Desain Layanan E-Surat untuk Desa Waru Barat, Pamekasan, Madura menggunakan QR-Code

<p class="Abstrak">Pelayanan dokumen resmi melalui media internet atau e-surat mulai diadopsi pemerintah karena lebih sederhana, cepat, murah dan aman. Penerapan e-surat ini akan sangat berguna terutama bagi Desa Waru Barat, Kabupaten Pamekasan, Madura yang sebagian warganya berdomisili di luar kota atau bahkan di luar negeri. Para warga desa ini seringkali membutuhkan pelayanan surat untuk berbagai keperluan administrasi tanpa terkendala perbedaan waktu dan jarak. Sementara itu, Pemerintah Desa juga ingin meningkatkan pelayanan surat menyurat kepada warganya secara efisien namun tetap menjaga keamanan dan keabsahan dokumen. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini bertujuan merancang dan membangun aplikasi e-surat untuk Desa Waru Barat dengan menggunakan QR Code. Hasil evaluasi fungsionalitas menunjukkan bahawa aplikasi berhasil membuat dokumen surat dengan QR Code yang unik untuk menjaga keamanan dan keabsahan setiap surat. Sementara itu hasil user acceptance testing dengan melibatkan perangkat desa dan warga masyarakat sebagai pengguna utama menunjukkan tingkat dayaguna dan penerimaan sangat tinggi masing-masing 97,2% dan 95,6%. Dari hasil di atas, dapat disimpulkan bahwa penerapan aplikasi e-surat ini terbukti sangat berguna bagi pemerintah dan warga desa terutama yang berdomisili di luar desa. Berdasarkan hasil evaluasi flowmap menunjukan bahwa implementasi e-surat terbukti dapat membuat proses administrasi surat menyurat lebih sederhana, cepat, menghilangkan kendala jarak dan menghemat sumber daya (biaya, waktu dan utilitas) dibandingkan dengan proses sebelum adanya aplikasi ini. Selain implikasi praktis di atas, kontribusi penelitian ini khsusnya dalam bidang TI, yang dapat diadopsi penelitian masa depan, adalah arsitektur sistem dan aplikasi e-Surat dengan algoritma yang mampu membangkitkan QR Code yang unik untuk menjaga keamanan dan keabsahan dokumen.</p><p class="Abstrak"><strong><em><br /></em></strong></p><p class="Abstrak"><strong><em>Abstract</em></strong></p><p class="Judul2"><em>The process of providing certificates using internet to the citizens, known as e-certificate has increased. This is because e-certificate offers streamlined and faster process yet secure. Therefore, e-certificate seems to be useful especially for Waru Barat Village authority, Pamekasan District, Madura, whose people mostly work outside or even overseas. Eventually, they often need to obtain certificates from the authority for various purposes. On the other hand, the authority is keen to speeding up the delivery of the document but still pay attention to the validity and security. Therefore, this research attempted to design and develop e-certificate for Waru Barat Village using QR Code. The functionality testing showed the application successfully generated e-certificate along with the unique QR Code to secure and maintain the validity of the document. The user acceptance testing involving village staffs and people as the primary users indicated the overall score are 97.2% and 95.6% respectively. This implies that the application proofed to be useful and usable according to the staffs and especially to those who live outside the village. Another flow-map evaluation also showed that the implementation of e-certificate was able to make the administrative process more streamlined, faster, remove geographical barrier, save the resources (cost, time and utility). Despite these practical implication, the contribution of this research, especially to the IT discipline which could be adopted in the future study, is the system architecture and e-certificate application along with the algorithm for generating unique QR Code to ensure the security and validity of the document. </em></p><p class="Abstrak"><strong><em><br /></em></strong></p><p class="Abstrak"><strong><em><br /></em></strong></p>

Cooking app engages kids as well as moms: Inviting secondary users into health outreach

Objective: Health apps for smartphones have largely overlooked one means of expanding effectiveness: namely, inviting access by secondary app users who can contribute positively to primary users’ lives. We report on outcomes from field testing a cooking app where dissemination included both mothers who were household cooks (primary users) and their children (secondary users). Setting and Method: The app, VeggieBook, aimed to increase the use of vegetables in meals and snacks by household cooks. Clients at 15 community pantries were randomly assigned to receive or not receive the app. The same vegetables were supplied to all participants. In each family in the experimental group, the mothers and a 9- to 14-year-old child were each given their own portal into the app. Interviews before, during and after the project and electronic capture of app use measured key variables. The app’s impact on children was gauged by whether or not they became involved in helping prepare family dinners. Results: Availability of VeggieBook increased children’s collaboration with their mothers, even though the app contained scant content urging this. Collaboration occurred most often in families where electronic media (television, phones, earbud devices) did not intrude on socialising during meals, and there were opportunities to acknowledge children’s kitchen contributions. Conclusion: Implications are identified for the creation of other health apps intended for disease prevention and management. Secondary users (spouses, home caregivers, children and friends) could also be targeted to use apps meant for primary users (people at-risk for illness or patients), thereby building collective action towards improving health.

