Using Object-relational Database Systems and XML in the Context of an Wireless-oriented Multimedia Information System

In this paper, we present an architecture for access, exchange and presentation of information in a mobile computing environment. We focus our attention on new strategies for the adaptation and integration of database techniques regarding the management of multimedia data types at the particular conditions of mobile infrastructures. We believe that object-relational database systems e.g. Informix and Oracle8i are ideal repositories on the stationary server side for next generation multimedia applications, especially in internetworked LAN or WAN environments. Moreover, our approach illustrates the use and benefits of XML technology as a generic gateway to any mobile device. The basic idea of this paper is the integration of object-relational database technology and XML techniques in a Mobility Information Center (MIC) as a framework for mobile environments. The major aim is to optimize the data exchange and presentation by using media specific queries, data preprocessing and reduction methods within the database system. The server side data transformation and the presentation on mobile end system is controlled by RDF-based meta information and XML/XSLT technology. All these methods are influenced by contexts like local resources, environment parameters, and user preferences.