College Information retrieval using touch screen KIOSK

College Information System

1. ABSTRACT

Assumption College, Changanacherry1


1.1 ABSTRACT

This software is for students/visitors to access the college database using a

touch screen. Students/visitors have easy access to various useful

information such as building layout, pictures, textual information or notices.

The kiosk is a powerful tool that can provide dynamic digital information

after just few touches to the screen. You don’t need a mouse or computer

skills to access information. The embedded touch screen is used here as

input device. The touch screen includes a Touch Sensor Panel, Controller

and interfacing software. Touch-screen technology makes the kiosks easy to

use—all you have to do is touch the graphic icons on the screen, and your

information is on the way. This also helps the students to access information

about the class timing, location of classrooms, notices etc and of various

departments from college system database. Thereby, the college authorities

can provide the correct information to the needed person without any human

intervention and can manage centralized multi-user information system.



2. INTRODUCTION



2.1 PROJECT OVERVIEW

This is a college information retrieval system which can be used to retrieve

college information. This system is designed mainly for college visitors and

students to access any college related information like which provides an

alternative to the hectic web surfing. The front end is designed using c#.net

High Level Language and SQL in the backend for data manipulation.

The system is controlled by a system administrator. Only the system

administrator can insert information into the database and decide the

information to be provided to the users. The users can just retrieve

information like contact number, about the college, faculty details, various

departments, and so on.

Immediate notices can be displayed using a window application which is

under administrator control. Other notices are stored in the database by the

system administrator which can be viewed by the users. Information

manipulation can be done only by the administrator.

Another feature of the system is the user can locate any teacher by providing

department name, teacher’s name, time and day information as search keys.

In this system, we have concentrated on the department on computer

science, Assumption College for this purpose.



2.1.1 OBJECTIVE

Our main goal is to build a kiosk application that is faster, efficient, and less

expensive. It includes the key features of any successful kiosk and is flexible

enough for future extension.

2.1.2 BENEFITS

1. Fast retrieval of entries from database

2. Cost effective

3. Time saving

4. User friendly

5. Quick implementation results

6. Convenience

7. Password protected-only authorized one can make data entry



2.2 ORGANISATION PROFILE

Rhydo Technologies (P) Ltd, Cochin, an ISO 9001:2008 certified company,

is a pioneer in India doing Research & Development in electronics and

embedded systems since 1996. Rhydo Technologies designs and

manufactures a variety of Power Electronics Products like Inverters, UPS,

Servo Stabilizers and SMPS. It also designs and develops microcontroller

based Custom Embedded Systems. Rhydo offers complete power solution

needs for both home and industrial customers. The company is one of the

few product suppliers to develop both hardware and software. Rhydo

Technologies Pvt Ltd is an Authorized Business Partner of Power ware

Corporation for Kerala region. Rhydo does R&D in power electronics and

microcontroller based embedded system design and development which

provides the foundation for future growth. It offers customized embedded

system research and development. Rhydo offers training in fast growing area

of Embedded Software. The company provides opportunity for young talents

to do their academic projects in Embedded Systems, Microcontrollers, DSP,

VLSI, RTOS, Robotics and other Softwares. It has a corporate-wide

commitment to quality that extends to every level of its activities. The

company operates as per ISO 9001 specification. All Rhydo operations are

covered by detailed internal quality specifications that are reviewed and

updated regularly. The objective is continuous improvement and total

customer satisfaction



2.3 ABOUT THE PLATFORM

The .NET is a new development platform that helps in creating Web

applications very fast. It allows the developers to write their

applications/programs in any of the .NET languages with which they are

most comfortable, as they can share their applications/programs with those

of their co-programmers, programming in another .NET compatible

language. This feature is referred to as cross-language development is the

primary strength of the .NET platform. The languages supported by

the .NET platform are called .NET languages. A few of the common .NET

languages are C#, Visual Basic.NET, Visual C++.NET. The .NET

Framework can be hosted by unmanaged components that load the common

language runtime into their processes and initiate the execution of managed

code, thereby creating a software environment that can exploit both managed

and unmanaged features. The .NET Framework not only provides several

runtime hosts, but also supports the development of third-party runtime

hosts. For example, ASP.NET hosts the runtime to provide a scalable,

server-side environment for managed code. ASP.NET works directly with

the runtime to enable ASP.NET applications and XML Web services.

The .NET Framework is an integral Windows component that supports

building and running the next generation of applications and XML Web

services. The .NET Framework is designed to fulfill the following

objectives:



To provide a consistent object-oriented programming environment

whether object code is stored and executed locally, executed locally

but Internet-distributed, or executed remotely.

To provide a code-execution environment that minimizes software

deployment and versioning conflicts.

To provide a code-execution environment that promotes safe

execution of code, including code created by an unknown or semi-

trusted third party.

To provide a code-execution environment that eliminates the

performance problems of scripted or interpreted environments.

To make the developer experience consistent across widely varying

types of applications, such as Windows-based applications and Web-

based applications.

To build all communication on industry standards to ensure that code

based on the .NET Framework can integrate with any other code.