Capacity optimization for radio resource allocation in cognitive networks

With the rapid development of wireless services and applications, the currently radio spectrum is becoming more crowded. How to accommodate more wireless services and applications within the limited radio spectrum becomes a big challenge faced by modern society. Cognitive radio (CR) is proposed as a promising technology to tackle this challenge by introducing secondary users (SUs) to opportunistically or concurrently access the spectrum allocated to primary users (PUs). Currently, there are two prevalent CR models: the spectrum sharing model and the opportunistic spectrum access model. In the spectrum sharing model, the SUs are allowed to coexist with the PUs as long as the interferences from SUs do not degrade the quality of service (QoS) of PUs to an unacceptable level. In the opportunistic spectrum access model, SUs are allowed to access the spectrum only if the PUs are detected to be inactive. These two models known as underlay and overlay schemes, respectively. This thesis studies a number of topics in CR networks under the framework of these two schemes. First, studied cognitive radio transmissions under QoS delay constraints. Initially, we focused on the concept: effective capacity for cognitive radio channels in order to identify the performance in the presence of QoS constraints. Both underlay and overlay schemes are studied taking into consideration the activity of primary users, and assuming the general case of channel fading as Gamma distribution. For this setting, we further proposed a selection criterion by which the cognitive radio network can choose the adequate mode of operation. Then, we studied the cognitive radio transmissions focusing on Rayleigh fading channel and assumed that no prior channel knowledge is available at the transmitter and the receiver. We investigated the performance of pilot-assisted transmission strategies. In particular, we analyzed the channel estimation using minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) estimation, and analyzed efficient resource allocation strategies. In both cases, power allocations and effective capacity optimization were obtained. Effective capacity and interference constraint were analyzed in both single-band and multi-band spectrum sensing settings. Finally, we studied optimal access probabilities for cognitive radio network using Markov model to achieve maximum throughput for both CR schemes.

Capacity optimization for radio resource allocation in cognitive networks

With the rapid development of wireless services and applications, the currently radio spectrum is becoming more crowded. How to accommodate more wireless services and applications within the limited radio spectrum becomes a big challenge faced by modern society. Cognitive radio (CR) is proposed as a promising technology to tackle this challenge by introducing secondary users (SUs) to opportunistically or concurrently access the spectrum allocated to primary users (PUs). Currently, there are two prevalent CR models: the spectrum sharing model and the opportunistic spectrum access model. In the spectrum sharing model, the SUs are allowed to coexist with the PUs as long as the interferences from SUs do not degrade the quality of service (QoS) of PUs to an unacceptable level. In the opportunistic spectrum access model, SUs are allowed to access the spectrum only if the PUs are detected to be inactive. These two models known as underlay and overlay schemes, respectively. This thesis studies a number of topics in CR networks under the framework of these two schemes. First, studied cognitive radio transmissions under QoS delay constraints. Initially, we focused on the concept: effective capacity for cognitive radio channels in order to identify the performance in the presence of QoS constraints. Both underlay and overlay schemes are studied taking into consideration the activity of primary users, and assuming the general case of channel fading as Gamma distribution. For this setting, we further proposed a selection criterion by which the cognitive radio network can choose the adequate mode of operation. Then, we studied the cognitive radio transmissions focusing on Rayleigh fading channel and assumed that no prior channel knowledge is available at the transmitter and the receiver. We investigated the performance of pilot-assisted transmission strategies. In particular, we analyzed the channel estimation using minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) estimation, and analyzed efficient resource allocation strategies. In both cases, power allocations and effective capacity optimization were obtained. Effective capacity and interference constraint were analyzed in both single-band and multi-band spectrum sensing settings. Finally, we studied optimal access probabilities for cognitive radio network using Markov model to achieve maximum throughput for both CR schemes.

Among four traveller types in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Region, who uses ride-hailing?

