Design Methodology for Mobile Information Systems

Mobile information systems (MISs) are having a major impact on businesses and individuals. No longer confined to the office or home, people can use devices that they carry with them, along with wireless communication networks, to access the systems and data that they need. In many cases MISs do not just replace traditional wired information systems or even provide similar functionality. Instead, they are planned, designed, and implemented with the unique characteristics of wireless communication and mobile client use in mind. These unique characteristics feature the need for specific design and development methodologies for MISs. Design methods allow considering systems independently of the existing information technologies, and thus enable the development of lasting solutions. Among the characteristics that a MIS design method needs to consider, we cite: unrestricted mobility of persons, scarcity of mobile devices\u27 power-source, and frequent disconnections of these devices. The field of MISs is the result of the convergence of high-speed wireless networks and personal mobile devices. The aim of MISs is to provide the ability to compute, communicate, and collaborate anywhere, anytime. Wireless technologies for communication are the link between mobile clients and other system components. Mobile client devices include various types, for example, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and laptops. Samples of MIS applications are mobile commerce (Andreou et al., 2002), inventory systems in which stock clerks use special-purpose mobile devices to check inventory, police systems that allow officers to access criminal databases from laptops in their patrol cars, and tracking information systems with which truck drivers can check information on their loads, destinations, and revenues using mobile phones. MISs can be used in different domains and target different categories of people. In this article, we report on the rationale of having a method for designing and developing mobile information systems. This method includes a conceptual model, a set of requirements, and different steps for developing the system. The development of a method for MISs is an appropriate response to the need of professionals in the field of MISs. Indeed, this need is motivated by the increased demand that is emerging from multiple bodies: wireless service providers, wireless equipment manufacturers, companies developing applications over wireless systems, and businesses for which MISs are offered. Besides all these bodies, high-speed wireless data services are emerging (e.g., GPRS, UMTS), requiring some sort of new expertise. A design and development method for MISs should support professionals in their work

Engineering Wireless Mobile Applications

Conventional desktop software applications are usually designed, built, and tested on a platform similar to the one on which they will be deployed and run. Wireless mobile application development, on the other hand, is more challenging because applications are developed on one platform (like UNIX or Windows) and deployed on a totally different platform like a cellular phone. While wireless applications can be much smaller than conventional desktop applications, developers should think in small terms of the devices on which the applications will run and the environment in which they will operate instead of the amount of code to be written. This paper presents a systematic approach to engineering wireless application and offers practical guidelines for testing them. What is unique about this approach is that it takes into account the special features of the new medium (mobile devices and wireless networks), the operational environment, and the multiplicity of user backgrounds; all of which pose new challenges to wireless application development

Engineering Wireless Mobile Applications

Conventional desktop software applications are usually designed, built, and tested on a platform similar to the one on which they will be deployed and run. Wireless mobile application development, on the other hand, is more challenging because applications are developed on one platform (like UNIX or Windows) and deployed on a totally different platform like a cellular phone. While wireless applications can be much smaller than conventional desktop applications, developers should think in small terms of the devices on which the applications will run and the environment in which they will operate instead of the amount of code to be written. This paper presents a systematic approach to engineering wireless application and offers practical guidelines for testing them. What is unique about this approach is that it takes into account the special features of the new medium (mobile devices and wireless networks), the operational environment, and the multiplicity of user backgrounds; all of which pose new challenges to wireless application development. © 2006, IGI Global. All rights reserved

Applying the MVC design pattern to multi-agent systems

As agent technology becomes more wide-spread, the need for agent-based analysis and design methods and tools will keep growing. An agent, which is an autonomous entity that acts on behalf of the user, has different properties than objects. For example, objects are passive entities that react to external stimuli, but do not exhibit goal directed behavior. On the other hand, agents are active entities that may learn about their environment and react to changes. Because of such crucial differences between objects and agents, object-oriented analysis and design methods cannot accommodate the requirements of engineering agent-based systems. Agents, however, can learn a few things from object-oriented analysis and design. In this paper, we present the Agent Views approach for applying the Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern in designing agent-based systems. This approach will help software developers use a familiar design pattern to determine the types of agents needed to build successful agent-based systems

Editorial message

Handheld computing is an emerging mobile computing paradigm that promotes using handheld wireless devices (or mobile devices) such as cellular phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to accomplish various computing tasks. As handheld devices continue to appear in many forms with diverse functionalities, handheld computing will become the dominant computing paradigm in many fields including education, enterprises, and healthcare

Special track on handheld computing

Handheld computing is an emerging mobile computing paradigm that promotes using handheld wireless devices (or mobile devices) such as cellular phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to accomplish various computing tasks. As handheld devices continue to appear in many forms with diverse functionalities, handheld computing will become the dominant computing paradigm in many fields including education, enterprises, and healthcare

Special track on handheld computing

Handheld computing is an emerging mobile computing paradigm that promotes using handheld wireless devices (or mobile devices) such as cellular phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to accomplish various computing tasks. As handheld devices continue to appear in many forms with diverse functionalities, handheld computing will become the dominant computing paradigm in many fields including education, enterprises, and healthcare

Engineering Wireless Mobile Applications

Conventional desktop software applications are usually designed, built, and tested on a platform similar to the one on which they will be deployed and run. Wireless mobile application development, on the other hand, is more challenging because applications are developed on one platform (like UNIX or Windows) and deployed on a totally different platform like a cellular phone. While wireless applications can be much smaller than conventional desktop applications, developers should think in small terms of the devices on which the applications will run and the environment in which they will operate instead of the amount of code to be written. This chapter presents a systematic approach to engineering wireless applications and offers practical guidelines for testing them. What is unique about this approach is that it takes into account the special features of the new medium (mobile devices and wireless networks), the operational environment, and the multiplicity of user backgrounds; all of which pose new challenges to wireless application development. © 2008, IGI Global

Engineering Wireless Mobile Applications

Conventional desktop software applications are usually designed, built, and tested on a platform similar to the one on which they will be deployed and run. Wireless mobile application development, on the other hand, is more challenging because applications are developed on one platform (like UNIX or Windows) and deployed on a totally different platform like a cellular phone. While wireless applications can be much smaller than conventional desktop applications, developers should think in the small in terms of the devices on which the applications will run and the environment in which they will operate instead of the amount of code to be written. This paper presents a systematic approach to engineering wireless application and offers practical guidelines for testing them. What is unique about this approach is that it takes into account the special features of the new medium (mobile devices and wireless networks), the operational environment, and the multiplicity of user backgrounds; all of which pose new challenges to wireless application development. © 2009, IGI Global