Rice Mobile Information System

Abstract:

The power and capability of mobile devices continues to improve. Equally important, the ability to pass digital data to and from a mobile device is starting to see great improvement. A couple of years ago, it was not uncommon to find a person carrying a pager, a cell phone, a PDA and a notebook computer. Many advances discussed later in this proposal are resulting in smart phone systems offering better connectivity, storage, and computing capacity in one device than all the first three devices, and in many cases even eliminate the need to carry a notebook computer.

The main thrust of this proposal is to put Rice at the forefront in the area of using connected intelligent mobile devices (primarily Smart Phones and cellular connected PDA’s) combined with customized backend software and agents to create a connected mobile information system.

The proposed system would use a new breed of Windows Mobile based Smart Phones and connected PDAs connecting over 2.5G and 3G cellular wireless data networks (Ev-Do, EDGE as well as Wi-Max and 802.11). Although these devices are capable of connecting directly to the internet, the proposed system will improve response time and functionality using features such as a .NET backend gateway and client level caching. It will tie into XML portal efforts being undertaken by Rice IT. Based on such a platform, we will then build pervasive services for education, campus safety, and personal health for the Rice community members.

The main purpose of the ERIT grant will be to greatly accelerate this project beyond what could be done with only a classroom / project scenario including understanding how to best leverage this technology to improve the educational and campus life of Rice students. If fully funded, the money would add two full time graduate students to the project. In the minimal, “planning grant” scenario, the project would be augmented by undergraduates working over the summer and during the course’s off semester to keep the project moving forward and to add continuity.

Principal Investigators

Scott Cutler – Adjunct Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering (cutler@rice.edu)

Lin Zhong – Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering (lzhong@rice.edu)

Objectives

• Design the technologies required to implement an effective mobile information system for Rice students, faculty and staff based on Smart Phone devices communicating over 2.5G and 3G cellular data networks.

• Develop server and client side caching technologies to overcome issues related to slow and unreliable connectivity. This greatly increases response time and increases functionality when out of communications range.

• Study the changes to the environment at Rice that result from this new level of information access and determine how to best use it to further the education process at Rice. Investigate the human factors involved in the design of such a mobile information system, and study the user and social acceptance of it.

• Fully integrate into planned Rice IT efforts around XML based Portal systems.

• Develop a .NET XML web service backend system to format data for small devices, act as an always available fixed resource and user agent and to increase data and information security.

• Develop a prototype service for personal health/safety for the Rice community based on such a mobile information system. A Smart Phone will function as the personal server that collects and reports physical information.

Documents:

Click to find the initial ERIT proposal and proposal addendum.

Acknowledgements:

We are grateful for the support provided by Rice University’s CITI Enriching Rice through Information Technology (ERIT) program and the Sheafor/Lindsay Innovation Fund for initial seed funding for this project.