Despite the rising popularity of ride-hailing, planning practitioners are still learning about the use and management of the service. This paper seeks to uncover who the primary users of ride-hailing are through a cluster analysis using traveller behaviour and mobility tool variables, where four traveller types are identified -- Multi-Modal Super-Sharers, Auto + Private Mobility Travellers, Car-Dependent Travellers, and Low Mobility Travellers. This paper finds that current auto-oriented travellers are not using ride-hailing, as demonstrated by Mobility Travellers and Car-Dependent Travellers. Additionally, ride-hailing is primarily used by non-auto-oriented travellers. The largest proportion of regular ride-hailing users, Multi-Modals Super-Sharers, are the youngest, are more educated, have access to the largest variety of mobility tools, and travel the most. For Low Mobility Travellers, the most vulnerable group based on household income, educational attainment, employment status, and car ownership, ride-hailing is filling a transportation gap. Understanding who uses ride-hailing is a key component in understanding the potential changes in travel behaviour.

Among four traveller types in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Region, who uses ride-hailing?

Despite the rising popularity of ride-hailing, planning practitioners are still learning about the use and management of the service. This paper seeks to uncover who the primary users of ride-hailing are through a cluster analysis using traveller behaviour and mobility tool variables, where four traveller types are identified -- Multi-Modal Super-Sharers, Auto + Private Mobility Travellers, Car-Dependent Travellers, and Low Mobility Travellers. This paper finds that current auto-oriented travellers are not using ride-hailing, as demonstrated by Mobility Travellers and Car-Dependent Travellers. Additionally, ride-hailing is primarily used by non-auto-oriented travellers. The largest proportion of regular ride-hailing users, Multi-Modals Super-Sharers, are the youngest, are more educated, have access to the largest variety of mobility tools, and travel the most. For Low Mobility Travellers, the most vulnerable group based on household income, educational attainment, employment status, and car ownership, ride-hailing is filling a transportation gap. Understanding who uses ride-hailing is a key component in understanding the potential changes in travel behaviour.

Throughput Analysis of Opportunistic Channel Access Techniques in Cognitive Radio Systems

In recent studies it was found out that previously allocated frequency spectrum is not fully utilized in all the wireless systems. Cognitive radio is the new concept to access this underutilized spectrum and, also a promising technology to cope with the ever increasing bandwidth demand for next generation wireless networks. Cognitive radio network can be classified into three different categories: interweave, underlay and overlay. In an interweave cognitive radio system, the unoccupied spectrum holes can be shared by cognitive users with minimal collision with primary users (spectrum owners) whereas in an underlay system, concurrent transmission is allowed with an interference threshold to the primary users. In an underlay system, cognitive users generally transmit at very low power. In an overlay system, cognitive users, similar to underlay cognitive radio systems, concurrently transmit with primary users but cognitive users may know the codewords of the primary transmitter. Hence, using that knowledge, cognitive transmitter may adopt different coding techniques to cancel/mitigate the interference at the primary receiver and/or it may assist the primary system by relaying primary user’s data. In this thesis, we improve the throughput/bit error rate performance of a cognitive radio system by effectively accessing the channels. Throughout the thesis we assume that cognitive user can sense only one channel at a time and we analyze the performance with perfect and imperfect sensing. First, we propose a novel opportunistic access scheme for cognitive radios in an interweave cognitive system, that considers the channel gain as well as the predicted idle channel probability (primary user occupancy: busy/idle). In contrast to previous work where a cognitive user vacates a channel only when that channel becomes busy, the proposed scheme requires the cognitive user to switch to the channel with the next highest idle probability if the current channel’s gain is below a certain threshold. We derive the threshold values that maximize the long term throughput for various primary user transition probabilities and cognitive user’s relative movement (Doppler spread). Then, we propose a three state Markov model to analyze the performance of a hybrid interweave-underlay system where the primary user’s occupancy states are hidden, but their activity statistics, ranges of transmission, and interference thresholds are known. The primary user is assumed to be in one of the three transmission modes as seen by the cognitive user: busy, concurrent and idle. We derive the transmission mode selection criteria (interweave/underlay) to improve the long term throughput of a cognitive user based on the primary user traffic characteristics and the achievable throughput ratio between the two modes of operation. Later, we incorporate the sensing error in our analysis where we study the optimal access strategy. Since the optimal policy requires the channel to be sensed in each time-slot, we propose and analyze a forward algorithm based cross-layer frame based sensing policy. Finally, we focus on the overlay cognitive radio system where cognitive relay nodes assist the primary transmission. As an initial study, we select a two-hop decode-and-forward orthogonal frequency and code division multiplexing based relay network. For this system, we propose adaptive channel allocation and, power allocation strategies and the bit error rate performance is numerically evaluated. This preliminary analysis can be extended to overlay cognitive systems.