The .NET platform is centered on two basic concepts. These are:

1) Common Language runtime [CLR]

2) Base Class Libraries [BCL]

Common Language Runtime: A runtime is a component, which a

computer must have, in order to execute programs written in a particular

programming language. The runtime component of a language provides the

basic features needed by the programs written in that language execute

successfully. When a program is executed, it links to the runtime component



of the language in which it is written, to get the basic functionality it

requires. The .NET Common Language Runtime provides facilitates single

runtime to serve multiple languages. The CLR is similar to the Java Virtual

Machine [JVM]. It provides the basic execution services and makes a .NET

program written in any of the .NET languages executable on the .NET

platform. This is possible because of the Common Type System, built into

the CLR. This system supports the types and operations found in almost all

the .NET programming languages. The CLR provides the basic

functionalities required by programs to execute successfully on the .NET

platforms.

Base Class Library : The .NET environment provides a Basic Class Library

which can be used by all .NET languages. It provides the basic

functionalities like console input/output, text manipulation, mathematical

functions etc. to the various .NET languages. Besides providing the basic

functionalities, the BSL makes cross-language communication possible.

The BCL includes a small subset of the entire class library and is the core set

of classes that serve as the basic API of the CLR. The Framework Class

Library (FCL) is a superset of the BCL classes and refers to the entire class

library that ships with .NET Framework. It includes an expanded set of

libraries, including Windows Forms,ADO.NET, ASP.NET, Language

Integrated Query, Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows

Communication Foundation among others. The FCL is much larger in scope

than standard libraries for languages like C++, and comparable in scope to

the standard libraries of Java.

When a program written in .NET language is complied, it produces (a)

Metadata and (b) Microsoft Intermediate Language.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_Class_Library

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Communication_Foundation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Communication_Foundation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Presentation_Foundation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Integrated_Query

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Integrated_Query

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASP.NET

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADO.NET

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Forms

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framework_Class_Library

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framework_Class_Library


Metadata: The code that is developed with the compiler of a language is

called the managed code. For the runtime to provide services to the managed

code, the compiler should produce metadata. It includes the complete

specification for a program. For this, it record all the information related to

every objects of the program. The information is required to use the object.

It includes:

Name of the object

Names and types of all the fields of the object

Names of all the member functions, including names and types of their

parameters

After being provided with above information, the .NET runtime is able to

create objects, access data and call member functions. The metadata is stored

along with the code.

Microsoft Intermediate Language : When a .NET program is compiled,

what we get is MSIL along with metadata and Common Type System. It is

MSIL that facilitates cross-language integration. The MSIL is compiled to

get the machine code and not interpreted. Thus .NET program are compiled

twice. During the first compilation process, the source code is converted into

MSIL, which is machine independent. It is stored in the files on the system.

During the second compilation, the MSIL file is executed and CLR

transforms it into machine code.

The various other features of .NET platform are:



Interoperability

Because interaction between new and older applications is commonly

required, the .NET Framework provides means to access functionality that is

implemented in programs that execute outside the .NET environment.

Language Independence

The .NET Framework introduces a Common Type System, or CTS. The

CTS specification defines all possible data type and programming constructs

supported by the CLR and how they may or may not interact with each other

conforming to the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) specification.

Because of this feature, the .NET Framework supports the exchange of types

and object instances between libraries and applications written using any

conforming .NET language.

Simplified Deployment

The .NET framework includes design features and tools that help manage

the installation of computer software to ensure that it does not interfere with

previously installed software, and that it conforms to security requirements.

Security

The design is meant to address some of the vulnerabilities, such as buffer

overflows, that have been exploited by malicious software.

Additionally, .NET provides a common security model for all applications.

Portability

The design of the .NET Framework allows it to theoretically be platform

agnostic, and thus cross-platform compatible. That is, a program written to


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-platform

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffer_overflow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffer_overflow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installation_(computer_programs)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_CLI_languages

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Language_Infrastructure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specification

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Type_System

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interoperability


use the framework should run without change on any type of system for

which the framework is implemented. While Microsoft has never

implemented the full framework on any system except Microsoft Windows,

the framework is engineered to be platform agnostic, and cross-platform

implementations are available for other operating systems. This makes it

possible for third parties to create compatible implementations of the

framework and its languages on other platforms.

Class library

The .NET Framework includes a set of standard class libraries. The class

library is organized in a hierarchy of namespaces. Most of the built in APIs

are part of either System.* or Microsoft.* namespaces. These class

libraries implement a large number of common functions, such as file

reading and writing, graphic rendering, database interaction, and XML

document manipulation, among others. The .NET class libraries are

available to all CLI compliant languages.

