This industrial research project with Siemens AG Germany deals with the encapsulation of heterogeneous context information in a generic framework for mobile context-aware applications. It encapsulates heterogeneous context data in a generic framework for mobile context-aware applications. The goal of this project work is to find new methods, dealing with abstract semantic description of objects and their interaction and to manifest these methods in a software artefact. Forthcoming research and new hard-ware concerning communication technology through radio (IEEE802.11b, Bluetooth, RFID) enables the use of interconnected sensors and actors. These intelligent sensors and actors are embedded in their environment and are collecting masses of unstructured data about this environment.

The following research issues are investigated:

• Context Sensing: Definition of generic methods, to gain context information event triggered and time triggered (via polling).
• Representation of context information: To find a suitable abstract representation to describe semantic context information.
• Integration of abstract rules: To find a context rule syntax definition, in order to control interaction of heterogeneous devices.
• Communication: Usage of popular transport protocols to enable the retrieve of context information.

The context framework is based on standard Internet technology (TCP/IP, XML, SOAP, RDF), and the key features are presented in a demonstrator “Bavaria Emergency” in an RFID sensor-based theater setting.