This paper describes the use of an accretion-resolution user modelling representation to model people, places and objects.
We explain the motivation for the key properties of the representation, especially those of particular importance for ubiquitous
computing: firstly, for flexibility in interpreting the typically noisy and potentially conflicting evidence about users’
locations; secondly, to support users in scrutinising their user model, the processes that determine its contents and the
way that it is used in the ubiquitous computing environment.
A novel and important aspect of this work is our extension of the representation beyond modelling just users, using it also
to represent the other elements such as devices, sensors, rooms and buildings. We illustrate our approach in terms of models
we have been building for a system which enables users to gain personalised information about the sensors and services in
a ubiquitous computing environment. We report experiments on the scalability and the management of inconsistency in modelling
of location, based on accretion-resolution
Keywords modelling location - modelling pervasive computing environments - scrutability - user control - user model representation