A new class of IT applications emerged gaining immense attention and substantially changed the social perception of Computer Science significantly. In the same time, new challenges arose from this class of smart systems altering methods for design, development and operation of IT systems in a fundamental way.

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The new challenges are deeply anchored with the main characteristics of these smart systems and applications:

• Mobility: Mobile systems are moving while providing or consuming services. Generally mobile users take mobile devices with them in order to utilize wireless communication services. Mobile Applications exhibit specific behaviors and are constrained in ways that were unknown in traditional IT systems. They have to be developed for economic use of scarce resources and at the same time to adapt gracefully to context changes.
• Distribution: Modern IT systems tend to be highly distributed. The adoption of mobile devices and wireless communication technology makes it possible to access services located globally. In consequence, the resulting complexity has to be met with adequate concepts, methods, and technologies.
• Contextual dependence: Due to mobility and rapidly changing environments applications have to adapt themselves to situational changes quickly. Smart applications are expected to deliver meaningful and adapted variants of their services in different type of environment (context awareness).