Introduction - cs.odu.edu€¦ · Web viewiTracker will assist students in recording and storing their data. Students will be able to input scientific data into a form and access

Running Head: LAB 2 – ITRACKER PROTOTYPE SPECIFICATION 1

Lab 2 – iTracker Prototype Specification

Zachary Raidl

Old Dominion University

CS411W

Janet Brunelle

April 1, 2019

Version 2

LAB 2 – ITRACKER PROTOTYPE SPECIFICATION 2

Table of Contents

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

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

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

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

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

1.5 Overview..............................................................................................................................11

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

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

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

2.3 External Interfaces...............................................................................................................14

2.3.1 Hardware Interfaces......................................................................................................14

2.3.2 Software Interfaces........................................................................................................14

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


List of Figures

Figure 1. Current Process Flow without iTracker...........................................................................4

Figure 2. Solution Process Flow with iTracker...............................................................................6

Figure 2. Major Functional Component Diagram.........................................................................12

List of Tables

Table 1. Competition Matrix...........................................................................................................7

Table 2. RWP vs. Prototype..........................................................................................................14


Lab 2 – iTracker Prototype Specification

1. Introduction

According to Saunders (2018), Old Dominion University Tick Researchers received $2.5

million to study three types of tick systems: two in the United States and one in Africa. To help

with this research, the ODU Biology Department has created a learning opportunity for 100 level

Biology students by using the collected data of tick systems. An instructor will facilitate an

experiment where students will observe the questing habits of ticks. The instructors, however,

are currently experiencing difficulty collecting a large amount data from the observations of a

large number of students as well as presenting the analysis of information from the lab and

teaching the science behind the data.

Students are completing labs forms by hand and submitting them to a teacher assistant

who then must input the collection of data from an estimate of 1000 students into an excel

spreadsheet. This can take the instructor up to a week to finish and results in creating a

bottleneck in the scientific process. The time delay between the two labs affects how the students

learn since there is no real-time discovery in place.

The data should be quickly and efficiently collected. Collecting statistics and teaching the

scientific method should be simple. Every person analyzing a tick questing in the lab will have

the ability to record the information into an online form in a web application. Once all the

information is collected, the mean, median, and standard deviation along with graphs visualizing

trends should be outputted in the web application immediately for the students to observe.

iTracker will be the tool to help with data entry, analysis, and calculations while also teaching

the scientific method.


iTracker will assist students in recording and storing their data. Students will be able to

input scientific data into a form and access their results in real-time. iTracker will calculate

associated scientific analysis but also provide instructional content on how these calculations are

being made. Being able to benefit from the data biology students collect is a priority for iTracker

because it will help progress the research for the Old Dominion University tick researchers as

well as provide a learning experience for those Old Dominion University Biology students.

1.1 Purpose

iTracker will be a web-based application to assist students and professors with scientific

research. As shown in Figure 1, the current process for the Old Dominion University Biology

department has is tedious and leaves room for improvement.

Figure 1. Current Process Flow without iTracker


The purpose of iTracker is to facilitate the scientific process for students and instructors

as well as be able to support and teach the scientific method. Figure 2 shows how iTracker is the

solution because students will input their research and iTracker will be able to perform

calculations such as mean, median, and standard deviation. Along with the calculations, it will

generate graphs to visualize the data that was inputted for instructional purposes.

Figure 2. Solution Process Flow with iTracker

iTracker is an application intended for the Old Dominion University Biology Department,

but it can be used with any scientific research that wants to collect data. Table 1 shows the

capabilities of what iTracker will and will not due and the advantages it has over its competitors.


Table 1.

Competition Matrix

1.2 Scope

The iTracker Prototype will be a proof of concept for user actions, administrative actions,

and the application functions required for the real-world product. The goal for student users is to

have them be able to view a survey and input data into the selected survey. Students will be able

to view calculations such as mean, median, and standard deviation along with a graph to better

visualize the data that was collected. Tutorials will be offered for student users to view in order

to learn how to compute the calculations. For the instructors, the goal is to give them

administrator abilities in the application. They will be able to create new surveys for students to

view and input. Instructors will have control on user management in the capacity to approve,


deny, and elevate privileges for new users registering in iTracker. Surveys will be viewable to

instructors and can be edited.

1.3 Definitions, Acronyms, Abbreviations

[Super] Administrator: 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.

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.

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 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 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 like 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.

Processing: The transforming of raw data into a usable form that allows for more efficient analysis.

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 who 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.

Tick Questing: A behavior in ticks that involves waiting, usually on a tree branch, leaf, or blade of grass, for a warm body to come into proximity so that it can latch onto the warm body.

