1

REPORT ON

INDUSTRIAL ORIENTATION (IO)

WITH

ELIXIR TECHNOLOGY PTE LTD

PREPARED BY: NUR HAFEEZA BINTE SATTAKIR

U1321816F

INFORMATION ENGINEERING & MEDIA (IEM)

2

Table of Contents

Abstract........................................................................................................................... 3

Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 4

List of Figures ................................................................................................................. 5

1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 6

1.1. Company Profile ......................................................................................................... 6

1.1.1. Elixir Technology ..................................................................................................................... 6

1.1.2. BizInsights ................................................................................................................................ 7

1.2. Purpose and Scope ...................................................................................................... 7

1.3. Resources .................................................................................................................... 8

2. Review of Theory and Previous Work ................................................................. 9

2.1. Setting Up and Installation of Server .......................................................................... 9

2.2. Chart Representation (Visualization) for the SCCD Project ..................................... 10

2.2.1. Bipartite Chart ....................................................................................................................... 11

2.2.2. Tree Map ................................................................................................................................ 15

2.2.3. Other Chart Visualizations .................................................................................................... 16

2.3. User Acceptance Test ................................................................................................ 17

2.4. IBM Bluemix ............................................................................................................. 18

2.4.1. Bluelist Twilio Android .......................................................................................................... 18

2.5. TechCQ Accuracy Test ............................................................................................. 19

3. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 20

4. Appendices ......................................................................................................... 22

Appendix A-1 ................................................................................................................ 22

Appendix A-2 ................................................................................................................ 23

Appendix A-3 ................................................................................................................ 24

5. References .......................................................................................................... 25

3

Abstract

This report aims to provide a summary of the student’s experience and contribution for the

10-week Industrial Orientation (IO) at Elixir Technology from 18 May to 24 July 2015.

Firstly, this report introduces the company’s background, the services provided and the

projects the student was involved in.

During this orientation, the student is involved in one of the projects and also exposed to

Chart Representation (Visualization) using Elixir Ambience, which is one of the most

significant services provided.

Not only that, the student was taught the basics of Bluemix, which was for the student’s

additional learning experience.

4

Acknowledgements

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Elixir Technology for

giving me this opportunity to gain experience and to improve my software skills.

Next, I would like to thank my Organization Supervisor, Mr. Chen Ziliang for his

supervision and constant encouragement.

I would also like to thank one of the technical specialists, Mr. Alan Poon for his

invaluable guidance, support and willingness to impart knowledge throughout the whole

ten weeks.

Lastly, I would like to thank my NTU Supervisor, Assistant Professor Arindam Basu for

his guidance in doing the Logbook and Final Report.

5

List of Figures

Figure 1: Business Analytics Platform 6

Figure 2: Business Intelligence Platform 6

Figure 3: Elixir Ambience Browser 8

Figure 4: ViewTool 8

Figure 5: Elixir Ambience Designer 9

Figure 6: Preparation for Cable Clamping 10

Figure 7: Basic Line Chart 10

Figure 8: Chord Diagram 11

Figure 9: Bipartite Dashboard 11

Figure 10: Bipartite – New View Type 12

Figure 11: Bipartite – ViewTool 12

Figure 12: Bipartite – CSV File 13

Figure 13: Bipartite – Data Tab 14

Figure 14: Bipartite Chart 14

Figure 15: Bipartite Chart – Selected 15

Figure 16: TreeMap 15

Figure 17: TreeMap – Selected 16

Figure 18: Line Basic With Scriptable Multiselect and Filter 17

Figure 19: Bluemix Android Application 18

Figure 20: Text Messages from Twilio 18

Figure 21: TechCQ Web Version 19

Figure 22: TechCQ Collated Data 20

6

1. Introduction

1.1. Company Profile

1.1.1. Elixir Technology

Elixir Technology was established since 1993 and is present in Singapore,

United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK). Elixir has over 600 worldwide

customers across 50 countries, including Fortune 100 like Walt Disney, Cisco,

Coface, Asahi Shimbun and various banks and government.

Figure 1: Business Analytics Platform

Figure 2: Business Intelligence Platform

7

Elixir provides services such as Business Intelligence (BI) and Business

Analytics (BA), Cloud Hosting/Services and Data Representation

(Visualization), as shown above in the Figures 1 and 2. The Data

Representation consists of advanced animated JavaScript-Based visualizations

for both desktop and mobile use.

Elixir also works on Smart Cities, Smart Nation and Smart Home projects.

The Smart Nation Programme creates more opportunities, data and networks

to support better and stronger communities.

1.1.2. BizInsights

Elixir also has a subsidiary company called BizInsights. They are similar to a

reseller of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)

reports. They provide reports such as Business Profile, Essential Corporate

Information, Strategic Corporate Information and People Profile.

