Open vs.Closed standards for ambient intelligence: an exploratory study of adoption

Emerging forms of structurally complex information systems, such as Ambient Intelligence (AmI), requires the integration of a range of technologies. To enable such systems’ development there is a reliance on interoperability standards. However, due to their inherent characteristics, the adoption of open or closed standards by technology vendors can have impacts the later stages of the adoption and diffusion of systems. This paper reports on research-in-progress which explores the adoption of open and closed standards by technology vendors engaged in AmI development. Existing models of innovation adoption and diffusion fail to adequately account for adoption in more complex technological contexts. In order to address such deficiencies, current perspectives on standards are discussed, before a conceptual framework for structuring the research is proposed which integrates both existing adoption theory and standards-oriented research. The use of the European Consumer Electronics sector as a unit of analysis is discussed, before concluding with an overview of how the study will progress