SharMe is a project that started in Nokia Research Center in beginning of 2006 in the area of creating user memories by means of extensive recording. In this research area, which is very large and already populated by very famous projects like MyLifeBits, we are focusing our attention on the role the mobile devices can play. While we see mobile devices as essential for recording, accessing and sharing memories, there are still multiple challenges that have to be overcome, and they are not necessarily only technical: enabling more or less automatic recording of all sorts of personal information creates multiple social and legal issues. Therefore, one of the main objectives of the project is to find scenarios that make sense, that would be acceptable to a larger audience and not to just a few people.
In SharMe, we are setting out to investigate certain research topics like:
The mobile device is essential in our project since it is at the center of the recording. Media and annotations are recorded according to scenarios in a more or less automated fashion. Data around devices can also be recorded and stored on the mobile device and backend servers. In this research area, we are investigating certain technological challenges of devices but of major importance are the user related issues. The users have to be in control and aware of the recordings.
In this area, we are working on creating algorithms for processing recorded data by creating higher-levels of abstractions that would allow for more user understandable representations and querying. The memory exploration takes place on the mobile devices as well as other devices, depending on convenience for the user in the given use case. Various visualizations paradigms are taken into consideration both for desktops and mobile devices. The mobile device gets again a special consideration, as it should allows users to access their memories, which could be stored anywhere, at any time.
Sharing is one of the most important topics in our project and it brings in also lots of challenges. Sharing has to be made easy and safe. The user has a control upon the memories being shared and the circle of people with whom a particular memory is shared. As a result of memory sharing new communities emerge and existing communities are strengthened.
We have created a Tekes collaboration project with:
We also have cooperations with:
