Developing a Mobile Application to Reduce Risks for Runaway Youth in Bangkok, Thailand

There are 100 million runaway youths worldwide. These youth face an increased risk of physical and emotional harm. Our team worked with the Sati Foundation, a non-profit organization in Bangkok, Thailand, to develop a mobile application to reduce risks for runaway youth. We designed our project using the Software Development Life Cycle methodology. To learn about the runaway youth and their needs, we conducted interviews and followed user-centered design to create our application. We created features that connect runaways to emergency help, show the locations of free resources, and teach runaways about health and wellness. These features help to ensure that runaways do not have to resort to dangerous or illegal activities to fulfill their basic needs

Floss firms, users and communities: a viable match?

The participation of firms in Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) communities is growing and is increasingly debated amongst scholars. As [41] explained, FLOSS needs profit and we do not know successfull floss products without firms in their ecosystem, either being via the financial support of foundations (Eclipse, Linux) or the commercial offering of products or services based on specific FLOSS products (SQL, RedHat). Various points of view have been proposed, but most of the time, scholars studied either the implication of firms within a community or the integration of floss into their market strategy, but not both. In this article, we plead for a more structured and global analysis, based on industrial economics tools, and thus starting from the basic conditions of the computer market and of the buyers' competence in software development (the 'dominant user's skill). This conceptual framework helps to distinguish the different roles (understood as 'social roles') firms may play in the FLOSS ecosystem and, specifically the variation in their involvement.'Free'/'libre' or 'open source' software, Industrial economics, dominant user's skill, firms' roles

Floss firms, users and communities: a viable match?

International audienceThe participation of firms in Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) communities is growing and is increasingly debated amongst scholars. As [41] explained, FLOSS needs profit and we do not know successfull floss products without firms in their ecosystem, either being via the financial support of foundations (Eclipse, Linux) or the commercial offering of products or services based on specific FLOSS products (SQL, RedHat). Various points of view have been proposed, but most of the time, scholars studied either the implication of firms within a community or the integration of floss into their market strategy, but not both. In this article, we plead for a more structured and global analysis, based on industrial economics tools, and thus starting from the basic conditions of the computer market and of the buyers' competence in software development (the 'dominant user's skill). This conceptual framework helps to distinguish the different roles (understood as 'social roles') firms may play in the FLOSS ecosystem and, specifically the variation in their involvement

Volunteer System Project: Regis University Networking Lab Practicum

The Regis University Networking Lab Practicum (NLP) allows MSCIT graduate students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in IT topics in a controlled computer network environment. The NLP also introduces students to a wide range of external IT projects such as the Volunteer System Project. The Volunteer System Project was the construction of a database system for a non-profit organization. The Volunteer System captures all of the personnel data, work time and project affiliation information and is a critical tool in managing and maintaining a successful volunteer workforce. The performance of the original spreadsheet-based Volunteer System was declining and could not support the business needs for time tracking, querying, and reporting functions nor the rapidly increasing growth of the volunteer base. The NLP studied the original Volunteer System and proposed a project concept to reconstruct the system using relational database technology. The project was developed within the scope of the nonprofit group\u27s business requirements and implemented using industry-accepted project management processes, all phases of a standard system development lifecycle, and database development research and application. The non-profit organization would only consider the project if there were no budget requirements and only if existing licensed software, such as Microsoft Access, were utilized. Other software alternatives were considered, such as Oracle and MySQL, however the business did not have the budget to procure any new software licenses and would not have adequate support for a non-Microsoft solution after the project concluded. The NLP participated, managed, and implemented the project with an additional constraint of only one primary project resource. The Volunteer System project provided a sound topic for the NLP student\u27s professional project while benefiting the non-profit group with free IT development. Additionally, the documentation of the implemented project can be used as a project management and development learning tool for future NLP students

A model for linking shop floor improvements to manufacturing cost and profitability

