The University of the West Indies

Kevon Andrews

Wayne Sarjusingh

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

The University of the West Indies

St. Augustine

Local Case Studies

Sixth Annual Caribbean Internet ForumPort of SpainOctober 29 – 31, 2008

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UWI PilotsmCommunity Skills Bank• President of Claxton Bay Community Council expressed

interest in his community becoming more productive and drawing on its own resources

• Envisioned a paper-based Skills Bank

• UWI proposed an SMS-based mCommunity Skills Bank to provide wide access for all in the community

ECNG SMS• The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

has developed a Student Messaging Service (SMS) to facilitate access to key scheduling information

• This service is particularly useful to the many students who do not have Internet access and need, for example, to query exam timetable information from off-campus homes

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Mobile Messaging System

GSM Mobile Phone

GSM Modem Driver

Database (MySQL)

Mobile Application (PHP)

Incoming SMS Outgoing SMS

GSM Mobile Phone Communication Utility (Gnokii)

Host Computer

USB/Bluetooth/Infrared Connection

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System Flowchart

New SMSon phone?

START

No

Write SMSto database

inbox

Yes

New SMS in database

outbox?

Send SMSthrough phone

Yes

No

New SMSin database

inbox?

Write responseSMS to database

outbox

YesNo ProcessSMS

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ECNG SMS - Operation

Student request for timetable information:“lecture ecng3001” or “L3001”

CourseDayTimeRoom

ECNG3001Thu10:10am-12:00pmRM 7Fri10:10am-11:00amRM 5.1

System Response:

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mCommunity Skills Bank - Operation

User makes request

SMS Query

SMS Response

User gets response

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Internet Interface

Information Management Sub-system

Mobile Messaging System

http://www.scsee.uwi.tt/mobile_apps/msb/

Internet access

Web-based User

Interface

mCommunity Skills Bank

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Advantages

• Accessible to all mobile users as SMS capability is standard on all contemporary mobile phones

• Available 24 hours a day and practically throughout the globe, of course, with the appropriate roaming and interconnection agreements in place

• Relatively inexpensive to implement

• Lower service cost than applications implemented through a commercial SMS gateway provider

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Disadvantages• Use of a regular mobile phone number which is

not as easy to remember as a short code such as 1234

• Low sending rate. A GSM mobile phone can typically send 6-10 SMS messages per minute

• Only appropriate for relatively small amounts of information. The maximum size of an SMS message is 160 characters

• Mobile user must have knowledge of the appropriate message format to use

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Observations• Extended User Community

– Database can be accessed via SMS and the Internet

– Commercial enterprises access via Internet while community members access via SMS

• Implementation Issues– Technology Constraints (Session-based:

USSD)– Service Costs

• Developing and deploying a low traffic information retrieval system using mobile SMS can be done relatively quickly and inexpensively

• As for all SMS-based applications, simple and intuitive message formats are required

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Observations• The SMS message format and the amount

of information involved will determine how complex your application is in terms of how it processes incoming SMS messages and generates outgoing SMS responses

• Migrating to full Mobile Internet implementations of these types of applications is straightforward but not as imminent as handset and service costs limit uptake among Caribbean poor

• A full Mobile Internet implementation has the potential as an m-Government service

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Thank You

Request formatsskills find <skill name> skills page <page number>

SMS text message to request workers’ names and phone numbers

SMS text message to request another part of the response, which is sectioned to fit into 160 characters for an SMS message

example example

skills find plumber skills page 2

Response FormatsResponse to

“skills find plumber mason”Response to

“skills page 2”

Page 1 of 2PLUMBER & MASON>Jane Washington 1112222John Johnson-Smith 2221111Judy-Ann Williams 2223333To retrieve page 2, send SKILLS page 2

Page 2 of 2PLUMBER>Joseph Henry 2224444

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ECNG SMS Message Format

Timetable Examples

lecture <course code(s)>

lec <course code(s)>

l <course code(s)>

lecture ecng1000

lec 1000 3001

l 2000

tutorial <course code(s)>

tut <course code(s)>

t <course code(s)>

tutorial ecng1012

tut 2004

t 1012

lab <course code(s)>

p <course code(s)>

lab ecng1012

p 2004

exam <course code(s)>

x <course code(s)>

exam ecng1000

x 3002

<keyword> <optional parameters…>

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SMS Message Format Continued

Staff contacts and office hours

staff <first or last name>

s <first or last name>

Internship opportunities

internship

intern

i

Job opportunities

job

j

Scholarship opprotunities

scholarship

scholar

a

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Example Responses

ECNG3001Thu10:10am-12:00pmRM 7Fri10:10am-11:00amRM 5.1

SMS message for timetable information:

“lecture ecng3001” or “L3001”

Response:

CourseDayTimeRoom

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Example Responses Continued

Ravi DeonarineRM RTSG/Nortel LabEXT 2073/3758Ravi.Deonarine@sta.uwi.eduMon 10am-12noonWed 8am-4pm

SMS message for staff information:

“staff ravi” or “s ravi”

Response:

NameRoomExtensionEmailOffice Hours

mCommunity Skills Bank - Operation

User makes request

SMS Query

SMS Response

User gets response

Internet Interface

Information Management Sub-system

Common Mobile Messaging System

http://www.scsee.uwi.tt/mobile_apps/msb/

Internet access

Web-based User

Interface