Software Engineering Commons^™

Embed[D]Ed Zerotree Codec, Karma Wangdi

Theses : Honours

This thesis discusses the findings of the final year project involving the VHDL (V= Very High Speed Integrated Circuit, Hardware Description Language) design and simulation of an EZT (Embedded Zero Tree) codec. The basis of image compression and the various image compression techniques that are available today have been explored. This provided a clear understanding of image compression as a whole. An in depth understanding of wavelet transform theory was vital to the understanding of the edge that this transform provides over other transforms for image compression. Both the mathematics of it and how it is implemented using sets of …

Parametric Software Project Estimating: An Analysis Of Current Practice, Stuart Hope

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As society and the world economy moves into the second millennium. the service industries involving knowledge workers will continue to increase. Software is the enabling technology that is driving the knowledge industry. As the development of software is mostly a design process, where new artefacts are conceived and built, the prediction of outcomes in the process is fraught with difficulties. Software project estimating is one of the essential Software Engineering techniques that will enable the rationalisation of decision-making regarding software development. Estimates that are more accurate will increase the probability of success and lower the risk. This thesis analyses the …

Pathfinding In Vrml, Jason Richard Pearce

Theses : Honours

Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) is a scene description language which describes three dimensional (3D) space to a computer. Thus the three axis of space that is inherent in our dimension X Y and Z is represented inside a computer. To many people VRML represents a new beginning for the World Wide Web (WWW) because it behaves more like the real world. VRML is experimental, interactive, continuous and of course, three dimensional. Algorithms in computing have been designed for 2D problem solving and this does not necessarily translate to problem solving on a 3D level. The aim of this project …

Good Software Development Processes Lead To Harmonious Project Teams Which In Turn Lead To Effective Project Performance, Rweyunga Kazaura

Theses : Honours

The modem world relies on computers in almost every facet of life. With the explosion of Information Technology, software development has become an important process. However, from the beginning, this process has suffered and continues to suffer from a number of problems. If these problems are not rectified, they can jeopardise projects and lead to project failure. Project failure results in a project being delivered: • without satisfying the functional and non-functional requirements requested by the user or customer • beyond the agreed schedule and/or • over budget. Research indicates that practising good software development processes (SDPs) can override these …

Software Flexibility In A Web Environment, Michael Layng

Theses : Honours

Flexible software systems are designed to be able to adapt to changes in their environment without the need for programmer intervention. This allows companies and institutions to avoid the cost of hiring a programmer every time a business rule changes or a data structure is modified. The techniques of designing and implementing flexible 3GL software systems have been proven as a means of reducing the high cost of software maintenance caused by the changing of systems requirements. Such systems have been in operation in the European finance sector since the early 1980's. Edith Cowan University is participating in current research …

Webassess, Justin Anthony Brown

Theses : Honours

This project and research has resulted in the development of a World Wide Web (WWW) based testing system. WEBassess can be accessed and used from any point in the world that has a connection to the WWW. The WEBassess system allows for the creation and completion of tests through the WWW interface. Scoring and feedback of submitted tests is completely automated, allowing students to see their test result immediately, including visual indicators for correct and incorrect answers. These test results may then be viewed by academic staff, showing complete test details, such as unit code, test title, score, percentage, date …

The Toysim Project, Anthony Rodriguez

Theses : Honours

No abstract provided.

Does Good Project Management Ensure Successful Software Development?, Julie Lisa Eldridge

Theses : Honours

For many years the development of computer software has been plagued by poor customer satisfaction caused by missed schedules, underestimated budgets and the development of products which do not meet requirements. The ever increasing reliance on computers, as reported by Sommerville ''the result of the proliferation of computer systems into all aspects of life and business is that personal, corporate, national and international economies are [becoming] increasingly dependant on computers and software systems" ( 1992, p.2), calls for more stable software which can be developed within time and budget constraints. To achieve this, software development activities must be analysed and …

Towards A Model For Software Project Estimating, Stuart Hope

Theses : Honours

The use and development of software is an integral and critical part of modern industrial society. The outcomes of many software development and maintenance projects have been less than satisfactory with significant numbers being over schedule, lacking in functionality and over budget. These problems are the result of poor management of both the process and the product. One of the major problems to overcome in the management of software development projects is the ability to predict the outcomes early in the project when there are a large number of unknowns. The ability to reliably predict the outcomes in a repeatable …

The Design And Implementation Of A Toolkit For The Creation Of Virtual Environments, Jesse Kinross-Smith

Theses : Honours

Virtual Reality is a field that is steadily increasing in popularity and interest. New developments in both hardware and software have empowered developers with new devices allowing faster and better quality interaction with virtual environments. However, the emphasis of research in virtual environments has been more concerned with development of new display and input devices, as opposed to the investigation of different methods of interaction that a three-dimensional environment offers. This project designs and implements a three-dimensional, interactive, virtual environment development system upon an existing three-dimensional rendering engine. The aim of the project is to allow users to generate virtual …

