A framework for the integration of mobile technology into adventure sport for the purpose of increasing participant safety
- Authors: Mills, Craig John
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems , Health promotion -- Technological innovations Sports -- Technological innovations Cell phones -- Health aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MIT
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/32099 , vital:31958
- Description: The sporting industry has seen incredible advancements with the use of information technology. Technology is used in the sporting industry for training, coaching and even as a deciding factor of a game result. There are certain sports which require individuals to venture into isolated environments, these sports have been termed adventure or extreme sports. Due to the extreme environmental factors that can occur with adventure sport, it is possible for an individual to experience an emergency situation. Emergency situations can occur at any time, and this is especially true in adventure sport. Adventure sport such as ocean and river kayaking require individuals to venture into isolated environments, where if an emergency situation occurs could result in an individual left stranded waiting for emergency rescue. Adventure sport participants and Event Organizers are aware of the dangers associated with this type of adventure sport, but there is currently no requirement to have a mobile technology device present during kayaking events. The main purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the current use of mobile technology in adventure sport in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. To accomplish this two literature reviews were conducted which identi_ed information on the two main themes which are adventure sport and mobile technology. To produce information from the ocean and river kayaking community an online questionnaire was distributed to several kayaking clubs in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. This dissertation also presents a framework that proposes the use of mobile technology hardware and software by participants and event organisers in an attempt to increase the safety of events in this form of adventure sport. It is hoped that the framework for using mobile technology to increase the safety of adventure sport proposed in this research, may provide clear guidance for the achievement of a safer sporting experience for the participants of ocean and river kayaking.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Mills, Craig John
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems , Health promotion -- Technological innovations Sports -- Technological innovations Cell phones -- Health aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MIT
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/32099 , vital:31958
- Description: The sporting industry has seen incredible advancements with the use of information technology. Technology is used in the sporting industry for training, coaching and even as a deciding factor of a game result. There are certain sports which require individuals to venture into isolated environments, these sports have been termed adventure or extreme sports. Due to the extreme environmental factors that can occur with adventure sport, it is possible for an individual to experience an emergency situation. Emergency situations can occur at any time, and this is especially true in adventure sport. Adventure sport such as ocean and river kayaking require individuals to venture into isolated environments, where if an emergency situation occurs could result in an individual left stranded waiting for emergency rescue. Adventure sport participants and Event Organizers are aware of the dangers associated with this type of adventure sport, but there is currently no requirement to have a mobile technology device present during kayaking events. The main purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the current use of mobile technology in adventure sport in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. To accomplish this two literature reviews were conducted which identi_ed information on the two main themes which are adventure sport and mobile technology. To produce information from the ocean and river kayaking community an online questionnaire was distributed to several kayaking clubs in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. This dissertation also presents a framework that proposes the use of mobile technology hardware and software by participants and event organisers in an attempt to increase the safety of events in this form of adventure sport. It is hoped that the framework for using mobile technology to increase the safety of adventure sport proposed in this research, may provide clear guidance for the achievement of a safer sporting experience for the participants of ocean and river kayaking.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
User requirements framework for mobile government in the Western Cape
- Authors: Wilson, Fiona Michelle
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Government communication systems , Internet in public administration , Electronic government information , Mobile communication systems , Information technology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9751 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008076 , Government communication systems , Internet in public administration , Electronic government information , Mobile communication systems , Information technology
- Description: Globally, mobile technology use, particularly the use of mobile phones, is becoming increasingly widespread. One consequence of this growth is mounting interest in using mobile technologies in the public sector, particularly in developing countries, because it is seen as enabling better access to information and services for citizens. Mobile government (m-government), defined as the use of mobile technologies and applications for public sector services, promises to extend access to public services to marginalised sectors of the population and is emerging as a new focus in the ongoing challenge to provide efficient, effective and accessible public services. Though interest in m-government is emerging in the provincial Western Cape Government (WCG) of South Africa, few guidelines exist in the WCG to inform the development of public sector mobile services. This absence impacts on service delivery and the primary objective of this study was to propose a set of guidelines that could guide the prioritisation of citizen facing public sector services for mobile implementation in the Western Cape. The study considered two areas namely, government and user needs. The primary research question was to determine what public sector services citizens need and how these services should be prioritised for mobile delivery in the Western Cape. To address this, three research sub-questions were formulated. The first question aimed to examine conceptions of mobile government. To achieve this a literature study and documentation review was conducted, from which factors influencing service prioritisation emerged. The second research question aimed to identify citizen needs that could inform mobile public sector services in the Western Cape. Thus a survey and interviews were conducted with citizens using the WCG community ICT centres (e-Centres). The third research question aimed to identify factors that impact on the prioritisation of citizen facing public sectors for mobile delivery in the Western Cape. The findings from the literature study, survey and interviews conducted were used to address this research question. The results from the three research sub-questions were triangulated to address the main objective of the study and from this a set of guidelines for prioritising mobile public sector services in the Western Cape was proposed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Wilson, Fiona Michelle