Manufacturing units in the so called high-cost countries are struggling under fierce competition on the global market. In order to survive, the factory needs to generate profit to its owners. Profitability can be reached in many different ways apart from only lowering the employees' salaries. It can be improved through increased profit margins (sales in relation to costs) or with an increased capital turnover rate. Finding ways to free capacity and to improve flexibility in order to increase sales is often more interesting to the manufacturing companies than cutting the direct salary costs. A model for analysing profitability of a manufacturing unit is proposed. It is found on a production system analysis and combines in-depth production engineering analysis with economical accounting analysis of the factory. The manual work tasks are of special interest and the productivity of selected bottleneck work areas are analysed thoroughly. The model is intended for use by two industrial analysts during a one-week study. Simulation of different improvement scenarios is carried out and presented to the factory management at the end of the profitability study. A software implementation is required in order to generate the model, collect data and make simulation within the intended time. The implementation is made in spread sheet software using Visual Basic to program interfaces and automatic functions. The primary area of application is the electronics industry in Sweden where the model is used in a research project to strengthen the competitiveness of that industry

Crowdcloud: Cloud of the Crowd

The ever increasing utilisation of crowdsourcing in various domains and its popularity as a method of accessing free or inexpensive labour, services, and innovation, and also as a method of providing fast solutions is observed as a good opportunity for both non-profit and for-profit organisations while it also appeals to members of the crowd. In particular, many cloud-based projects have benefited from crowdsourcing their needs for resources and they rely on the crowd and the resources they provide, either for free or for a nominal fee. However, current cloud platforms either provide services to the crowd or request services from them. Moreover, cloud services generally include a legally binding contract between the cloud service providers and cloud service clients. In this paper, the possible opportunities for applying crowdsourcing principles in the cloud in a new fashion are reviewed by proposing the idea of crowdcloud. Crowdcloud simply refers to the availability of cloud infrastructure, cloud platform, and cloud software services to the crowd by the crowd with or without a legally binding contract. This paper discusses the differences between crowdcloud and other similar notions already in existence. Then, a functional architecture is proposed for crowdcloud and its constituents. Some of the advantages of crowdcloud, along with potential issues in crowdcloud and how to circumvent or minimise them are also reviewed and discussed

Crowdcloud: Cloud of the Crowd

The ever increasing utilisation of crowdsourcing in various domains and its popularity as a method of accessing free or inexpensive labour, services, and innovation, and also as a method of providing fast solutions is observed as a good opportunity for both non-profit and for-profit organisations while it also appeals to members of the crowd. In particular, many cloud-based projects have benefited from crowdsourcing their needs for resources and they rely on the crowd and the resources they provide, either for free or for a nominal fee. However, current cloud platforms either provide services to the crowd or request services from them. Moreover, cloud services generally include a legally binding contract between the cloud service providers and cloud service clients. In this paper, the possible opportunities for applying crowdsourcing principles in the cloud in a new fashion are reviewed by proposing the idea of crowdcloud. Crowdcloud simply refers to the availability of cloud infrastructure, cloud platform, and cloud software services to the crowd by the crowd with or without a legally binding contract. This paper discusses the differences between crowdcloud and other similar notions already in existence. Then, a functional\ud architecture is proposed for crowdcloud and its constituents. Some of the advantages of crowdcloud, along with potential issues in crowdcloud and how to circumvent or minimise them are also reviewed and discussed

Towards an Expert Network in Open Standards and Open Source Software: Research, Expertise and Synergy for Open and Libres Standards and Software (RESOLL) - Version 2.0