Memory management

The .NET Framework CLR frees the developer from the burden of

managing memory (allocating and freeing up when done); instead it does the

memory management itself. To this end, the memory allocated to

instantiations of .NET types (objects) is done contiguously from the

managed heap, a pool of memory managed by the CLR. As long as there

exist a reference to an object, which might be either a direct reference to an

object or via a graph of objects, the object is considered to be in use by the

CLR. When there is no reference to an object, and it cannot be reached or


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_(data_structure)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_CLI_languages

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namespace_(computer_science)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_library


used, it becomes garbage. However, it still holds on to the memory allocated

to it. .NET Framework includes a garbage collector which runs periodically,

on a separate thread from the application's thread, that enumerates all the

unusable objects and reclaims the memory allocated to them.

The CLS is a statement of rules that allow each language to interoperate.

The CLS defines not only type information, but also method invocation,

error handling, and so forth. The Application Class Libraries and Services

represents the rich set of libraries and APIs that have been created to support

virtually all aspects of programming. Visual Studio.NET is an important part

of the .NET Framework because it provides a means for the programmer to

access the framework at any level. It is a complete set of development tools

for building web applications, web services, desktop applications and mobile

applications. The Base Class Library, part of the Framework Class Library

(FCL), is a library of functionality available to all languages using the .NET

Framework.The Common Language Runtime is the virtual machine


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Language_Runtime

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_Class_Library

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_(computing)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_collection_(computer_science)


component of the .NET framework. All .NET programs execute under the

supervision of the CLR, guaranteeing certain properties and behaviors in the

areas of memory management, security, and exception handling.

3. SYSTEM STUDY AND ANALYSIS



3.1 STUDY OF EXISTING SYSTEM

The existing procedure to get any college related information is to surf the

web or to enquire from the information department. It will be difficult for

college visitors to go to the information department with their queries. Also

people who don’t know internet surfing finds it very difficult to search the

web.

The existing method to pass notices is using notice board and immediate

notices are passed as announcements. If a student wishes to locate any

teacher, she has to look the teacher’s time table and requires enquiring many

to correctly locate the teacher.

3.1.1 DRAWBACKS

A person who don’t know how to access the internet finds it difficult

to get college information

In the case of power failure, immediate notices cannot be passed

Students who are not present at the time of announcements won’t get

correct information

Locating a teacher with name, time and day is very difficult



3.2 PROPOSED SYSTEM

Keeping the drawbacks of the existing procedures to access information in

college in mind, we planed to develop a ‘COLLEGE INFORMATION

SYSTEM’ which uses touch screen kiosk. This software for students/visitors

is to access the college database using a touch screen. Students/visitors can

easy access to useful information such as building layout, pictures, textual

information, notices and so on.

The kiosk is a powerful tool that can provide dynamic digital information

after just few touches to the screen. You don’t need a mouse or computer

skills to access information. Touch-screen technology makes the kiosks easy

to use—all you have to do is touch the graphic icons on the screen, and your

information is on the way. The kiosk can even be set up to provide

information, animation, or advertisements when it is not in use.

Updating the kiosk database is almost effortless. New information or

changes can be added immediately. “Our main goal was to build a kiosk

applications that are faster, better, and less expensive. And includes the key

features of any successful kiosk and is flexible enough for future extension."

This system helps the students to access information about the location of

teachers, notices etc and of various departments from college system



database. There by, the college authorities can provide the correct

information to the needed person without any human intervention and can

manage centralized multi user information system.

3.3 FEASIBILITY STUDY

The aim of a feasibility study is to see whether it is possible to develop a

system at a reasonable cost. At the end of the feasibility study a decision is

taken whether to proceed or not.

A feasibility study contains the general requirements of the proposed

system.

Let us consider the task of setting up an Information retrieval system for a

college.

The study might identify the following general requirements for the system:

To be simple and easy to use.

To store all relevant details of the college.

To produce immediate displays, current notices, etc.

To produce all sort of displays that a visitor to the college finds

helpful.

To correctly locate any teacher if her name, id and time is known.

The feasibility study is the important step in any software development

process. This is because it makes analysis of different aspects like cost

required for developing and executing the system, the time required for each

phase of the system and so on. If these important factors are not analyzed



then definitely it would have impact on the organization and the

development and the system would be a total failure. So for running the

project and the organization successfully this step is a very important step in

a software development life cycle process.

In the software development life cycle after making an analysis in the

system requirement the next step is to make analysis of the software

requirement. In other words feasibility study is also called as software

requirement analysis. In this phase development team has to make

communication with customers and make analysis of their requirement and

analyze the system.

By making analysis this way it would be possible to make a report of

identified area of problem. By making a detailed analysis in this area a

detailed document or report is prepared in this phase which has details like

project plan or schedule of the project, the cost estimated for developing and

executing the system, target dates for each phase of delivery of system

developed and so on. This phase is the base of software development process

since further steps taken in software development life cycle would be based

on the analysis made on this phase and so careful analysis has to be made in

this phase.

Though the feasibility study cannot be focused on a single area some of the

areas or analysis made in feasibility study is given below. But all the steps

given below would not be followed by all system developed. The feasibility

study varies based on the system that would be developed.



Feasibility study is made on the system being developed to analyze

whether the system development process require training of

personnel. This help in designing training sessions as required in

later stage.

.

Is the system developed has scope for expanding or scope for

switching to new technology later if needed in ease. In other study

is made to find the portability of the system in future.

