Diversity & interoperability : wireless technologies in ambient assisted living

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) demands the seamless integration of a range of technologies such that the particular
needs of the elderly may be met. Given the heterogeneity of the elderly population, in their needs and circumstances amongst
others, this is a significant challenge. In essence, it demands that a disparate suite of technologies be deployed, integrated, managed and interacted with in a seamless and intuitive fashion. In this paper, how this heterogeneity may be managed is discussed. In particular, the use of ontologies and middleware are proposed as
potential solutions to this heterogeneity problem.