FW: Wide review of Generic Sensor and Ambient Light Sensor API

The Device & Sensors Working Group has asked us to review the Generic Sensor
and Ambient Light Sensor APIs.

In particular, the following request is for the Web Platform WG:

* we're seeking overall review of the shape of the API, its integration with
the rest of the platform and its usage of WebIDL (noting that the TAG has
already provided input to the generic sensor API).

Please provide feedback before TPAC (September 19) if possible.

Unless somebody specifically asks for feedback to be endorsed by this group,
comments should be made in a personal capacity.

The full text of the request is below.

Cheers,

Adrian.


> On Tue, Aug 30, 2016 at 03:23:22, Dominique Hazael-Massieux wrote:
> 
> Dear APA WG, Geo WG, Privacy IG, WebAppSec WG, Web Platform WG, Auto WG,
> Wot IG, CSS WG, TAG chairs,
> 
> The Device and Sensors Working Group just published two updated Working
> Drafts of:
> * the Generic Sensor API
>   https://www.w3.org/TR/2016/WD-generic-sensor-20160830/

> 
> * the Ambient Light Sensor
>   https://www.w3.org/TR/2016/WD-ambient-light-20160830/

> on which the group is seeking wide review, especially from your groups.
> Preferably, we would like to receive your reviews before TPAC (September
> 19) so that we can use our meeting there to make progress on the
> received feedback. We will not request transition to Candidate
> Recommendation before mid-October, so any feedback received by then will
> be taken into account as part of the "wide review" process.
> 
> For context, the Generic Sensor API is a an abstract API that can serve
> as a basis for any kind of sensors; the Ambient Light API is the most
> advanced of our APIs based on that framework, and demonstrates how a
> concrete API is built on top of the sensor API.
> 
> Other APIs to be built on top of the Generic Sensor API include
> accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity [1], but we're not
> specifically calling for wide reviews on these yet.
> 
> For sake of clarity, we're calling the following groups for reviews with
> the following expectation:
> * for APA WG, to determine if the specific ambient light API under
> review brings accessibility concerns, and more generally, if the generic
> sensor API needs to highlight generically applicable accessibility
> concerns with exposing sensor data
> 
> * for WebAppSec, we are seeking likewise review on the general impact on
> security of exposing sensors data, the specific risks associated with
> Ambient Light; we are also seeking input on the generic security
> considerations in the Generic Sensor API, in particular the relationship
> with secured contexts, permissions and permission delegation
> 
> * for the Privacy IG, we're seeking input on the privacy risks that are
> generally applicable to sensor data (generic sensor API), and the ones
> that are specific to ambient light, and whether the current privacy
> considerations satisfactorily cover them
> 
> * for the Geolocation WG, we're seeking input based on the group's
> experience with the first widely-deployed sensor APIs (geolocation and
> deviceorientation), to see in particular if the generic sensor API
> appropriately covers some of the issues that emerged in this prior work
> 
> * for the Web Platform WG and the TAG, we're seeking overall review of
> the shape of the API, its integration with the rest of the platform and
> its usage of WebIDL (noting that the TAG has already provided input to
> the generic sensor API)
> 
> * for the Auto WG, while we understand that the group is moving away
> from a WebIDL-based approach to gathering sensor data, a review of the
> generic sensor API as a potential wrapper around the new approach
> explored by the group might usefully expose limitations of our
> specification
> 
> * for the WoT Interest Group, we're seeking feedback on whether the
> Generic Sensor API is applicable as is (and if not, what would need to
> change) in the contexts the group is exploring for communications with
> sensors
> 
> * for the CSS Working Group, we're specifically seeking feedback on the
> Ambient Light API, since it exposes a similar functionality as the one
> that was at some point considered for CSS Media Queries (as "luminosity"
> or "light level")
> 
> If you determine your group does not need to provide input, we would
> also appreciate if you could let us know.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dominique Hazael-Massieux, Staff Contact for Device & Sensors Working
> Group
> for Frederick Hirsch, Chair
> 
> 1. https://www.w3.org/TR/2016/WD-ambient-light-20160830/

Received on Tuesday, 30 August 2016 15:18:20 UTC