.

Is the cost of developing the system high or does it meet the

budgeted costs. That is a cost benefit analysis is made. In other

words an analysis is made on cost feasibility of the project. This

helps in identifying whether the organization would meet the

budgeted costs and also helps the organization in making earlier

and effective plans for meeting extra costs because of the system

development.

.

Analysis is made on what software to use for developing the

system. This study and analysis would help to choose the best

implementation for system and the organization. This feasibility

study includes factors like scalability, how to install, how to

develop and so on. This feasibility study in short includes the

analysis of technical areas. This analysis helps the efficiency of the

system developed to get improved. This is because by choosing

the correct technology by making analysis on the needs of

system helps in improving the efficiency of the system.

.



The above feasibilities are analysis which helps in development of

the system. But the scope of feasibility study does not end with

this. Analysis or feasibility study also includes the analysis of

maintenance stage. In other words feasibility study is made to

analyze how one would maintain the system during maintenance

stage. This helps sin planning for this stage and also helps in risk

analysis. Also the analysis helps in making analysis about what

training must be given and how and what all documents must be

prepared to help users and developers to face maintenance phase.

Advantages of making Feasibility study:

There are many advantages of making feasibility study some of which are

summarized below:

This study being made as the initial step of software development

life cycle has all the analysis part in it which helps in analyzing the

system requirements completely.

.

Helps in identifying the risk factors involved in developing

and deploying the system.

.

The feasibility study helps in planning for risk analysis.

.



Feasibility study helps in making cost/benefit analysis which helps

the organization and system to run efficiently.

.

Feasibility study helps in making plans for training developers

for implementing the system.

.

So a feasibility study is a report which could be used by the senior

or top persons in the organization. This is because based on the

report the organization decides about cost estimation, funding and

other important decisions which is very essential for an

organization to run profitably and for the system to run stable.



4. REQUIREMENTS



4.1 HARDWARE REQUIREMENT

PROCESSOR : Pentium Processor

HARD DISC SPACE : 40GB and above

MEMORY : 256 MB RAM

DISPLAY : 14inch Monitor

KEYBOARD : 104 keys

COMPONENTS : Mouse attached

4.2 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT

Operating System : Windows XP

Front-end : C#.NET

Back-end : Database SQL Server 2005

4.3 SELECTION OF SOFTWARE

The .NET platform is used for this project development. The softwares used

in this project are C# and Microsoft SQL Server.

4.3.1 C#



The goal of C# is to provide a simple, safe, modern, object oriented,

internet-centric, high performance language for .NET development. C# is

now a fully matured language. In C# we can see the influence of Java, C++,

Visual Basic and some other languages. The fundamental C# language is

simple with fewer than 100 keywords and a dozen built-in datatypes but its

highly expressive when it comes to implementing modern programming

concepts. C# includes all support for structured, component-based, object-

oriented programming. C# contains keywords for declaring new classes and

their methods and properties, and for implementing encapsulation,

inheritance and polymorphism, the three pillars of object-oriented

programming. The C# language was originally developed by a small team

led by two distinguished Microsoft engineers Anders Hejlberg and Scott

Wiltamuth.

The various features of C# are:

In C#, everything pertaining to a class declaration is found in the

declaration itself. C# class definitions don’t require separate header

files or Interface Definition Language [IDL] files.

C# also supports interface, a means of making a contract with a class

for the services that the interface stipulates.

C# provides support for directly accessing memory using C++ style

pointers.

It warns the CLR garbage collector not to collect objects referenced

by pointers until they are released.



C# also provides support for structs. Struct is a restricted,

lightweight type that, when instantiated, makes fewer demands on

the operating system and on memory than other conventional class

does.

C# provides full support of delegates, to provide invocation of

methods through indirection.

C# provides component-oriented features, such as properties, events,

and declarative constructs. Component-oriented programming is

supported by the storage of metadata with the code for the class.

4.3.2 MICROSOFT SQL SERVER

Microsoft SQL Server is a computer application used to create desktop,

enterprise, and web-based database systems. It is used at different levels and

with various goals. SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is the next version of

MSDE and is a free, easy-to-use, lightweight, and embeddable version of

SQL Server 2005. SQL Server 2005 (codenamed Yukon), released in

October 2005, is the successor to SQL Server 2000. It included native

support for managing XML data, in addition to relational data. For relational

data, T-SQL has been augmented with error handling features (try/catch) and

support for recursive queries (Common Table Expressions). SQL Server

2005 has also been enhanced with new indexing algorithms and better error

recovery systems. Data pages are check summed for better error resiliency,

and optimistic concurrency support has been added for better performance.