CIRANO and its partners are proposing the creation of an Expert Network in Open Standards and Open Source Software (Research, Expertise and Synergy for Open and Libres Standards and Software-RESOLL), which would be a partnership between information technology research centres, government and private user organizations, and businesses working in the field. The network will conduct studies and pilot projects that integrate computer solutions based on open standards and open source software, mainly in e-government fields such as health, education, and scientific research, as well as municipal and quasi-public services and business processes for SMEs. The knowledge, expertise and tools thus developed will be disseminated in a number of ways in order to Quebec and Canadian expertise in the field. RESOLL will also have economic and strategic benefits in that it will put the new economic model to the test in terms of open standards and open source software as well as the reuse of software components by organizations. Background The development of on-line government services and e-business is a priority for governments and businesses of all sizes. It requires considerable spending and significant strategic and organizational changes. Of the many information technology solutions available, the use of open standards and open source software is often brought up by those in the know. Although the Internet and many world-renowned software programs were developed largely from open standards and open source software, there is still a need to study, and above all prove the advantages of this approach for public and quasi-public organizations as well as small to medium-sized businesses. It is essential to identify the needs of these organizations, document best practices, experiment with open source software solutions, evaluate the performance of the software and share the knowledge and know-how of Quebec and Canadian research centres and businesses. RESOLL Goals he main goal of the Expert Network on Open Standards and Open Source Software (RESOLL) is to give people an understanding of the benefits of open standards and open source software and suggest an intelligent and advantageous use of them for public and quasi-public organizations and SMEs. More specifically, the goals are as follows: Document and share government and industry policies, strategies, and practices with respect to the use and development of adaptive software and open source software, defining open standards, open source software, adaptive software, and proprietary software; Adapt these practices and share the different methods with partners and the IT management and development communities in government and business; Establish innovative prototypes and pilot projects in order to test and demonstrate the advantages and features of this approach; Develop the expertise of Quebec and Canadian organizations in the field and create synergy between them and their users; P ublish and share the findings of the work, contribute to the enrichment of a collective software asset base available to public and quasi-public organizations and SMEs while explaining the legal issues involved in the various types of licences and electronic services. Process ESOLL is a multilateral partnership founded on the excellence of partners in their respective field. The RESOLL process will be based on the needs of its partners and users. Once these needs have been identified, research will be conducted to identify available solutions, adapt them through an integration process and alpha test them. This would be followed by a pilot project as required by the organizations and businesses. The pilot project will be implemented and evaluated in order to learn from it and ensure that necessary adjustments are made. Solutions thus obtained will be implemented as electronic services either by the client organization’s IT department or by a business partner. It is up to each organization to select their service provider. RESOLL will encourage the transfer of developed tools and services to partners for complete autonomy. Each project will have its own budget, funded by client partners. RESOLL will use part of its operating budget to start projects and develop a start-up asset base for its activities. Expectations and Deliverables The expectations of RESOLL partners and the team can be expressed by the achievement of their goals. RESOLL’s actions will quickly lead to concrete results. The deliverables will be: Policy and position papers to help partners make clear and informed decisions; Needs analyses and suggested solutions; Software solutions based on open standards and open source software integrated into experimental electronic services; Pilot project experiments that combine strategies, plans, software solutions, project support, evaluation and recommendations; Studies and interpretation documents for different types of licences and software; Collaborative Web site for sharing documents and open source software developed in the context of RESOLL projects or available on the Internet, with comments and explanations; Information and knowledge sharing activities for RESOLL and its partners (conferences, workshops, training, etc.). Partners RESOLL is a multilateral partnership. The partners that have been asked to become involved are: CIRANO, CRIM, RISQ, the governments of Quebec and Canada, Industry Canada, university researchers, Canadian and Quebec software and information technology companies, and not-for-profit user organizations from the software and information technology fields. Budget ESOLL’s master infrastructure budget will make it possible to establish a small coordination team involving part-time resources seconded from their parent organizations. We plan to obtain general financing from government and the businesses involved. The individual projects will provide their own financing. Other Benefits RESOLL will contribute to Quebec’s and Canada’s world leadership by sharing the results of its work. It will contribute to the eventual creation of resources that will enable partner companies to commercialize services based on open source software.Open standard, free software, open software, FOSS, e-government, business process, small and medium enterprises,

Contrasting Community Building in Sponsored and Community Founded Open Source Projects

Prior characterizations of open source projects have been based on the model of a community-founded project. More recently, a second model has emerged, where organizations spinout internally developed code to a public forum. Based on field work on open source projects, we compare the lifecycle differences between these two models. We identify problems unique to spinout projects, particularly in attracting and building an external community. We illustrate these issues with a feasibility analysis of a proposed open source project based on VistA, the primary healthcare information system of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This example illuminates the complexities of building a community after a code base has been developed and suggests that open source software can be used to transfer technology to the private sector

The quality of sustainability and the nature of open source software

The aim is to categorise Open Source Software as a commons based production process and resource. The definition of the commons is always accompanied by the doubt about its sustainability, the so-called "tragedy of the commons." Therefore it is worth to have a closer look on Open Source and why a "tragedy" does not appear