An Investigation Into An Effective Method Of Automatically Analysing Oracle Applications To Count Function Points, J. L. Wong

Theses : Honours

Function Point Analysis (FPA) is a synthetic software estimation metric used for computing the size and complexity of applications. It was first introduced by Allan. J. Albrecht during the mid-seventies, as a result of a lengthy research based on applications that were developed using COBOL and PL/1 programming languages. The purpose of this research· is to investigate the possibility, and the most effective method, of automatically performing a Function Point Analysis on Oracle applications that consist of Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports. The research revealed a seemingly lack of other researches on this topic. As FPA was invented a few …

A Proposal For A Development Platform For Microcontroller-Based Devices, Michael L. Wetton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis is concerned with designing, implementing and testing a miniaturised temperature data logging device. Investigations demonstrated that a microcontroller could provide a low-cost single-chip solution to this problem and after a detailed review of 8-bit microcontrollers, the MC68HCll was chosen for this task. This document also includes discussion on an environment that was developed for creating and testing MC68HC11 software and the use of Motorola's evaluation boards. To ensure that the device was designed to software engineering standards an investigation into software engineering analysis techniques took place. This resulted in the Jackson Structured Programming (JSP) methodology being adapted to …

Software Metrics For Monitoring Software Engineering Projects, Edwin C. Lim

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As part of the undergraduate course offered by Edith Cowan University, the Department of Computer Science has (as part of a year's study) a software engineering group project. The structure of this project was divided into two units, Software Engineering l and Software Engineering 2. ln Software Engineering 1, students were given the group project where they had to complete and submit the Functional Requirement and Detail System Design documentation. In Software Engineering 2, students commenced with the implementation of the software, testing and documentation. The software was then submitted for assessment and presented to the client. To aid the …

An Investigation Of Methodologies For Software Development Prototyping, Susan M. Jones

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The computer industry has a poor record of system development using the traditional life-cycle approach. The main cause of user dissatisfaction is the unacceptably large amount of time between specification and delivery of a system. In addition, users have limited opportunity to influence how the system will look when implemented once development has commenced. With the advent of 4GLs, system development using a prototyping approach has become a viable option. This has reduced the development tlme significantly and, together with the use of prototyping, has allowed users to become more involved in the development process. However, this change in the …

The A.D.E. Taxonomy Of Spreadsheet Application Development, Maria Jean Hall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Spreadsheets are a major application in end-user computing, one of the fastest growing areas of computing. Studies have shown that 30% of spreadsheet applications contain errors. As major decisions are often made with the assistance of spreadsheets, the control of spreadsheet applications is a matter of concern to enduser developers, managers, EDP auditors and computer professionals.

The application of appropriate controls to the spreadsheet development process requires prior categorisation of the spreadsheet application. The special-purpose A.D.E. (Application, Development, Environment) taxonomy of spreadsheet application development was evolved by mathematical taxonomic methods to categorise spreadsheet development projects to facilitate their management and …

A Study Of The Methodologies Currently Available For The Maintenance Of The Knowledge-Base In An Expert System, Kai Teh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research studies currently available maintenance methodologies for expert system knowledge bases and taxonomically classifies them according to the functions they perform. The classification falls into two broad categories. These are: (1) Methodologies for building a more maintainable expert system knowledge base. This section covers techniques applicable to the development phases. Software engineering approaches as well as other approaches are discussed. (2) Methodologies for maintaining an existing knowledge base. This section is concerned with the continued maintenance of an existing knowledge base. It is divided into three subsections. The first subsection discusses tools and techniques which aid the understanding of …

Application Of Expert System Techniques For Award Implementation, Seng-Choon Yeoh

Theses : Honours

This paper describes a pilot expert system project, PESWEA, developed in conjunction with The Western Australian Government Railways Commission (Westrail), to locate and implement an expert system pilot solution to the problems and complexities of the awards. The paper will outline the process used to develop and implement a solution to a business requirement. In particular, the methodologies for the project, shell selection, and knowledge acquisition will be presented and discussed. The fundamentals of expert systems will be discussed to provide the reader an insight into the technology. In addition, this paper reviews the literature relevant to the research questions. …

The Development Of An Expert System For The Diagnosis Of Diseases In Fibre And Dairy Goats, Tim S. Roberts

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis details the development of an expert system for the diagnosis of diseases in fibre and dairy goats. Divided into five sections, five appendices, and a bibliography, this thesis centres on the methods used to build the expert system: the decisions taken at the outset of, and during the course of, development; some of the problems encountered, and the solutions to those problems. A detailed appraisal is made of the development process and suggestions are made for future developments over similar domains (for example, the diagnosis of diseases in animals other than goats). Much emphasis is placed on three …