1. Introduction - cs.odu.educpi/old/411/yellos19/labs/lab2/j… · Web viewLab 2 – iTracker...

Running Head: LAB 2 - ITRACKER PROTOTYPE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION 1

Lab 2 - iTracker Prototype Product Specification

Joshua Leigh

Old Dominion University

CS411W

Professor Janet Brunelle

April 1, 2019

Version 2

LAB 2 - ITRACKER PROTOTYPE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION 2

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................4

1.1 Purpose..............................................................................................................................................5

1.2 Scope.................................................................................................................................................7

1.3 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations........................................................................................8

1.4 References.......................................................................................................................................10

1.5 Overview.........................................................................................................................................10

2. General Description...............................................................................................................................11

2.1 Prototype Architecture Description.................................................................................................11

2.2 Prototype Functional Description....................................................................................................12

2.3 External Interfaces...........................................................................................................................15

2.3.1 Hardware Interfaces..................................................................................................................15

2.3.2 Software Interfaces...................................................................................................................15

2.3.3 User Interfaces..........................................................................................................................15


Tables and Figures

Figure 1. Process Flow...................................................................................................................4

Figure 2. Current steps without iTracker........................................................................................5

Figure 3. Solution Flow with the use of iTracker...........................................................................6

Figure 4. MFCD.............................................................................................................................11

Figure 5. Student GUI Algorithms...............................................................................................13

Figure 6. Instructor GUI Algorithms............................................................................................14

Table 1. Competition Matrix..........................................................................................................6

Table 2. RWP / Prototype Comparison Chart..............................................................................12


Lab 2 – iTracker Prototype Product Specification

1. Introduction

Present day scientists, students, and researchers have the luxury of computer systems.

However, many are still forced to use a pencil and paper when collecting and calculating their

observations. Researchers could benefit from an application specifically built for their needs.

iTracker does just that; it allows modern researchers the ability to input findings into a web-

based application that will take most of the work out of everyday research, including the need to

calculate mathematical equations, and the need to use a pencil and paper to record observation

data. While this application cannot help past researchers such as Henry Cavendish and Isaac

Newton, it can help current researchers like Dr. David Gauthier figure out the questing habits of

Ixodes Scapularis, better known by its more common name, the deer tick. iTracker can also be

used to perform countless other observations in the scientific field, as its scalability is not limited

to just ticks.


1.1 Purpose

iTracker will be an all-in-one web application that will serve as a solution to issues that

researchers currently face. It will offer them the ability to input almost any type of observation

data into a survey form and calculate the mean, median and standard deviations of the data.

Figures 1 and 2 show the current process flow that students without iTracker must go through in

order to begin and to submit new research.

Figure 1. Current steps and workflow without iTracker

Figure 2. Current steps without iTracker continued


The solution process flow in Figure 3 shows a concise yet simple solution to the

numerous problems that researchers face as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 3. Solution Flow with the use of iTracker

With iTracker researchers will not have to spend extra time when collecting observation

data. Table 1 shows a comparison between iTracker and the similar applications available on the

market. It also showcases the features that iTracker will share with the other applications, but

also highlights features that will make this software a viable alternative to other solutions.


Table 1. Competition Matrix

1.2 Scope

iTracker will offer several features that will help researchers manage their observation

data. Some of the features will include the ability to calculate the mean, median, and standard

deviation. Another feature will include the ability to create a new type of survey for observation

research. Instructors will have the ability to approve or deny a user's registration. iTracker will

also list the available created surveys for both students and instructors to look at, students will

not have the ability to edit surveys as that feature has been reserved for the instructor.

1.3 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

[Super] Administrator/Admin: Special user who has all abilities that other users have, plus the ability to add Instructor/Sr. Researcher users.

Access Times: the time period which a certain user can access a certain material (form/educational materials).

Analysis: the detailed examination of scientific observations, which can help to lead to a conclusion.

Android: Open source operating system developed by Google.

Browser: Used to view webpages, browsers include Chrome, IE, Opera, and Firefox.


C#: object-oriented programming language developed by Microsoft like Java and C++ that is well suited for web applications such as iTracker.

Educational Materials: PowerPoint presentations, videos, and tutorials that an Instructor user can upload, and a Student user can view inside of iTracker.

Form: data collection form used to gather the results of scientific observations.

GB: Gigabyte

Graphical User Interface (GUI): everything that users can see and interact within the iTracker application, including login pages, data forms, and statistics results pages.

Guest: - a user who is not yet registered/approved as a Student user by an Instructor user; has fewer privileges than Student users.

HTML: Hypertext Markup Language, used to present and stylize web pages.

Instructor: a type of user that has all of the privileges of a Student user, plus the ability to view and manage Student User’s data, upload educational materials, and approve/deny Guest user applications to become Student users.

JavaScript: an object-oriented programming language that is often used in web development to create interactive effects on web pages.

Mean: the statistical average of a set of data calculated by summing all of the data in the set and dividing it by the number of items in the set.

Median: in a set of data that is ordered, the exact middle number of the set. If there is no exact middle, the median is then the two middle numbers divided by 2.

MSSQL: Microsoft SQL Server, a relational database created by Microsoft that is similar to Oracle but uses T-SQL instead of PL/SQL.

Observation: the process of monitoring certain entities for use in scientific research applications.

Outlier Data: data that has been flagged by iTracker as possibly being invalid when compared to known viable/valid data; may be caused by experimental or user error.

PHP: hypertext preprocessor, web programming/scripting language that is particularly suited for the development of a web application such as iTracker.

Sr. Researcher: see Instructor; is part of the same user group as Instructor users and has the same application permissions and abilities but maybe a lab teaching assistant instead of a professor.

