ECS Intranet:
Research Themes
The research in the group covers a wide variety of research themes and each of our major themes is described briefly below. Further information and associated projects may be found on separate pages.
Agent Based Computing
Widely regarded as the foundation of the networked generation of computer systems, agents are encapsulated computer systems that are situated in some environment and are capable of flexible autonomous action in that environment in order to meet their design objectives.
Decentralised Information Systems
A major research challenge is to design and develop large-scale decentralised information systems that are able to collect, reformulate, and reason about uncertain or imprecise information in order to facilitate informed real time decision making.
Digital Libraries
Our focus in this theme is Open Access, investigating the technologies, protocols and policies that help organisations to make their information assets available for the maximum benefit to the maximum number of people.
E-Business Technologies
The focus of this theme is on developing technologies that facilitate agent-mediated e-business. In particular, we are interested in various forms of auctions, computational mechanism design, negotiation and virtual organisations.
Grid and Distributed Computing
Grid computing is about large scale computation, large scale data and large scale collaborations - applied to solving large scale problems.
Human Computer Interaction
The focus here is on interaction and specifically on interaction between one or more humans and one or more computational machines.
Knowledge Technologies
This theme focusses on the development of integrated methods and services for supporting the management of knowledge through its entire lifecycle (acquisition, modelling, reuse, retrieval, publishing and maintenance). Our work in this area is closely aligned with the vision of the Semantic Web.
Multimedia
Focussing on the development of versatile systems for multimedia management, imaging and the development of mixed reality systems.
Pervasive Computing and Networks
Focussing on future pervasive computing and networking technology and aiming to both develop and research new technologies, as exemplified by current work on Distributed Systems and IPv6.
Trust and Provenance
Focussing on applying the notion of provenance to electronically-produced data and specifying trust and reputation for data, services and agents.
Web Science
Although the World Wide Web has changed the ways scientists communicate, collaborate, and educate, a clear research agenda aimed at understanding the current, evolving and potential Web is still needed. Modelling the Web, understanding the architectural principles that underpin its growth, and ensuring that it supports the basic social values of trustworthiness, privacy, and respect for social boundaries, requires a research agenda that targets the Web as a primary focus of attention. This agenda we call Web Science.