In addition, they have an advantage of value adding financial insights to the

reports.

1.2. Purpose and Scope

The student is involved in the Smart Cities Capabilities Development (SCCD) Call-

for-Collaboration (CFC) in doing Location-Based Human Flow Analytics at national

level. This project involves assisting in Chart Representation (Visualization) such as

the Bipartite Chart and the Tree Map, which will be discussed later on in this report.

The student volunteered in setting up and installation of the server, participated in the

User Acceptance Test for the CAPRIS project and also the TechCQ Accuracy Test.

8

1.3. Resources

There are two main resources managed by the administrator, which are the “Elixir

Ambience Browser” and the “Elixir Ambience Designer”. However, both the server

and the designer have to be run first, in order for these resources to be launched.

Figure 3: Elixir Ambience Browser

Figure 4: ViewTool

Figure 3 shows that the Ambience Browser consists of the dashboards for the charts.

In Figure 4, each of the dashboards then consists of “ViewTool” that manages all of

the HTML and JavaScript-Based codes for the charts.

9

Figure 5: Elixir Ambience Designer

As shown in Figure 5, the Ambience Designer acts as a database (in this case called

Universe) which consists of the Comma Separated Values (CSV) files. These CSV

files will then be needed to be defined as a Data Source (DS) file first, in order to be

read by the charts.

2. Review of Theory and Previous Work

2.1. Setting Up and Installation of Server

The student volunteered in setting up and installation of Server at the National

Community Leadership Institute (NACLI) for the People’s Association. The Server

has to be set up, in order for the training on how to use Elixir’s products to be

conducted.

When setting up the training room, the clients’ safety is the top priority, where the

cables have to be tied up and arranged in an orderly manner. This is to prevent

accidents from happening.

10

Figure 6: Preparation for Cable Clamping

As shown in Figure 6, the student was taught on how to prepare and arrange the

coloured wires in the cables for cable clamping; to remove the first few centimetres of

the rubber cable and unwind the coloured wires inside the cable. This allows the

student to gain experience in hardware and networking skills.

2.2. Chart Representation (Visualization) for the SCCD Project

In Elixir, Chart Representation is a significant part of the services provided. There are

different types of charts for different types of data. The charts range from a basic chart

like a Line Graph, to a complicated chart like a Chord Diagram shown in Figures 7

and 8 respectively.

Figure 7: Basic Line Chart

11

Figure 8: Chord Diagram

For the SCCD project, the student assisted in doing two charts; Bipartite Chart and

Tree Map. For the Bipartite Chart, the steps on how to create the chart will be

discussed later in this report. The same steps can also be carried out to create any

other charts.

2.2.1. Bipartite Chart

Bipartite is one of the advanced animated charts in the SCCD project.

Bipartite is a graph that is divided into two disjoint set (which are independent

sets).

Figure 9: Bipartite Dashboard

12

Firstly, a dashboard has to be created at the Elixir Ambience Browser and it

will be named “Bipartite.dashboard”. Then, click “Viewtool” to manage the

HTML and JavaScript-Based scripts.

Figure 10: Bipartite New View Type

Next, for each dashboard, a New View Type has to be created, and it will be

named “Bipartite_Test” using the “Bipartite” template. The View Type is

usually named after the chart, for easy reference.

Each View Type consists of six tabs (scripts); View JSON, View HTML,

View Preview, Edit JSON, Edit JS and Edit Preview. The functions of each of

the tabs are explained below.

Figure 11: Bipartite ViewTool

13

View JSON: Customize the View tab

View HTML: Codes for the chart and the reading of data

View Preview: Shows a preview of the chart

Edit JSON: Customize the configurables in the “Bipartite” tab

Edit JS: Functions needed for the configurables to work

Edit Preview: Shows the configurables included in the Edit JSON

script

Figure 12: Bipartite – CSV File

The figure above shows the sample CSV File for the Bipartite Chart in Universe.

The CSV file can be done using Notepad or Microsoft Excel. After the file is

added into the Desginer, one of the variables have to be set as Primary Key, for

easier data grouping.

In this case, Channel is the Primary Key. The data will be grouped according to

the Channels; Lite, Small, Medium, Plus, Grand.

14

Figure 13: Bipartite – Data Tab

On the Data tab, there are two clickable radio buttons; Universe and

Embedded. Embedded data is usually used to test if the chart is able to read

data, while the Universe data is the real set of data Elixir receives from the

clients.

When uploading the data, the user must select all of the columns included in

the CSV Data File; Channel, State, Sales Attempts and Sales, as shown in

Figure 13.

Figure 14: Bipartite Chart

15

Figure 15: Bipartite Chart - Selected

Lastly, the figures 14 and 15 show the final Bipartite Chart and the Bipartite

Selected Chart respectively, using the sample data from the Universe. When

the user mouse over any part of the column, it highlights the data from both

sides, which in this case is the blue coloured data.

