Understanding Smart Home Sensor Data for Ageing in Place Through Everyday Household Routines: A Mixed Method Case Study

BackgroundAn ongoing challenge for smart homes research for aging-in-place is how to make sense of the large amounts of data from in-home sensors to facilitate real-time monitoring and develop reliable alerts. ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to explore the usefulness of a routine...

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Main Authors: van Kasteren, Yasmin, Bradford, Dana, Zhang, Qing, Karunanithi, Mohan, Ding, Hang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2017-06-01
Series:JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Online Access:http://mhealth.jmir.org/2017/6/e52/
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author van Kasteren, Yasmin
Bradford, Dana
Zhang, Qing
Karunanithi, Mohan
Ding, Hang
author_facet van Kasteren, Yasmin
Bradford, Dana
Zhang, Qing
Karunanithi, Mohan
Ding, Hang
author_sort van Kasteren, Yasmin
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundAn ongoing challenge for smart homes research for aging-in-place is how to make sense of the large amounts of data from in-home sensors to facilitate real-time monitoring and develop reliable alerts. ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to explore the usefulness of a routine-based approach for making sense of smart home data for the elderly. MethodsMaximum variation sampling was used to select three cases for an in-depth mixed methods exploration of the daily routines of three elderly participants in a smart home trial using 180 days of power use and motion sensor data and longitudinal interview data. ResultsSensor data accurately matched self-reported routines. By comparing daily movement data with personal routines, it was possible to identify changes in routine that signaled illness, recovery from bereavement, and gradual deterioration of sleep quality and daily movement. Interview and sensor data also identified changes in routine with variations in temperature and daylight hours. ConclusionsThe findings demonstrated that a routine-based approach makes interpreting sensor data easy, intuitive, and transparent. They highlighted the importance of understanding and accounting for individual differences in preferences for routinization and the influence of the cyclical nature of daily routines, social or cultural rhythms, and seasonal changes in temperature and daylight hours when interpreting information based on sensor data. This research has demonstrated the usefulness of a routine-based approach for making sense of smart home data, which has furthered the understanding of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to make real-time monitoring and effective alerts a reality.
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spelling doaj.art-c2b721b54401460887542be7089633382022-12-21T19:58:51ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR mHealth and uHealth2291-52222017-06-0156e5210.2196/mhealth.5773Understanding Smart Home Sensor Data for Ageing in Place Through Everyday Household Routines: A Mixed Method Case Studyvan Kasteren, YasminBradford, DanaZhang, QingKarunanithi, MohanDing, HangBackgroundAn ongoing challenge for smart homes research for aging-in-place is how to make sense of the large amounts of data from in-home sensors to facilitate real-time monitoring and develop reliable alerts. ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to explore the usefulness of a routine-based approach for making sense of smart home data for the elderly. MethodsMaximum variation sampling was used to select three cases for an in-depth mixed methods exploration of the daily routines of three elderly participants in a smart home trial using 180 days of power use and motion sensor data and longitudinal interview data. ResultsSensor data accurately matched self-reported routines. By comparing daily movement data with personal routines, it was possible to identify changes in routine that signaled illness, recovery from bereavement, and gradual deterioration of sleep quality and daily movement. Interview and sensor data also identified changes in routine with variations in temperature and daylight hours. ConclusionsThe findings demonstrated that a routine-based approach makes interpreting sensor data easy, intuitive, and transparent. They highlighted the importance of understanding and accounting for individual differences in preferences for routinization and the influence of the cyclical nature of daily routines, social or cultural rhythms, and seasonal changes in temperature and daylight hours when interpreting information based on sensor data. This research has demonstrated the usefulness of a routine-based approach for making sense of smart home data, which has furthered the understanding of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to make real-time monitoring and effective alerts a reality.http://mhealth.jmir.org/2017/6/e52/
spellingShingle van Kasteren, Yasmin
Bradford, Dana
Zhang, Qing
Karunanithi, Mohan
Ding, Hang
Understanding Smart Home Sensor Data for Ageing in Place Through Everyday Household Routines: A Mixed Method Case Study
JMIR mHealth and uHealth
title Understanding Smart Home Sensor Data for Ageing in Place Through Everyday Household Routines: A Mixed Method Case Study
title_full Understanding Smart Home Sensor Data for Ageing in Place Through Everyday Household Routines: A Mixed Method Case Study
title_fullStr Understanding Smart Home Sensor Data for Ageing in Place Through Everyday Household Routines: A Mixed Method Case Study
title_full_unstemmed Understanding Smart Home Sensor Data for Ageing in Place Through Everyday Household Routines: A Mixed Method Case Study
title_short Understanding Smart Home Sensor Data for Ageing in Place Through Everyday Household Routines: A Mixed Method Case Study
title_sort understanding smart home sensor data for ageing in place through everyday household routines a mixed method case study
url http://mhealth.jmir.org/2017/6/e52/
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