Permissions and access control have been made more granular and the query

processor handles concurrent execution of queries in a more efficient way.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checksum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-SQL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_database

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL_Server


Partitions on tables and indexes are supported natively, so scaling out a

database onto a cluster is easier. SQL CLR was introduced with SQL Server

2005 to let it integrate with the .NET Framework

5. SYSTEM DESIGN

5.1 ELEMENTS OF DESIGN


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_(computing)


5.1.1 SYSTEM DESIGN

Design Objectives: System design is to deliver the requirements as specified

in the feasibility report. The main objectives of the design are

1. Practicality

2. Efficiency

3. Cost

4. Flexibility

5. Security

System design contains Logical Design & Physical Designing, logical

designing describes the structure & characteristics or features, like output,

input, files, database & procedures. The physical design, which follows the

logical design, actual software & a working system.

Logical Design

The logical design of a system pertains to an abstract representation of the

data flows, inputs and outputs of the system. This is often conducted via

modeling, which involves a simplistic (and sometimes graphical)

representation of an actual system. In the context of systems design,

modeling can undertake the following forms, including:

Data flow diagrams

Entity Life Histories

Entity Relationship Diagrams

Physical Design



The physical design relates to the actual input and output processes of the

system. This is laid down in terms of how data is inputted into a system,

how it is verified/authenticated, how it is processed, and how it is displayed

as output.

Physical design, in this context, does not refer to the tangible physical design

of an information system. To use an analogy, a personal computer's physical

design involves input via a keyboard, processing within the CPU, and output

via a monitor, printer, etc. It would not concern the actual layout of the

tangible hardware, which for a PC would be a monitor, CPU, motherboard,

hard drive, modems, video/graphics cards, USB slots, etc.

The processing techniques are

Ø Batch Processing

Ø Real-time

Ø Online

Ø Combination of all

Structured design is a data flow methodology. The graphical representation

of data flow, communication & defining the modules & their relationship

with each is known as Structure Chart. This method decomposes &

modularizes the system so that the complexity & manageability will come

down. Thus reducing the intuitive reasoning & promotes the maintainable

provable systems.



This type of design follows top-down & hierarchy, which will have one

single entry & single exit, The advantages of this method are

1. Critical interfaces are tested first

2. Early versions of the design, through incomplete are useful enough to

resemble the original system.

3. Structuring provides control & improve morale

4. The procedural characteristics define the order that determines

processing.

Major System Design Activities are

1. DB design

2. Program design

3. System & program test preparation

4. System Interface Specification

5. Audit Consideration

6. Audit control & Documentation control

Major design process parts are

1. O/p design

2. I/p design

3. File Design

4. Procedure design

- Computer design



- Non-computer design

5. Control design

These parts are inter-dependent on each other. System Specifications is a

document, which will have a result of system design process, it serves as a

Blue print for the project development & maintenance.

Prototype is a working system that is developed to test ideas & assumptions

about a new system.



5.1.2 INPUT DESIGN

Objectives of Input Design are

1. Controlling amount of i/p

2. Avoiding delay

3. Avoiding errors in data

4. Avoiding extra steps

5. Keeping the process simple.

Major concerns about the input

1. What input is needed

2. How & where is i/p created

3. How should source documents designed

4. What format should be used for Input

5. What medium should be used to store data

Input Verification can be done using

Key verification

Use of self checking numbers

Visual display

Hash Total

Checking between range

Reasonableness Test



Verification of Codes

Verification of data Type

Verify Combination data

Sequence Check

Concerns for designing an i/p screen

1. Easy to use

2. Improved processing speed

3. Menu driven Approach

4. Highlighting the information on screen

5. Usage of appropriate colors

6. Editing through display screens



5.1.3 OUTPUT DESIGN

The output design is an ongoing activity almost from the beginning of the

project. The most common output media are computer printers and VDT

screens. Computer print charts and VDT screen layout sheets are used for

detailed description of outputs. Microcomputers are having a dramatic

impact upon output design. The availability of laser printers, along with

graphics software and desktop publishing software has given us the high

quality print for text and the flexibility of graphics.

Output Design Objectives Assure Purposeful Output

Make Meaningful to User

Provide Appropriate Quantity

Appropriate Distribution

Assure Timeliness

Choose Effective Output Method

Output devices are

VDU

Printer

Computer output Microfilm (COM)



Choosing Output Technology

Who will use/see the output?

How many people will need the output?

Where is the output needed (distribution/logistics)

What is the purpose of the output?

How quickly is the output needed?

How frequently will the output be accessed?

How long must the output be stored?

What special regulations apply?

What is the cost?

What are the environmental factors (noise, temperature, space,

hardware)?

Output Design Consideration

Type of user & purpose

Content

Format

Frequency & times

Volume

Sequence

Quality

5.1.4 DATABASE DESIGN



A database is a set of logically related files organized to facilitate access by

one or more applications programs & to minimize data redundancy.

Main objectives of DB are

1. Eliminate the redundancy of data

2. Data integrity

3. Share data among users

4. Incorporate changes quickly & easily

5. Simplify the use of data

6. Cost effective

7. Improve accuracy & consistency

8. Exercise central control over standards

The Design Process

The design process consists of the following steps[4]:

1. Determine the purpose of your database - This helps prepare you

for the remaining steps.

2. Find and organize the information required - Gather all of the

types of information you might want to record in the database, such

as product name and order number.