2.2.2. Tree Map

Figure 16: Tree Map

16

Figure 17: Tree Map - Selected

Tree Map is another chart from the SCCD project. A Tree Map recursively

divides the chart into areas of rectangles, where the area of any rectangle

corresponds to its data value.

Upon selecting one of the main categories (in this case is USA), the chart

enlarges and focuses on just USA’s rectangles. Upon clicking the sub-

categories (e.g. Desktop), the chart will return back to its original chart.

Some of the Tree Map’s advantages are that it is space efficient and it is easily

distinguishable due to its variety of coloured areas.

2.2.3. Other Chart Visualizations

Apart from the Bipartite Chart and the Tree Map, the student also practised on

other chart visualisations, which can be found in the Appendices A-1, A-2 and

A-3. The following is one of the charts that has additional configurables added

by the student.

17

Figure 18: Line Basic With Scriptable Multiselect and Filter

Figure 18 shows the Line Basic Chart with a Scriptable Multi-Select and

Filter. A Scriptable is an individual component in the Dashboard, where the

JavaScript codes for the filters is pasted into the Scriptable Data.

Both the Scriptable Multi-Select and Filter can then be linked to the Line

Basic Chart, which filters the data according to the Cities and Cities’

Temperatures respectively. When the values for the filters are altered, it will

communicate with the chart to display the required data.

2.3. User Acceptance Test

The student participated in the User Acceptance Testing (User Testing) for the

Citizens and Permanent Residents Integration System (CAPRIS). Elixir Technology

and ST Electronics worked closely for CAPRIS. It is a project for the People’s

Association, which categorizes the citizens according to Divisions such as Bedok,

Hougang, and Punggol etc.

18

The student was given an account (e.g. Hougang) and a checklist which consists of

steps needed to evaluate the usability of the system. This allows the student to try out

the role of a Quality Assurance.

2.4. IBM Bluemix

IBM Bluemix is a Cloud Application Development platform for building, running and

managing applications and services. Cloud foundry is a component of their open

cloud architecture.

Twilio is a cloud communications company, where it allows the user to update its

cloud contents from the Bluemix Android or iOS Application. The Android Studio’s

phone emulator is also used to test whether the application can work on any Android

devices.

2.4.1. Bluelist Twilio Android

Figure 19: Bluemix Android Application Figure 20: Text Notifications from Twilio

19

The Bluelist Twilio Android Application is a simple Grocery List, where the

user can add items to the list and get notifications after each update.

From Figures 19 and 20, when the user updates the application, the data is

then pushed and updated to the Cloud Foundry. Upon doing so, Twilio will

send out text notifications to the user’s mobile phone on the new updates to

the list.

2.5. TechCQ Accuracy Test

During the last week of the IO, the student participated in doing the TechCQ

Accuracy Test, to evaluate whether the actual waiting time for a taxi corresponds with

the data from the TechCQ System.

Figure 21: TechCQ Web Version

TechCQ is a project by a consortium consisting of RFNet Technologies Pte Ltd,

Panasonic and Elixir Technology. TechCQ is an online Taxi Monitoring Service

which is still under development. The accuracy test is done at three taxi stands in

Jurong East; Westgate, JCube and IMM.

20

Figure 22: TechCQ Collated Data

Figure 22 shows the data collected from 1pm to 3pm at Westgate Taxi Stand on a

particular day. Manual count is the total number of people in the queue at a particular

point of time (e.g. 1:06PM). Columns ‘Time Joint Queue’ and ‘Time Board Taxi’ are

the time taken for the first passenger that arrives within the three minute time frame.

The two TechCQ data columns will be later filled in with the data predicted by the

TechCQ System.

3. Conclusion

Elixir has given the student opportunities to try out different roles in the company, such as

a Trainer’s Assistant, Technical Specialist, Quality Assurance, and System Accuracy

Assurance.

Advanced Animated Chart Representation has been a new and challenging experience for

the student, who have thought that this does not require much effort and thinking. This

allowed the student to have a clearer understanding to how these charts are created by

applying the programming knowledge gained during the previous years in NTU.

21

The student felt that it would have been more enriching if she was able to participate in

more projects or projects with different scopes so as to be exposed more to Business

Intelligence/Analytics. However, the student is grateful for the knowledge imparted by

her colleagues throughout this period.

In conclusion, the student feels that this IO has been a wonderful experience filled with

invaluable lessons learned.

22

4. Appendices

Appendix A-1

23

Appendix A-2

24

Appendix A-3

25

5. References

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lullzS740wI/maxresdefault.jpg

http://bost.ocks.org/mike/uberdata/

http://bl.ocks.org/mbostock/3883245