Throughput Analysis of Opportunistic Channel Access Techniques in Cognitive Radio Systems

In recent studies it was found out that previously allocated frequency spectrum is not fully utilized in all the wireless systems. Cognitive radio is the new concept to access this underutilized spectrum and, also a promising technology to cope with the ever increasing bandwidth demand for next generation wireless networks. Cognitive radio network can be classified into three different categories: interweave, underlay and overlay. In an interweave cognitive radio system, the unoccupied spectrum holes can be shared by cognitive users with minimal collision with primary users (spectrum owners) whereas in an underlay system, concurrent transmission is allowed with an interference threshold to the primary users. In an underlay system, cognitive users generally transmit at very low power. In an overlay system, cognitive users, similar to underlay cognitive radio systems, concurrently transmit with primary users but cognitive users may know the codewords of the primary transmitter. Hence, using that knowledge, cognitive transmitter may adopt different coding techniques to cancel/mitigate the interference at the primary receiver and/or it may assist the primary system by relaying primary user’s data. In this thesis, we improve the throughput/bit error rate performance of a cognitive radio system by effectively accessing the channels. Throughout the thesis we assume that cognitive user can sense only one channel at a time and we analyze the performance with perfect and imperfect sensing. First, we propose a novel opportunistic access scheme for cognitive radios in an interweave cognitive system, that considers the channel gain as well as the predicted idle channel probability (primary user occupancy: busy/idle). In contrast to previous work where a cognitive user vacates a channel only when that channel becomes busy, the proposed scheme requires the cognitive user to switch to the channel with the next highest idle probability if the current channel’s gain is below a certain threshold. We derive the threshold values that maximize the long term throughput for various primary user transition probabilities and cognitive user’s relative movement (Doppler spread). Then, we propose a three state Markov model to analyze the performance of a hybrid interweave-underlay system where the primary user’s occupancy states are hidden, but their activity statistics, ranges of transmission, and interference thresholds are known. The primary user is assumed to be in one of the three transmission modes as seen by the cognitive user: busy, concurrent and idle. We derive the transmission mode selection criteria (interweave/underlay) to improve the long term throughput of a cognitive user based on the primary user traffic characteristics and the achievable throughput ratio between the two modes of operation. Later, we incorporate the sensing error in our analysis where we study the optimal access strategy. Since the optimal policy requires the channel to be sensed in each time-slot, we propose and analyze a forward algorithm based cross-layer frame based sensing policy. Finally, we focus on the overlay cognitive radio system where cognitive relay nodes assist the primary transmission. As an initial study, we select a two-hop decode-and-forward orthogonal frequency and code division multiplexing based relay network. For this system, we propose adaptive channel allocation and, power allocation strategies and the bit error rate performance is numerically evaluated. This preliminary analysis can be extended to overlay cognitive systems.

A Tale of Two Systems: Success and Failure in a Single Information System Implementation

This paper presents a case study of an information system implementation. The system, a computerized student record system, was introduced into a small university when the university opened. Unlike many other case studies of systems implementation, there was no existing system to replace, thus it was expected that there would be little resistance to the system. Successful implementation was anticipated, particularly as the systems designers were also the primary users. An evaluation of the system shows this was not the case. Two groups of users are identified, one pleased with the system, the other dissatisfied. The secondary users did not display their dissatisfaction with the system by resistance, however. They used the system frequently, but were denied the full access they required to do their jobs. Ostensibly due to technical limitations of the system, the primary users acted as gatekeepers. An examination of the culture and management structure of the university reveals strong political motivations for the primary users to exert power over the secondary users. Markus’s (1983) interpretation of interaction theory is used to discuss the political implications of the system design. It is concluded that senior management must be aware of the importance of information systems to their organizations, and understand the potential for designers to use these systems as sources of power. The case study is reconstructed from the author’s experiences as a staff member at the university during the system implementation, initially as a primary user of the system (but not an active member of the system design team), and later as a secondary user. The case is evaluated from the perspective of both user groups, using a framework derived from the literature on information systems failure and successful systems implementation.

Cognitive Spectrum Sensing with Multiple Primary Users in Rayleigh Fading Channels

Accurate detection of white spaces is crucial in cognitive radio networks. Initial investigations show that the accurate detection in a multiple primary users environment is challenging, especially under severe multipath conditions. Among many techniques, recently proposed eigenvalue-based detectors that use random matrix theories to eliminate the need of prior knowledge of the signals proved to be a solid approach. In this work, we study the effect of Rayleigh multipath fading channels on spectrum sensing in a multiple primary user environment for a pre-proposed detector called the spherical detector using the eigenvalue approach. Simulation results show interesting outcomes.