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; can utilize MSSQL.


1.4 References

Android Developers. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2018, from Android Developers Web site:

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

David Gauthier. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2018, from ODU People Directory Web site:

https://www.odu.edu/directory/people/d/dgauthie/

Dr. Holly Gaff. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2018, from Dr. Holly Gaff - Tick Research Team

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

Jessa, T. (2010, September 19). What are the Steps of the Scientific Method. Retrieved January

21, 2019, from Universe Today Web site: https://www.universetoday.com/74036/what-

are-the-steps-of-the-scientific-method/

Microsoft SQL Server vs. Oracle: The Same, But Different? (2016, October 26). Retrieved

September 25, 2018, from Segue Technologies Web site:

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

ODU Tick Team. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2018, from ODU Tick Team Web site:

https://sites.wp.odu.edu/tick-team/

Raidl, Zachary. 2019. Lab 1 – iTracker Product Description. Old Dominion University,

CS411W, Professional Workforce Development II, Spring 2019. Retrieved March 19,

2019, from Web Site: https://www.cs.odu.edu/~411yello/labs/lab1/zraid001_lab1v2.docx.

Saunders, N. (2018). ODU Tick Researchers Receive $2.5 Million from the National Institutes of

Health. Retrieved October 11, 2018, from News @ ODU Web site:

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

https://sites.wp.odu.edu/tick-team/


1.5 Overview

The sections of the iTracker prototype specification will provide details on the hardware

and software configurations, external interfaces, capabilities, and features. Section 2 will provide

prototype architecture and functionality. Section 3 will provide the functional and non-functional

requirements for the prototype.

2. General Description

iTracker is a web-based application to assist students and professors with inputting,

collecting, and calculating data for scientific research.

2.1 Prototype Architecture Description

iTracker is built on an Old Dominion University virtual machine and will be running a

WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) server and Windows Server 2016 is the

operating system. MySQL will be running as the database and Apache will be used to run the

web server. PHP is the programming language used for all the calculations and used to access

data from the database. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are used to allow the developers to produce

the website and make the web application more suitable for the end user. Refer to Figure 3,

which shows the Major Functional Components Diagram.


Figure 3. Major Functional Component Diagram

2.2 Prototype Functional Description

The initial page a user is presented with for the iTracker prototype is the home page.

There is a navigation bar at the top with four options: iTracker, About, Login, and Register.

iTracker will bring the user back to the home page and About will give the user a description of

what iTracker is and who is behind the development of the software. A user will need to register

by clicking Register and input a username, class/CRN, and a password. Once approved, they will

click on Login and input their credentials.


Once the user’s login is successful, the home page will present more options in the

navigation bar depending on the number of privileges the user has. A student user will only see

the following options in their navigation bar: Calculate, Research, About, and Logout. The

Calculate page will compute all required calculations such as mean, median, standard deviation,

or all the above along with presenting a graph labeled with a title and an X and Y axis. The

Research page will present a list of generated surveys to choose from. The label for each survey

includes name, date, data sets, and actions.

An instructor or a teaching assistant will be able to see the same options as a student and

including Options, Students, and Awaiting Approval. The Options page will give the instructor

or teacher assistant the ability to add new axis labels, questions, and/or species to already

existing surveys. The Students page will display the current registered users and have the

following labels for each user: ID, username, class, and Actions. Actions have the options to

update or delete a user, grant a user admin privileges, and to view data inputted from a specific

user. The Awaiting Approval page will display users who have registered but have not been

approved by an administrator to log in to iTracker. The About page is the same as mentioned

before and the Logout button will return the user back to the initial page.

iTracker prototype’s main functions will be to create a form and to visual information

from a form. Table 2 shows the difference between the real-world product and the prototype.


Table 2. RWP vs. Prototype

2.3 External Interfaces

iTracker will require the use of many pieces of software and hardware to fully function in

its full capacity.

2.3.1 Hardware Interfaces

iTracker is a web application that is hosted on a server at Old Dominion University. The

user must have a device that can connect to the internet to access iTracker. The device can be

either a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

2.3.2 Software Interfaces

iTracker will be running a WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) server and

Windows Server 2016 is the operating system. MySQL is being used as the database and Apache


is being used to run the web server within Windows. PHP will serve as the programming

language and used to access data from the database. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are used to

design the application. A web browser is required to access the web application.

2.3.3 User Interfaces

User interfaces as mentioned will be either a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone with

an ability to connect to the internet.

Documents

Introduction - cs.odu.edu€¦ · Web viewiTracker will assist students in recording and storing their data. Students will be able to input scientific data into a form and access