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Government communication systems , Internet in public administration , Electronic government information , Mobile communication systems , Information technology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9751 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008076 , Government communication systems , Internet in public administration , Electronic government information , Mobile communication systems , Information technology
- Description: Globally, mobile technology use, particularly the use of mobile phones, is becoming increasingly widespread. One consequence of this growth is mounting interest in using mobile technologies in the public sector, particularly in developing countries, because it is seen as enabling better access to information and services for citizens. Mobile government (m-government), defined as the use of mobile technologies and applications for public sector services, promises to extend access to public services to marginalised sectors of the population and is emerging as a new focus in the ongoing challenge to provide efficient, effective and accessible public services. Though interest in m-government is emerging in the provincial Western Cape Government (WCG) of South Africa, few guidelines exist in the WCG to inform the development of public sector mobile services. This absence impacts on service delivery and the primary objective of this study was to propose a set of guidelines that could guide the prioritisation of citizen facing public sector services for mobile implementation in the Western Cape. The study considered two areas namely, government and user needs. The primary research question was to determine what public sector services citizens need and how these services should be prioritised for mobile delivery in the Western Cape. To address this, three research sub-questions were formulated. The first question aimed to examine conceptions of mobile government. To achieve this a literature study and documentation review was conducted, from which factors influencing service prioritisation emerged. The second research question aimed to identify citizen needs that could inform mobile public sector services in the Western Cape. Thus a survey and interviews were conducted with citizens using the WCG community ICT centres (e-Centres). The third research question aimed to identify factors that impact on the prioritisation of citizen facing public sectors for mobile delivery in the Western Cape. The findings from the literature study, survey and interviews conducted were used to address this research question. The results from the three research sub-questions were triangulated to address the main objective of the study and from this a set of guidelines for prioritising mobile public sector services in the Western Cape was proposed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
User-interface evaluation metrics for a typical M-Learning application
- Authors: Kantore, Adelin
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: User interfaces (Computer systems) , Mobile communication systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9749 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1452 , User interfaces (Computer systems) , Mobile communication systems
- Description: Usability is seen as an important aspect for the quality of an M-learning application. Yet very little research has been conducted in this area – particularly in South Africa. Even though the trials of M-learning projects have been witnessed in the country during the last five years, very little is known about the systems that were implemented as regards their usability. Additionally, metrics and measures used in evaluating usability have not been reported. A need exists for relevant metrics to M-learning usability. The primary objective of this work was to propose metrics and measures – for the purpose of evaluating the User-Interfacedesign usability of M-learning application. The research included a literature review of M-learning, as well as the development of metrics and measures based on the Goal Question Metric (GQM) Model. This model has helped provide a reference model and measurements for evaluating the User-InterfaceUsability. A case study was used as a research strategy. An application called Kontax was selected for evaluation by users and expert reviewers. Data-collection methods consisted of User Testing and Heuristics evaluations. Data-gathering instruments included the use of surveys and user- satisfaction questionnaires based on the proposed metrics, task scenarios and expert-reviewed questionnaires based on the proposed metrics; all these instruments were developed. It was found that, although the users thought the system was very interesting, and they wished to hear more about it in the future, the system nevertheless had usability flaws which made it difficult to use. All the users failed to register so that they could use the system; additionally, the system-error messages did not help the users recognize, and recover from an error – leaving the user to simply log out. Help was not adequate, thus making it difficult for first-time users to know what to do when they needed support. The system was also said to have a lot of information presented on its home page, which caused the user to be disoriented. The Kontax application has usability flaws which should be III attended to, in order to improve its usability. The proposed metrics proved to be very useful in evaluating the usability of the tool.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Kantore, Adelin
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: User interfaces (Computer systems) , Mobile communication systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9749 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1452 , User interfaces (Computer systems) , Mobile communication systems
- Description: Usability is seen as an important aspect for the quality of an M-learning application. Yet very little research has been conducted in this area – particularly in South Africa. Even though the trials of M-learning projects have been witnessed in the country during the last five years, very little is known about the systems that were implemented as regards their usability. Additionally, metrics and measures used in evaluating usability have not been reported. A need exists for relevant metrics to M-learning usability. The primary objective of this work was to propose metrics and measures – for the purpose of evaluating the User-Interfacedesign usability of M-learning application. The research included a literature review of M-learning, as well as the development of metrics and measures based on the Goal Question Metric (GQM) Model. This model has helped provide a reference model and measurements for evaluating the User-InterfaceUsability. A case study was used as a research strategy. An application called Kontax was selected for evaluation by users and expert reviewers. Data-collection methods consisted of User Testing and Heuristics evaluations. Data-gathering instruments included the use of surveys and user- satisfaction questionnaires based on the proposed metrics, task scenarios and expert-reviewed questionnaires based on the proposed metrics; all these instruments were developed. It was found that, although the users thought the system was very interesting, and they wished to hear more about it in the future, the system nevertheless had usability flaws which made it difficult to use. All the users failed to register so that they could use the system; additionally, the system-error messages did not help the users recognize, and recover from an error – leaving the user to simply log out. Help was not adequate, thus making it difficult for first-time users to know what to do when they needed support. The system was also said to have a lot of information presented on its home page, which caused the user to be disoriented. The Kontax application has usability flaws which should be III attended to, in order to improve its usability. The proposed metrics proved to be very useful in evaluating the usability of the tool.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
