Special Issue of Interacting with Computers on the Social Implications of Embedded Systems (May 2012)

Deadline for submissions: 1 May 2012
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/interacting-with-computers/call-for-papers

Research on Embedded Systems or Pervasive Computing (PerCom) and its associated sensory and mobile technologies, is shifting focus from studies in controlled research laboratories, to emerging prototype implementations in real world everyday applications. The future application of PerCom is envisaged to cover almost all public, personal and commercial aspects of our lives. The benefits of PerCom are numerous and wide ranging, providing unprecedented applications on a previously unseen scale. However, this large scale use of technology brings with it a series of potential implications for its users.

Researchers studying the social aspects of PerCom have, to date, generally focused on its future positive application, with insufficient consideration or discussion of its potential short and long term social consequences. If the implications of PerCom are to be prevented or minimized, research should be conducted while the technology is in its relatively early stages of development, prior to its large scale adoption. This proposed special issue of interacting with computers aims to promote the discussion, and empirical investigation of the social implications of location aware technology. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Making the invisible socially acceptable
• Social trust in PerCom
• Influence through increased availability of information
• The physical, social and legal boundaries of PerCom
• Location tracking of people and objects: privacy issues
• Socially acceptable design: guidelines
• Models of implications/user responses

In light of the impending shift in research focus from laboratories to real world implementations, the special issue aims, in particular, to attract submissions with empirical studies on:

• Embedded systems deployed in real environments
• The effect of the deployed technology on its users
• The impact of the data obtained by the embedded systems and its use

Submission Details

Authors are encouraged to submit a short abstract (300-500 words) and a tentative title prior to the full paper submission, by 1st April 2012, to Stuart Moran (stuart.moran@reading.ac.uk) and Irene Lopez de Vallejo (ivallejo@tekniker.es). Please feel free to send an inquiry prior to writing the abstract. The deadline for the final full-paper submission is 1st May 2012. Manuscripts should be 5000-7500 words, prepared according to the IwC’s guide for authors and should be submitted online. Illustrations must be provided in separate .jpg or.gif files, and APA Publication Manual (not ACM or IEEE) style is used. Color is discouraged.

If you are a first-time user of the journal’s online submission tool, you will have to register yourself as an author on the system. Potential authors should contact Stuart Moran (stuart.moran@reading.ac.uk) and Irene Lopez de Vallejo (ivallejo@tekniker.es) with any questions about the special issue.

Special Issue Editors

Dr Stuart Moran, Mixed Reality Lab, University of Nottingham / Informatics Research Centre, University of Reading, UK
Dr Irene Lopez de Vallejo, IK4-Tekniker, Avenida Otaola, 20, Eibar, Gipuzkoa, Spain

Important Dates

Abstract submissions:  1st April 2012
Deadline for full paper submission:  1st May 2012
Announcement of results:  8th July 2012
Submission of revised papers:  8th August 2012
Final acceptance and comments:  8th September 2012
Camera ready submission deadline:  22nd November 2012

Referee Panel

Dr Tibor Bosse (Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam)
Dr Keichii Nakata (University of Reading, UK)
Dr Stuart Moran (University of Nottingham, UK)
Prof. Sarah Spiekermann (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria)
Dr Irene Lopez de Vallejo (IK4-Tekniker, Spain)