Standard Deviation: a measure of the amount of variation that the values in a set of data have.


Student: the main type of user in the iTracker application is part of a lab section and has an Instructor user.

Survey Data: the data that has been collected as part of the research observation process.

Viable Data: Student data that has not been flagged by iTracker as being outlier data; is considered valid and trustworthy.

Virtual Machine (VM): a virtual computer.

Visualization: the representation of data to allow for easier drawing of conclusions in scientific experiments.

WebView Wrapper: An Android extension that allows web pages to be displayed inside an Android mobile application.Windows Server: an operating system developed by Microsoft for server applications; is able to utilize MSSQL.


1.4 References

Building web apps in WebView | Android Developers. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2019, from https://developer.android.com/guide/webapps/webview

David Gauthier. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2019, from https://www.odu.edu/directory/people/d/dgauthie

Dr. Holly Gaff. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2019, from https://sites.wp.odu.edu/hgaff/

Hodges, L. (1998). THE MICHELL-CAVENDISH EXPERIMENT. Retrieved March 1, 2019, from https://lhodges.public.iastate.edu/Michell.htm

Jessa, T. (2015, December 24). What are the Steps of the Scientific Method. Retrieved March 1, 2019, from https://www.universetoday.com/74036/what-are-the-steps-of-the-scientific-method/

Leigh, Joshua. (2019). Lab 1 – iTracker Product Description. Old Dominion University, CS411W, Professional Workforce Development II, Spring 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from https://www.cs.odu.edu/~411yello/labs/lab1/jleighlab1v2.docx.

Microsoft SQL Server vs. Oracle: The Same, But Different? (2016, October 26). Retrieved March 1, 2019, from https://www.seguetech.com/microsoft-sql-server-vs-oracle-same-different/

Saunders, N. (2018, May 25). ODU Tick Researchers Receive $2.5 Million from the National Institutes of Health. Retrieved March 1, 2019, from https://www.odu.edu/news/2018/5/tick_research

https://www.odu.edu/news/2018/5/tick_research

https://www.seguetech.com/microsoft-sql-server-vs-oracle-same-different/

https://www.seguetech.com/microsoft-sql-server-vs-oracle-same-different/

https://www.cs.odu.edu/~411yello/labs/lab1/jleighlab1v2.docx

https://www.universetoday.com/74036/what-are-the-steps-of-the-scientific-method/

https://www.universetoday.com/74036/what-are-the-steps-of-the-scientific-method/

https://lhodges.public.iastate.edu/Michell.htm

https://sites.wp.odu.edu/hgaff/

https://developer.android.com/guide/webapps/webview


1.5 Overview

The remainder of this paper will mainly focus on breaking down the architecture, capability, and

functionality of iTracker. Section 2 will provide full details about the iTracker prototype

architecture, functionality level, and external interfaces. The functional requirements will be

placed in a separate document.


2. General Description

The iTracker prototype will demonstrate the functionality which was described in

Section 1.1 in order to show what the real-world product will look like. The prototype will work

towards solving the societal problem experienced by researchers, just as the real-world product

intends to do.

2.1 Prototype Architecture Description

iTracker will utilize the same major functional components for the real-world product and

the prototype. Figure 4 shows the major functional components that will go into the iTracker

prototype. Students and Instructors will be able to visit the iTracker website, register an account

and begin utilizing the application from any available browser they will not need to download

and install any applications to use the website in its entirety. However, they will need access to a

stable internet connection. There will be multiple databases and a dedicated user interface that

the user will interact with. The data server will store account information, observation data and

other non-essential data.


Figure 4. MFCD Prototype

The iTracker web application prototype will be written with a combination of languages

including PHP, SQL, HTML, and JavaScript.


2.2 Prototype Functional Description

The iTracker prototype will feature most of the functionality described in Section 1.1.

The differences between the prototype and real-world product are shown in Table 2. These

features will remain in the prototype. Certain features will not transfer over to the real-world

product from what is included in the prototype.

Table 2. RWP / Prototype Comparison Chart


The iTracker prototype will utilize algorithms to achieve the functionality as outlined in

Table 1. Figure 5 and Figure 6 display the algorithms which are part of the user functionality.

The first algorithm, Figure 5 shows the user GUI algorithms. These algorithms consist of a new

project, open new form, input form data and the ability to calculate the mean, median, and

standard deviation from their inputted observation data.

Figure 5. Student GUI Algorithms


Figure 6 shows the instructor GUI Algorithms. These algorithms will give instructors the

ability to create new surveys for students to use as well as collect all data from within the newly

created surveys, the instructor and or teacher’s assistant will be able to assign surveys to students

as needed. (Please note that the two cut off boxes in the figure could not be removed, they serve

absolutely no purpose within the instructor GUI.)

Figure 6. Instructor GUI Algorithms


2.3 External Interfaces

iTracker will require several interfaces for the program to work correctly, such as a web

server with a stable connection. The user will also need to have a device that will meet the

requirements to access the web application such as a computer or smart device with an Internet

connection and a browser that supports PHP.

2.3.1 Hardware Interfaces

iTracker will run on a server hosted by Old Dominion University. The only hardware

required for user access is a computer or smart device with access to the Internet.

2.3.2 Software Interfaces

iTracker will utilize multiple MySQL databases in order to operate properly. The

databases will be used to store user information, survey data, form information and other

essential information necessary for smooth operation. A web server will be running WAMP

(Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) to serve the website to the end user. The application will

require a user to be running a browser that supports the latest version of PHP, such as /Google

Chrome.

2.3.3 User Interfaces

The user will require a computer or smart device to view the iTracker website, as well as

a functioning keyboard and mouse for data input and navigation.

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