Abstract
In the last years we have witnessed to a substantial increase on the number of people in need of care services, especially among the elderly, a phenomenon related to population ageing. However, this is becoming not exclusive of the elderly, as diseases like obesity, diabetes, and blood pressure have been increasing amongst young adults. This is a new reality which needs to be dealt by the healthcare sector, specifically the public one. Given these new scenarios, the importance of finding new and cost-effective ways for health care delivery are of particular relevance, especially when it is believed that these new patients should not be removed from their natural, day-to-day life, environment. The evolution of the, so called, new technologies may pay here a very important role as they may become part of the solution for this new problematic. Actually, they are already been used as, in recent years, several projects have raised in this relatively new area of work. These projects, although legitimate ones, were essential for delineating a path to pursue for others to come, as they were in some case, very simple ones (e.g. panic buttons), and, especially, reactive ones. In this paper, we are going to present how we are trying to evolve these projects a step further, through the introduction of proactiveness as a key factor, taking advantage of "new", as in applied to this areas, techniques of decision making, idea generation, argumentation and data quality, applied, not only to the in transit information, but also to the one provided by the several intervenient as well as themselves. In order to be able to pursue this delineated path, a new approach for knowledge representation, reasoning, and even for problem solving is proposed. To achieve these goals, the VirtualECare environment is presented, together with its sustaining infrastructure and architecture. Particular attention will be paidto how it may be used to simulate a virtual Assisted Living Environment in order to, later, better monitor real ones, attending to its customers' needs.

Abstract
Knowledge is central to the modern economy and society. Indeed, the knowledge society has transformed the concept of knowledge and is more and more aware of the need to overcome the lack of knowledge when has to make options or address its problems and dilemmas. One's knowledge is less based on exact facts and more on hypotheses, perceptions or indications. Even when we use new computational artefacts and novel methodologies for problem solving, like the use of Group Decision Support Systems (GDSSs), the question of incomplete information is in most of the situations marginalized. On the other hand, common sense tells us that when a decision is made it is impossible to have a perception of all the information involved and the nature of its intrinsic quality. Therefore, something has to be made in terms of the information available and the process of its evaluation. It is under this framework that a Multi-valued Extended Logic Programming language will be used for knowledge representation and reasoning, leading to a model that embodies the Quality-of-Information (QoI) and its quantification, along the several stages of the decision-making process. In this way, it is possible to provide a measure of the value of the QoI that supports the decision itself. This model will be here presented in the context of a GDSS for VirtualECare, a system aimed at sustaining online healthcare services.

Abstract
The development of intelligent environments poses complex challenges, namely at the level of device heterogeneity and environment dynamics. In fact, we still lack supporting technologies and development approaches that can efficiently integrate different devices and technologies. In this paper we present how a recent integration of two important technologies, OSGi and Jade, can be used to significantly improve the development process, making it a more dynamic, modular and configurable one. We also focus on the main advantages that this integration provides to developers, from the Ambient Intelligence point of view. This work results from the development of two intelligent environments: VirtualECare, which is an intelligent environment for the monitorization of elderly in their homes and UMCourt, a virtual environment for dispute resolution.

Abstract
In this work we intend to advance towards a computational model to hold up a Group Decision Support System for VirtualECare, a system aimed at sustaining online healthcare services, where Extended Logic Programs (ELP) will be used for knowledge representation and reasoning. Under this scenario it is possible to evaluate the ELPs making in terms of the Quality-of-Information (QoI) that is assigned to them, along the several stages of the decision making process, which is given as a truth value in the interval 0 ... 1, i.e., it is possible to provide a measure of the value of the QoI that supports the decision making process, an end in itself. It will be also considered the problem of QoI evaluation in a multicriteria decision setting, being the criteria to be fulfilled that of a Clinical Guideline (CG) for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Abstract
The amount of seniors in need of constant care is rapidly mint! an evident consequence of population ageing. There are already some monitorization environments which aim to monitor these persons while they remain at home This, however, although better than delocalizing the elder to some kind of in may not still be the ideal solution. as it forces them to stay inside the home more than they wished, as going out means lack of accompaniment and a consequent sensation of feat In this paper we propose EM on a monitorization device small enough to be worn by its users, although powerful enough to provide the higher level monitorization systems with vital information about the user and the environment around him We hope to allow the representation of an intelligent environment to move with its users, instead of being static, mandatorily associated to a single physical location The first prototype of EMon as presented in tills paper, provides environmental data as well as GPS coordinates and pictures that are useful to describe the context of its user

Abstract
Human collective set of experiences makes us who we are and help us delineate a path for our ongoing life. Ageing, however, progressively limits our ability to save, in our internal memory, these same experiences, or, at least, limits our capability to remember them. The capability to remember, intrinsic to our memory, is a very important one to us, as a human been, being this what deferent's us from several other species. In this paper we present a memory assistant sub module of a bigger project, the VirtualECare, which ability will be to remember us, not our past experiences, but our routine day-to-day tasks and activities, in a somehow proactive manner, thus, allowing us to have some relaxation about them, and focus the remaining of our ability in most important facts.