Mobile Computing in the Developing World

Nagapattinam is one of the main places for the catching and export of fish in Tamil Nadu State, in the south of India. In the local markets, fisherwomen buy fish, which are then sold in the streets as well as door-to-door. These “street selling fisherwomen” face various difficulties, including means of transport, carrying heavy fish baskets, and challenges in fish selling during sickness. To overcome these problems, a project was set up with support from the Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology to develop a mobile app with native (Tamil) language to simplify the different processes involved in fish selling. Special features, like adding fish detail using images, voice-based searches on market conditions, and location tracking for the delivery of fish, are helping the fisherwomen to reduce the complexity of the selling process. This chapter provides detail on this project, examines the benefits, and discusses the difficulties encountered in the adoption of the mobile app, which is enabling fisherwomen to boost their revenues and improve their quality of life.

Personal Emergency Alert Device Containing Real-Time Location

Purpose–The purpose of this study is to develop a Personal Emergency Alert Device Containing Real-time Location which can be used by anyone particularly women and children who need help especially in times of emergency. Method–Arduino Nano, Global Positioning System, and Global System for Mobile Communication were utilized as the main components of the device, which was evaluated in the aspect of appearance through its size, weight, product design, casing, and functionality through its accuracy in displaying information, text messaging capabilities, and location tracking. In order to optimize the product’s specifications, it underwent assessment and evaluation by experts in the field. The study used product development design. There were twenty (20) respondents in total, comprising of five (5) Electronics Engineer and fifteen (15) Electronics Engineering students who were selected using purposive sampling techniques. The responses were gathered from the students by handing out questionnaires, which were eventually tallied, tabulated, processed and treated using statistical treatment.Results–The structure of the device is excellent. The product also passed the evaluation of the expert respondents in terms of functionality since it is excellent in accessing the information, delivering the right information, and finding exact locations. The device is thus functional as it serves its purpose.Conclusion–The structure of the device is excellent. The product also passed the evaluation of the expert respondents in terms of functionality since it is excellent in accessing the information, delivering the right information, and finding exact locations. The device is thus functional as it serves its purpose.Recommendations–It is recommended that the product developers should reduce the device size. They should also ensure that the casing and design are attractive to make the device noticeable. Moreover, to further improve the functionality of the device, product developers should track the exactlocation instead of coordinates. They should also consider which cellular network works best for different places. Lastly, to augment the results and findings of this study, further research undertakings on this topic should be conducted.Research Implications–The users of this product can help summon assistance in case of emergency. Practical Implications–Anyone who is experiencing emergency cases will just press the button for them to be tracked and be saved.

IoT-Based Tracking System of Transceiver Location

Object mapping based on location tracking methods has been widely used in various types of applications. Most tracking systems recently use existing technology and infrastructure such as satellite, cellular and wireless (RF) technology. These existing technologies are high-cost technology that needs authorized permission to be integrated to the novel technology. This research proposed a cheap point to point device technology to track a location of a transceiver using GPS in a portable infrastructure using Line of sight radio communication. The tracking system design is connected to the IoT system in order to be more accessible. The proposed system using GPS as an identifier of the transceiver coordinate location and 433MHz radio module as media communication between transmitter and receiver. The use of a 433MHz radio frequency module which is free-license adds value to the system so that it will be easily accessed. The design of portable and internet-based devices also gives a positive value in which the system does not have to depend on existing infrastructure and the system can also be reached even if it is placed in remote areas. The system test results show that the system can be well accessed up to a distance of 6.8 km.

COVID-19 surveillance in Israeli press: Spatiality, mobility, and control

In March 2020, Israel passed emergency regulations authorizing its internal security agency to track citizens’ mobile phone geolocations in order to tackle the spread of COVID-19. This unprecedented surveillance enterprise attracted extensive media attention and sparked a vigorous public debate regarding technology and democratic values such as privacy, mobility, and control. This article examines press coverage of Israel’s surveillance of its citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic by four leading news sites to identify and map the frames that informed their reports. Based on a thematic analysis, our findings point to supportive and critical constructions of mobile phone location-tracking and organize them within two scapes: personal; and international. These attest to the collective imagining of intimacies and public life, respectively. We draw on the case study to articulate mobile phones as devices that reduce movement into manageable mapped information and individuals into controllable data. Mobile phone location-tracking during the COVID-19 pandemic is understood as turning mobility into order and control.

Enhanced location tracking in sensor fusion-assisted virtual reality micro-manipulation environments

Virtual reality (VR) technology plays a significant role in many biomedical applications. These VR scenarios increase the valuable experience of tasks requiring great accuracy with human subjects. Unfortunately, commercial VR controllers have large positioning errors in a micro-manipulation task. Here, we propose a VR-based framework along with a sensor fusion algorithm to improve the microposition tracking performance of a microsurgical tool. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of Kalman filter in a millimeter scale VR environment, by using the position data between the VR controller and an inertial measuring device. This study builds and tests two cases: (1) without sensor fusion tracking and (2) location tracking with active sensor fusion. The static and dynamic experiments demonstrate that the Kalman filter can provide greater precision during micro-manipulation in small scale VR scenarios.

Low-Phase-Noise Oscillator Using a High-QL Resonator with Split-Ring Structure and Open-Loaded T-Type Stub for a Tumor-Location-Tracking Sensor

Sensors in the medical field to detect specific tissues, such as radars, must provide accurate signals from frequency generators. In order to supply an accurate frequency signal, the oscillator must have a low phase noise. Therefore, the resonator used in the oscillator must provide a high QL. Therefore, in this paper, we have proposed a low-phase-noise X-band oscillator that used a resonator with a high value of QL as a sensor for tissue-locating applications. The resonator had a split-ring structure and consisted of an open-loaded, T-type stub with a high-QL; such high-QL levels were enabled by controlling the length of the open-circuit in the T-type stub. This led to the generation of only low-phase noise in the proposed oscillator. Experimental results showed that, at an operating frequency of 10.08 GHz, the output power was 18.66 dBm, the second harmonic suppression was −34.40 dBc, and the phase noise was −138.13 dBc/Hz at an offset of 100 kHz. This proposed oscillator can be used as a sensor to detect the location of tissues during laparoscopic surgery.