3. Divide the information into tables - Divide your information items

into major entities or subjects, such as Products or Orders. Each

subject then becomes a table.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database_design#cite_note-3%23cite_note-3


4. Turn information items into columns - Decide what information

you want to store in each table. Each item becomes a field, and is

displayed as a column in the table. For example, an Employees table

might include fields such as Last Name and Hire Date.

5. Specify primary keys - Choose each table’s primary key. The

primary key is a column that is used to uniquely identify each row.

An example might be Product ID or Order ID.

6. Set up the table relationships - Look at each table and decide how

the data in one table is related to the data in other tables. Add fields to

tables or create new tables to clarify the relationships, as necessary.

7. Refine your design - Analyze your design for errors. Create the tables

and add a few records of sample data. See if you can get the results

you want from your tables. Make adjustments to the design, as

needed.

8. Apply the normalization rules - Apply the data normalization rules

to see if your tables are structured correctly. Make adjustments to the

tables, as needed.

To manipulate the operations on the database, a set of programs are

maintained called Data Base Management System (DBMS). It is used to

access, maintain and control large, shared files.

The Main advantages of database are



1. File consolidation

2. Program & file independence

3. Access versatility

4. Data Security

5. Program development

6. Program maintenance

7. Special information

5.2 DATA FLOW DIAGRAM



The DFD is a hierarchical graphical model of the system that shows the

different processing activities or the functions that the system performs and

the data interchange between these functions. The system is represented in

terms of the input data to the system, the various processing carried out on

these data, and the output data generated by the system. It has the purpose of

clarifying systems requirements and identifying major transformations that

will become programs in system design. It is the major starting point in the

design phase that functionally decomposes the requirements specifications

down to the lowest level of detail. DFD is an elegant modeling technique

that turns out to be useful not only to represent the results of structured

analysis of a software problem, but also for several other applications such

as showing the flow of documents or items in an organization. In the normal

convention a DFD has four major symbols.

SQUARE: represents external entity [ source/sink]

ARROW: represents shows data flow

CIRCLE: represents a represents a process

OPEN RECTANGLE: represents a data store.



Process

Work or actions performed on data (inside the system)

Labels should be verb phrases

Receives input data and produces output

Dataflow

Is a path for data to move from one part of the IS to another

Arrows depicting movement of data

Can represent flow between process and data store by two separate

arrows

Data store

Is used in a DFD to represent data that the system stores

Labels should be noun phrases

External entity

External entity that is origin or destination of data Is the singular

form of a department, outside organization, other IS, or person

Labels should be noun phrases

Source – Entity that supplies data to the system

Sink – Entity that receives data from the system

Context diagram



The DFD which is the top-level view of IS is called a context diagram. It

shows the system boundaries, external entities that interact with the system,

and major information flows between entities and the system.

Rules for drawing DFDs

1) Establish the context of the data flow diagram by identifying all the

net input and output data flows.

2) Select a starting point for drawing the data flow diagram from inputs

to outputs or backwards from outputs to inputs or from the centre

out.

3) Give meaningful labels to all data flow lines.

4) Label all processes with action verbs that relate input and output

data flows.

5) Omit insignificant functions routinely handled in the programming

process.

6) Don’t include control or flow of control information.

7) Do not try to put too much information in one data flow diagram.

8) Be prepared to start over. Often the data flow diagram does not

begin to flow without several false starts.

5.3 TABLE DESIGN



The most important aspect of building an application is the design of tables

or the database schema. The data stored in the tables must be organized in

some manner, which is meaningful. The overall objective in the process of

table design has been to treat data as an organizational resource and as an

integrated whole. The organization of data in a database aims to achieve

three major objectives, which are given below.

1. Data Integration

2. Data Integrity

3. Data Independence

Several degrees of normalization have to be applied during the process of

table design. The major aim of the process of normalization is to reduce

data redundancy and prevent losing data integrity. Redundancy refers to

unwanted and unnecessary repetition of data. Data integrity has to be

converted at all levels. Poor normalization can cause problems related to

storage and retrieval of data. During the process of normalization,

dependencies can be identified which cause serious problems during

deletion and updation. Normalizing also helps in simplifying the structure

of tables. The theme behind a database is to handle information as an

integrated whole thus making access to information easy, quick,

inexpensive and flexible for users. The entire package depends on how the

data are maintained in the system .Each table has been designed with a

perfect vision. Minor tables have been created which though takes much

space facilitates the process of querying fast and accurate.



TABLE 1: LOGIN

FIELD DATA TYPE

ID NUMBER(4)

LOGIN NAME VARCHAR(15)

PASSWORD VARCHAR(10)

TABLE 2: NOTICE

FIELD DATA TYPE

NOTICEID NUMBER(4)

SUBJECT VARCHAR(15)

DATE VARCHAR(10)

TIME VARCHAR(10)



TABLE 3: TIMETABLE

FIELD DATA TYPE

DEPTID NUMBER(4)

TEACHER ID NUMBER(4)

DAY VARCHAR(10)

TIME VARCHAR(10)

TEACHER VARCHAR(15)

CLASS VARCHAR(10)

TABLE 4: DEPT

FIELD DATA TYPEDEPTID NUMBER(4)

DEPT NAME VARCHAR(10)

HOD VARCHAR(15)



6. SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING



6.1 INTRODUCTION

System implementation is the process of bringing a developed system into

operational use and turning it over to the user. Implementation activities

extend from planning through conversion from the old system to the new.

