with the vision of enabling value-added services and business models for ubiquitous networked devices, based upon W3C's strengths in declarative representations. The Activity includes the Geolocation Working Group and the Ubiquitous Web Applications Working Group.
- The Geolocation Working Group is defining a secure and privacy-sensitive interface for using client-side location information in location-aware Web applications. A geolocation API for accessing device location is under development, and in addition, the Working Group may explore exposing location information via markup or HTTP headers. The Working Group is tasked with identifying and addressing requirements for security and privacy protection.
- The Ubiquitous Web Applications Working Group focuses on mechanisms to reduce the cost for developing and delivering applications to a wide range of devices, including the means to adapt to user preferences and environmental conditions. A key part of this work is the Delivery Context Ontology. Other work is addressing the role of Web technologies for distributed applications of consumer electronic devices (the Web of things).
Read more on the Ubiquitous Web Applications Activity home page.
Dave Raggett is the Activity Lead.
The Activity includes these groups:
From the introduction of the Voice Browser Activity Statement:
The telephone was invented in the 1870s and continues to be a very important means for people to communicate with each other. The Web by comparison is very recent, but is rapidly becoming a competing communications channel. The convergence of telecommunications and the Web is now bringing the benefits of Web technology to the telephone, enabling Web developers to create applications that can be accessed via any telephone, and allowing people to interact with these applications via speech and telephone keypads. The W3C Speech Interface Framework is a suite of markup specifications aimed at realizing this goal. It covers voice dialogs (VoiceXML), speech synthesis (SSML), speech recognition (SRGS, SISR), pronunciation lexicon (PLS), call control (CCXML, SCXML) and other requirements for interactive voice response applications, including use by people with hearing or speaking impairments.
The Working Group concentrates on languages for capturing and producing speech and managing the dialog between user and computer, while a related Group, the Multimodal Interaction Working Group, concentrates on additional input modes including keyboard and mouse, ink and pen, etc.
Read more on the Voice Browser Activity home page.
Kazuyuki Ashimura is the Activity Lead.
The Activity includes this group:
From the introduction of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) Activity Statement:
Read more on the Extensible Markup Language (XML) Activity home page.
Liam Quin is the Activity Lead.
The Activity includes these groups:
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