D5 — Tours and Traps - Complex Software, with Simple Tools, in Time

Abstract

Context-aware applications extend the reach of mobile users. The availability of current traffic information helps to avoid harmful to life-threatening situations. Convenient support for planning and enjoying sightseeing tours makes sharing impressions easy and fun.

Eight undergraduate students of the Hasso-Plattner-Institut Potsdam collaborated during their bachelor project with DoCoMo Euro-Labs, the European research facility of NTT DoCoMo Japan, in the design and implementation of infrastructure components to mediate between the ContextWatcher application [1] and network-side services.

Within less than six months they have implemented and deployed two complex end-user scenarios: the planning of sightseeing tours and the reporting of traffic hazards [2]. Equipped with a mobile phone and a GPS receiver, customers are provided with context-specific information when needed: They are alerted about family members or friends nearby, directed to points of interest, or warned about danger zones. At the end of a trip, memorable events and associated media are collected and shared with others. A simple yet comfortable Web interface helps in both preparing and recollecting trips like that.

The demonstration will emphasize how all this was possible with a small team of undergrads. It will show how consequently following the principles of agile development (extreme programming), working with a highly dynamic language (Squeak Smalltalk), and taking advantage of a powerful Web application framework (Seaside) facilitated the completion of the project in time.

Links to further information

[1] www.contextwatcher.com
[2] www.swa.hpi.uni-potsdam.de/projects/tnt/