Mobile – THATCamp Upstate 2014 http://upstate2014.thatcamp.org Clemson Technology and Humanities unconference Fri, 18 Apr 2014 11:48:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.12 Wearable devices: challenges and opportunities http://upstate2014.thatcamp.org/2014/04/16/wearable-devices-challenges-and-opportunities/ Wed, 16 Apr 2014 19:43:18 +0000 http://upstate2014.thatcamp.org/?p=178

Wearable_Technology_DemandWearable computing has received growing attention in the media, market and scientific research in the past decades. There are new devices available each day and they provide a lot of new opportunities for applications. Available in many different form factors, wearable devices aid to support not only gaming, fitness and fashion, but also safety critical and medical emergencies.

Glasses help to quickly access information, document life events through photos and videos, receive notifications and alerts, etc. Intelligent armbands aid to keep track of activities, including: eating and sleeping habits, and physical exercises.

Although wearable devices provide a lot of new opportunities, they are not (yet) widespread. Users may be concerned about privacy issues, or do not see clear benefits of these devices, perhaps their costs are still too high.

Better understanding what users (or potential users) think about wearable computing, can help to improve the design of these devices, and consequently to meet users’ expectations.

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A Template for Mobile App-Guided Tours http://upstate2014.thatcamp.org/2014/04/16/175/ Wed, 16 Apr 2014 15:28:54 +0000 http://upstate2014.thatcamp.org/?p=175
A Template for Mobile App-Guided Tours
Roy Pargas, School of Computing

We propose developing a template for a mobile app promoting tours of an area, such as a campus.  The tours may focus on the history of the area, the architecture of the buildings, the flora and fauna, the academic layout, a sports complex, a nature preserve, tourist information, or any other theme.

The app will feature text descriptions, images, video clips, audio podcasts, links to websites,  interactive maps, and navigational aides. Geofencing (using GPS to determine where the client is at the moment) will provide alerts when the client enters a special area.  GPS tracking will enable the client to remember where he or she has been.
An authoring tool will enable administrators to provide new or additional content regarding points of interest (waypoints) in the area.  Administrators can add text, images, video, audio podcasts, links to websites to a database in the cloud.  As soon as new content is added, the client’s app will download the information and make it available for viewing.
A feedback feature will allow a client to enter text and take pictures, video, or audio of items of interest.  This information can be uploaded to the database and administrators can make the artifacts available to other clients or use the information for internal administrative purposes.
The app will be able to recognize markers on special sites and will automatically provide the client with information pertinent to the site.
The template will be generic and can be used to develop apps for a wide variety of areas.
Those interested in contributing to specific versions of this project, in particular regarding the Clemson campus, are invited to discuss and contribute; other proposals for mobile apps are also always welcome.

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Dr. Roy P. Pargas
Division of Human Centered Computing
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