All hardware required is tested and installed properly and ensures all

connections are made correctly and accurately. The computer program

component of the overall system is debugged and made error free. The

computer programs are ensured that it successfully executes its program

logic. The computer programs are tested in a planned, top-down sequence

that includes structured walk-throughs. When all the hardware and software

components are set, the overall system is tested to verify whether the system

has met its design objectives. The proposed system has two main modules

and both the modules are thoroughly checked. The administrator functions

are tested by providing various data entries and making modifications to the

data and checking whether he changes are updated in the database. The user

functions are tested by progressing through the various interfaces and

checking whether the correct information is provided by various interfaces.


ADMINISTRATOR

INSERT TIME TABLE

URGENT NOTICE

ADD DEPARTMENTT

ADD TIME TABLE

NOTICES

INSERT NEW NOTICE

EDIT NOTICE

LOGIN


6.2 WORKING OF THE PROJECT

The proposed touch screen kiosk system works in two major modules: user

and the administrator. The administrator only has the power for data entry

and manipulation. The user is provided the authority to view various details

about the college but not make any data entry. The administrator has

interfaces for entering and modifying data. The users have interfaces to view

details of his/her choice.


USER

FIND THE LOCATION OF TEACHER

VARIOUS DETAILS ABOUT COLLEGE

CONTACT

INFRASTRUCTURE

VISION & MISSION

ABOUT COLLEGE

HOME

FACULTIESDEPARTMENTSCOURSES COLLEGE MAP

SEARCH NOTICES

VIEW URGENT NOTICE




1. ADMINISTRATOR

The main task of the administrator is data entry. The Administrator

after Login has an interface for inserting data about location of class,

notices, pictures etc. The various functions of the administrator can be

further divided into four modules. The four modules are insert data,

edit data, insert time table, urgent notice.

Insert Data

This module provides the entry of new notices which the user can

access via ‘Notices’ link. The administrator can enter new notices

in the data entry space provided. On clicking the submit button the



notice along with date and time get saved into table NOTICES

and the database is updated.

Edit Data

This module provides provision for editing existing notices. It

helps to remove unwanted notices. On clicking ‘edit data’ the list

of existing notices will appear and a delete button is provided

corresponding to each notice. On clicking the delete button the

notice will be deleted from the table and database is updated.

Insert Timetable

This module provides provision for entering various departments,

head of the departments, teachers and their time table. It includes

the classroom location of each teacher for every period. This

module provides two options:

1.3.1 Add Department

This option provides facility for entering department name

and HOD’s name. On clicking OK button, the details

entered along with department id is entered into table DEPT

and the database is updated.

1.3.2 Add Time table

This option provides facility to enter departments, teachers,

day, period, class and room no:. On clicking the OK button

all details entered along with department id and teacher id



will be entered into table TIMETABLE and the database is

updated.

Urgent Notice

This is the window application that is embedded in the project. On

clicking the ‘Urgent Notice’ link, a window will appear that

displays the notices at the same time it is being entered by the

administrator. The administrator system acts as a master system

and the touch screen act as a slave.

2. USER

Users have an interface for displaying the data from the table according to

his requirement. The user can get various information of the college and also

view various notices. The user’s functions can be divided into two modules.

2.1 Information Retrieval

The user can get various information of the college such as about

the college, contact details, vision and mission, infrastructure and



so on. The user can also find in which classroom a particular

teacher is for the current hour.

2.2 Notices

This module helps the user to search notices by date. By selecting a

date and clicking the search button, a table that lists all notices

published on that particular date will be displayed.

6.3 SOFTWARE TESTING

Software testing is an integral part of Software Development Life

Cycle. Software testing is any activity aimed at evaluating an attribute or

capability of a program or system and determining that it meets its required

results. Although crucial to software quality and widely deployed by

programmers and testers, software testing still remains an art, due to limited

understanding of the principles of software. The difficulty in software testing

stems from the complexity of software: we can not completely test a

program with moderate complexity. Testing is more than just debugging.



The purpose of testing can be quality assurance, verification and validation,

or reliability estimation. Testing can be used as a generic metric as well.

Correctness testing and reliability testing are two major areas of testing.

Software testing is a trade-off between budget, time and quality. The various

testing methods are as follows:

Black box testing

Testing without knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested.

Tests are usually functional.

Conformance testing

Producing tests for the behavior of an implementation to be sure it provides

the portability, interoperability, and/or compatibility a standard defines.

Functional testing

Validating an application or Web site conforms to its specifications and

correctly performs all its required functions. This entails a series of tests

which perform a feature by feature validation of behavior, using a wide

range of normal and erroneous input data. This can involve testing of the

product's user interface, APIs, database management, security, installation,

networking etc testing can be performed on an automated or manual basis

using black box or white box methodologies.

