The Role of Software Application Development Relating to Convergence

1
The Role of Software Application Development
Relating to Convergence

• Janet Wesson Melisa Koorsse
• Department of Computer Science Information
  Systems
• EC ICT Summit 2009

2
Agenda

• What is convergence?
• What challenges does convergence present?
• How can software development meet these
  challenges?
• What research is being done to meet these
  challenges?

3
Digital Convergence

• Driven by TIME industries
• Combines audio, video, data and voice
  communication services

4
Digital Convergence

• Ability to access same services and content using
  different terminals over different types of
  networks.
• New, innovative solutions.
• Convergence of applications, devices and networks
  is impacting traditional industries.
• Organisations need to be agile to adapt rapidly.

5
Converged Networks

• Network convergence.
• Telecom and IT industry convergence.
• Need for common telecom and IT service
  capabilities.
• Service providers need to include current telecom
  network services into their service offerings.
• End users expect seamless integration of public
  and enterprise web and voice services.

6
Converged Applications

• For example
• Can download music on PC and mobile device.
• Media no longer broadcast to user but defined by
  viewer or user
• Interactive media.
• Fast broadband and new web services break
  constraints of traditional capacity and broadcast
  methods.

7
Converged Devices

• Devices
• Smartphones, Internet-enabled entertainment
  devices.
• Improve quality of essential services.
• For example
• Use of RFID tags to improve healthcare delivery
• Wireless network sensors in cities
• Not just about cool gadgets but whole new way of
  life.

8
Ubiquitous Computing

• Increasing number of computing devices to
  interact with
• End-users need to interact with technology in the
  most natural and convenient way possible.
• Computing environments able to sense and respond
  to user requirements.
• Major interoperability and integration
  challenges.
• Convergence of pervasive computers and
  communication networks.

9
What is needed?

• Need to ensure that software applications will
  support and facilitate digital convergence.
• Anytime, any place, any platform content and
  services are needed.

10
Solution?

• A service-oriented architecture (SOA) approach to
  software application development, and
• Adaptive user interfaces and service elements.

11
Service-Oriented Architecture

• Distributed application architecture style.
• Business applications and data decomposed into
  discrete components, called services.
• Service interface independent of implementation
  (loosely-coupled).
• Ensures business communication is no longer
  dependent on compatibility of IT infrastructure.
• Supports flexibility and reusability.
• Internet-based services called web services.

12
Web Services Example
Hotel Search Service Provides hotel reservation
functionality
Invokes (using SOAP messages according to WSDL
definition)
Invokes (using GUI)
Travel Agent Service Provides hotel, airline
ticket car reservations
USER
13
Web Services

• Web Services support interaction using different
  devices.
• User interfaces (UIs) of web services should
  adapt to different device characteristics.
• Burden to develop multiple UIs.
• Desirable to automatically generate UIs for
  services.

14
Mobile 2.0

• User-oriented perspective on services for mobile
  devices.
• New mobile services in
• Social emotional communication,
• Pervasive games, and
• Mobile media.
• Absolute location, proximity of other users or
  services.
• Need to make development of mobile applications
  easier.

15
Adaptive User Interfaces

• Provide seamless, natural end-user interaction.
• Location-based services.
• Adapt to different devices.
• Create and maintain user profiles.
• Service provision
• User requested
• Proactive activation

16
Research _at_ NMMU

• Distributed Multimedia Unit of Telkom/NMMU CoE
  based in Department of Computer Science
  Information Systems.
• Industry partners
• Telkom, Dimension Data and THRIP
• Current research project (2008-2010)
• An Investigation into Intelligent Tools and
  Techniques to Support Service Utilisation for
  SOAs

17
Research _at_ NMMU

• Research hypothesis
• IUIs can optimise benefits of SOA.
• Provide streamlined, customised interfaces.
• Primary research goal
• Develop intelligent tools and techniques to
  support utilisation of services offered by
  company with SOA.
• Several postgraduate research projects focusing
  on different aspects.

18
Postgraduate project (1)

• Adaptive User Interface Using a SOA - Emile
  Senga
• Objective
• Develop and evaluate a model that leverages SOA
  to deliver application UI to users.

19
Postgraduate project (2)

• Adaptive Interfaces for Mobile Preference-Based
  Searching - Ryan Hill
• Objective
• Determine the extent to which an AUI can improve
  the effectiveness and satisfaction of mobile
  tourist guides.

20
Postgraduate project (3)

• Customer Profiling Using a SOA - Felix Ntawanga
• Objective
• Investigate how customer profiles can be used to
  provide personalisation in SOA environment.

21
Postgraduate project (4)

• A Comparison of Legacy System Modernisation
  Approaches in a SOA - Meredith Barnes
• Objective
• Develop white- and black-box modernisation
  approaches that generate data services for legacy
  systems to be used in a SOA.
• Evaluation of suitability of the two approaches.

22
Postgraduate project (5)

• A Scalable Remote Information Centre using a SOA
  Framework - Mohamed Cassim
• Objective
• Provide a Remote Information Centre using a SOA
  framework and cloud computing infrastructure.
• Accessible from desktop and mobile web-browsers.

23
Postgraduate project (6)

• An AUI incorporating a SOA for a Remote
  Information Centre - Devereaux Joubert
• Objective
• Facilitate delivery of a RIC across various
  environments focusing on mobile devices.

24
So What?

• Digital convergence presents several challenges.
• Era of ubiquitous computing is here.
• Software application development needs to become
  agile and adaptive.
• Solution lies in SOA and AUIs.
• Research _at_ NMMU is exploring possible solutions.
• Question
• Is the IT industry ready to meet these
  challenges?
• 
  
• - END -