A model for enhancing presence handling in instant messaging
- Authors: Victor, Rudi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Instant messaging , Mobile communication systems , Data transmission systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9774 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/877 , Instant messaging , Mobile communication systems , Data transmission systems
- Description: Instant Messaging (IM) is becoming increasingly popular in social as well as workplace environments. In fact, many employees use the same IM client to communicate with both colleagues and social contacts. Thus, there are valid concerns about the impact of IM on employee productivity. One of the major advantages of IM over other workplace communication tools such as e-mail and the telephone is the implementation of presence information. In particular, presence awareness is used to determine the avail- ability and willingness of a contact to engage in communication. A current problem with IM is the one-for-all approach to presence: all contacts receive the same set of presence information. However, presence is rooted in social psychology where it is known that the awareness of another person changes the behavior of oneself. Therefore the identity of a contact affects the availability and willingness directed towards that contact. In order for presence information to be provided to contacts, it must be represented in some type of data format. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has done much work in standardizing IM and presence systems. In particular their data format for presence describes a rich set of presence information including, but not limited to, location, activity, awareness, and mood information. Such information may be sensitive and access to it needs to be controlled to ensure privacy. As with access control policies, managing the information as the number of contacts increases becomes cumbersome and complex. This dissertation draws on the theoretical foundations of presence, current standards in the domain of IM, and lessons from access control to present an enhanced presence handling model for IM. The model is developed in stages, with each stage providing a specific improvement. The first stage of the model is grounded on the current work of the IETF. As such it distributes presence on a per-watcher basis. In the second stage of the model watchers fulfill a specific role and based on this role they receive only the entrusted presence information. In practice, it implies that a "friend" may get more (or less) information than a "colleague". The third stage of the model introduces the concept of availability profiles by drawing on social awareness principles. Availability profiles add the ability to transform presence and change the presentity's behavior to incoming messages according to the provided presence information. Finally the dissertation reports on the development of the RoBIM (Role- Based Instant Messenger) prototype. RoBIM is a standards-based IM system that conforms to the IETF SIMPLE protocol and provides various standard IM features. Here, RoBIM serves as a proof-of-concept for the proposed model. This study contributed to the domain of IM and presence by addressing some of the current presence handling issues. Most importantly, the proposed model takes into account the interpersonal effects of individualizing presence information for different contacts. Thus, the model challenges conventional thought and implementation of presence in IM.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Victor, Rudi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Instant messaging , Mobile communication systems , Data transmission systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9774 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/877 , Instant messaging , Mobile communication systems , Data transmission systems
- Description: Instant Messaging (IM) is becoming increasingly popular in social as well as workplace environments. In fact, many employees use the same IM client to communicate with both colleagues and social contacts. Thus, there are valid concerns about the impact of IM on employee productivity. One of the major advantages of IM over other workplace communication tools such as e-mail and the telephone is the implementation of presence information. In particular, presence awareness is used to determine the avail- ability and willingness of a contact to engage in communication. A current problem with IM is the one-for-all approach to presence: all contacts receive the same set of presence information. However, presence is rooted in social psychology where it is known that the awareness of another person changes the behavior of oneself. Therefore the identity of a contact affects the availability and willingness directed towards that contact. In order for presence information to be provided to contacts, it must be represented in some type of data format. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has done much work in standardizing IM and presence systems. In particular their data format for presence describes a rich set of presence information including, but not limited to, location, activity, awareness, and mood information. Such information may be sensitive and access to it needs to be controlled to ensure privacy. As with access control policies, managing the information as the number of contacts increases becomes cumbersome and complex. This dissertation draws on the theoretical foundations of presence, current standards in the domain of IM, and lessons from access control to present an enhanced presence handling model for IM. The model is developed in stages, with each stage providing a specific improvement. The first stage of the model is grounded on the current work of the IETF. As such it distributes presence on a per-watcher basis. In the second stage of the model watchers fulfill a specific role and based on this role they receive only the entrusted presence information. In practice, it implies that a "friend" may get more (or less) information than a "colleague". The third stage of the model introduces the concept of availability profiles by drawing on social awareness principles. Availability profiles add the ability to transform presence and change the presentity's behavior to incoming messages according to the provided presence information. Finally the dissertation reports on the development of the RoBIM (Role- Based Instant Messenger) prototype. RoBIM is a standards-based IM system that conforms to the IETF SIMPLE protocol and provides various standard IM features. Here, RoBIM serves as a proof-of-concept for the proposed model. This study contributed to the domain of IM and presence by addressing some of the current presence handling issues. Most importantly, the proposed model takes into account the interpersonal effects of individualizing presence information for different contacts. Thus, the model challenges conventional thought and implementation of presence in IM.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
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