Integration testing



Testing in which modules are combined and tested as a group. Modules are

typically code modules, individual applications, client and server

applications on a network, etc. Integration Testing follows unit testing and

precedes system testing.

Load testing

Load testing is a generic term covering Performance Testing and Stress

Testing.

Performance testing

Performance testing can be applied to understand your application or WWW

site's scalability, or to benchmark the performance in an environment of

third party products such as servers and middleware for potential purchase.

This sort of testing is particularly useful to identify performance bottlenecks

in high use applications. Performance testing generally involves an

automated test suite as this allows easy simulation of a variety of normal,

peak, and exceptional load conditions.

Stress testing

Testing conducted to evaluate a system or component at or beyond the limits

of its specified requirements to determine the load under which it fails and

how. A graceful degradation under load leading to non-catastrophic failure is

the desired result. Often Stress Testing is performed using the same process

as Performance Testing but employing a very high level of simulated load.

System testing

Testing conducted on a complete, integrated system to evaluate the system's

compliance with its specified requirements. System testing falls within the



scope of black box testing, and as such, should require no knowledge of the

inner design of the code or logic.

Unit testing

It is the testing of individual software components or modules. Typically

done by the programmer and not by testers, as it requires detailed knowledge

of the internal program design and code. May require developing test driver

modules or test harnesses.

Compatibility testing

Testing how well software performs in a particular

hardware/software/operating system/network environment and different

combination s of above.



7. FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS



7.1 FUTURE SCOPE OF THE SYSTEM

The system can be enhanced by adding new modules. The system will be

converted into online applications. The objectives specified, while starting

the system designs are achieved. As the progress in life is advanced from the

known to known, the future of any Software packages lies in its ability to

progress from the specified to the general.

The basic structure of the product was designed in such a way that the

incorporation of additional utilities and function could be accomplished very

easily without any changes in the basic design. The present system helps to

locate any teacher from the Computer Science department. The system can

be further modified so as to locate any teacher belonging to any department

in the college.



8. CONCLUSION



8.1 CONCLUSION

A college information system is developed. This system can be used by any

college visitor or student to get knowledge about the current events in

college or any college related information. Only a valid administrator can

work with information manipulation. An important advantage is that only

valid current information is provided by the system, since the unwanted

notices being deleted by the administrator. The software was developed in

C#.NET and SQL. It is expected to live up to the objectives for which it was

designed. In the proposed system it is sure that it must reduce the manpower

and time duration. Thus this system is a boon when viewed with a resource

saving perspective, which is vital for the system like “COLLEGE

INFORMATION RETRIEVAL USING TOUCHSCREEN KIOSK”

The project titled “COLLEGE INFORMATION RETRIEVAL USING

TOUCHSCREEN KIOSK” has been done successfully and satisfies all the

requirements specified. This system helps in providing live data to the

authorities and help in decision making without wastage of time.

This software provides a user-friendly approach towards the system. This

system has been well developed and when implemented, is bound to satisfy

all of the requirements. Painstaking efforts have been taken to make the

software impeccable and upgradeable. There is a hope that this software will

be utilized to its maximum and will do a good job in the long run. The

program for carrying out various activities have been run and successfully

tested to ensure that the software developed meets the needs satisfactorily.



9. APPENDIX



9.1 DATA FLOW DIAGRAMS


ADMINISTRATORUSER

COLLEGE

INFORMATIONSYSTEM


9.1.1 CONTEXT DIAGRAM



9.1.2 LEVEL 0 DFD



9.1.3 LEVEL 1 DFDS


DEPARTMENTIDENTIFICATI0N

5.1

LOCATINGTEACHER

5.2

TIME TABLE

DISPLAY


Assumption College, Changanacherry

ADMINISTRATOR LOGIN

2.1

IMMEDIATE NOTICE

2.2

DISPLAY

67


9.2 SCREENSHOTS



HOME



ABOUT US



INFRASTRUCTURE



VISION &MISSION



CONTACT US



COURSE DETAILS



DEPARTMENTS



FACULTIES



SEARCH



ADMIN LOGIN



ADMIN HOME PAGE



INSERT DATA



EDIT DATA



INSERT TIME TABLE



ADD DEPARTMENT



ADD TIME TABLE



NOTICE



URGENT NOTICE



COLLEGE MAP

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BIBILIOGRAPHY

Offline Resources:

Programming C# 3.0 - Jesse Liberty & Donald Xie

Comdex Computer Programming Course Kit - Vikas Gupta

Elements of System Analysis - Marvin Gore & John W Stubbe

Online Resources:

www.wikipedia.com

www.aptest.com

www.microsoft.com

web.sxu.edu

www.softwaretestinghelp.com

www.microsoft.com

91

http://www.microsoft.com/

http://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/

http://www.microsoft.com/

http://www.aptest.com/

http://www.wikipedia.com/


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College Information retrieval using touch screen KIOSK

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