Skip to main content

BLAST: Block Applications for Things

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
The Semantic Web: ESWC 2022 Satellite Events (ESWC 2022)

Abstract

We introduce a block-based visual programming language called BLAST for programs involving connected devices with a Web of Things abstraction. We developed an editor and an execution environment for BLAST programs that runs in a web browser. We demonstrate that BLAST can be used to create programs that interact with a variety of devices. In particular we show the use of connected devices in a geofencing scenario.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    https://www.w3.org/WoT/.

  2. 2.

    https://developers.google.com/blockly/.

  3. 3.

    https://nodered.org/.

  4. 4.

    https://appinventor.mit.edu/.

  5. 5.

    https://webbluetoothcg.github.io/web-bluetooth/.

  6. 6.

    https://wicg.github.io/webhid/.

  7. 7.

    https://wicg.github.io/speech-api/.

  8. 8.

    https://fetch.spec.whatwg.org/.

  9. 9.

    https://docs.inrupt.com/developer-tools/javascript/client-libraries/.

  10. 10.

    https://github.com/vcharpenay/uRDF.js/.

References

  1. Assila, A., Ezzedine, H., et al.: Standardized usability questionnaires: features and quality focus. Electron. J. Comput. Sci. Inf. Technol. 6(1) (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bottoni, P., Ceriani, M.: Using blocks to get more blocks: exploring linked data through integration of queries and result sets in block programming. In: IEEE Blocks and Beyond Workshop, pp. 99–101 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cimino, C., Negri, E., Fumagalli, L.: Review of digital twin applications in manufacturing. Comput. Ind. 113, 103130 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Fraser, N.: Ten things we’ve learned from blockly. In: 2015 IEEE Blocks and Beyond Workshop (Blocks and Beyond), pp. 49–50 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1109/BLOCKS.2015.7369000

  5. Kelleher, C., Pausch, R.: Lowering the barriers to programming: a taxonomy of programming environments and languages for novice programmers. ACM Comput. Surv. 37(2), 83–137 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Maloney, J., Resnick, M., Rusk, N., Silverman, B., Eastmond, E.: The scratch programming language and environment. ACM Trans. Comput. Educ. (TOCE) 10(4), 1–15 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Pasternak, E., Fenichel, R., Marshall, A.N.: Tips for creating a block language with blockly. In: IEEE Blocks and Beyond Workshop, pp. 21–24 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Patton, E.W., Van Woensel, W., Seneviratne, O., Loseto, G., Scioscia, F., Kagal, L.: The Punya platform: building mobile research apps with linked data and semantic features. In: Hotho, A., et al. (eds.) ISWC 2021. LNCS, vol. 12922, pp. 563–579. Springer, Cham (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88361-4_33

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  9. Tomlein, M., Grønbæk, K.: A visual programming approach based on domain ontologies for configuring industrial IoT installations. In: Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on the Internet of Things, pp. 1–9 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Weintrop, D.: Block-based programming in computer science education. Commun. ACM 62(8), 22–25 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Weintrop, D., Shepherd, D.C., Francis, P., Franklin, D.: Blockly goes to work: block-based programming for industrial robots. In: IEEE Blocks and Beyond Workshop, pp. 29–36 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael Freund .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Freund, M., Wehr, T., Harth, A. (2022). BLAST: Block Applications for Things. In: Groth, P., et al. The Semantic Web: ESWC 2022 Satellite Events. ESWC 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13384. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11609-4_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11609-4_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-11608-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-11609-4

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics