Software Engineering Commons^™

Microkarta: Visualising Microservice Architectures, Oscar Manglaras, Alex Farkas, Peter Fule, Christoph Treude, Markus Wagner

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Conceptualising and debugging a microservice architecture can be a challenge for developers due to the complex topology of inter-service communication, which may only apparent when viewing the architecture as a whole. In this paper, we present MicroKarta, a dashboard containing three types of network diagram that visualise complex microservice architectures, and that are designed to address problems faced by developers of these architectures. Initial feedback from industry developers has been positive. This dashboard can be used by developers to explore and debug microservice architectures, and can be used to compare the effectiveness of different types of network visualisation for assisting …

How Do Preservice Teachers Learn To Teach Integrated Computational Thinking?: Evidence From Planning, Enactment, And Reflection, Rachael Dektor, Samuel Severance, Kip Téllez

Journal of Computer Science Integration

This study examines pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) beliefs and understandings about computational thinking (CT) integration and lesson implementation over time. Utilizing a design-based research approach, 3 PSTs led the co-design of integrated CT lessons with support from researchers and enacted these CT integrated lessons with K-5 students. All PSTs participated in a whole-group CT workshop and engaged in one-on-one lesson design sessions with a researcher. We utilized a grounded theory approach to qualitatively analyze pre-surveys, semi-structured interviews, and video data of three PSTs enacting their lessons. We found that PSTs’ initial beliefs about CT instruction – including the importance of it …

Henna Chatbot Capstone Review, Kobe Norcross

University Honors Theses

This thesis reviews the development of the Henna Chatbot, an AI-powered DEI consultant designed to provide personalized feedback to organizations. Sponsored by DEI consultant Arsh Haque, the project aims to address gaps in current DEI software, which often lacks team-specific feedback. The Henna Chatbot leverages GPT-3.5 Turbo to create an affordable SaaS platform where organizations can train Henna with their DEI values, and Henna will help organizations stay aligned with those values. The project spanned twenty weeks and was completed by a team of eight computer science students at Portland State University. The development process followed Agile methodologies, emphasizing effective …

Trust, Transparency, And Transport: The Impact Of Privacy Protection On The Acceptance Of Last-Mile Drone Delivery, Jurgen Heinz Famula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A common set of problems commercial delivery companies face is finding ways to increase the efficiency and reliability of the “last mile” of a package’s journey, all while reducing operating costs. This need for efficiency has driven many companies to explore using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, to get packages to their final destination. Although UAVs have great potential to help increase efficiency in commercial package delivery, this comes at a potential cost to the privacy of people who intersect the flight paths of these unmanned vehicles. This thesis explores the effect of a mobile phone application for commercial …

Evaluating The Effect Of Domain-Specific Large Language Models On Question And Response, Phillip D. Crippen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Large Language Models have emerged to great fanfare in the Information Technology market. Business and Information Technology leaders are currently exploring ways to apply these models to assist their organizations in executing business processes and generating innovation. Software vendors, consultants, and academics promote various approaches to making Large Language Models work effectively for business. However, little academic literature is available today that quantifies the degree of improvement possible with these domain-specific approaches over the standard capabilities of generalized Large Language Models.

The study seeks to quantify the benefits of one approach, Retrieval Augmented Generation. The study uses a collection of …

The Institutional Challenges Of A Quantified Self Study: An Attempt To Ascertain How Data Collected From A Mobile Device Can Be An Indicator Of Personal Mental Health Over Time, Julian Lazaras

University Honors Theses

The adoption of an application of new technology always comes with a bias, this is never more true for the case of human behavioral analytics within higher education. While movements such as the quantified self movement make strides to reinterpret the realm of data analytics, psychology, and computer science, there are inevitably limitations to the adoption and application of such approaches within the standard realm of research. Herein is presented a case where an effort to evaluate the prospect of use of mobile phone data as secondary indicators of personal mental health through the lens of data analysis was put …

Cards With Class: Formalizing A Simplified Collectible Card Game, Dan Ha

University Honors Theses

Collectible card games (CCGs) have been a wildly popular game genre since the release of Wizards of the Coast's Magic: The Gathering. These games revolve around their thousands of cards and the hundreds of thousands of interactions they can create with their many effects. For designers, it is an incredibly demanding task to ensure that every single card works properly and that each card's text unambiguously conveys its intended behavior in all cases. The task only grows more difficult over time as the number of cards in the game grows and card effects become more complex or experimental. If the …

Editorial Preview, Su-Cheng Haw

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

This editorial highlights all 18 papers in the June issue that deal with the practical aspects of Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Mining (DM), the Internet of Things (IoT), Computer Vision, e-learning, and other topics in Computer Science. This issue also includes suggestions for several worthwhile works that deserve further research. With effective from our third volume first issue, we will be publishing triannually in February, June and October.

Facial Skin Analysis In Malaysians Using Yolov5: A Deep Learning Perspective, Ying Huey Gan, Shih Yin Ooi, Ying Han Pang, Yi Hong Tay, Quan Fong Yeo

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Nowadays, people are more concerned about their skin conditions and are more willing to spend money and time on facial care routines. The beauty sector market is increasing, and more skin type readers are being created to help people determine their skin type. While various skin type readers are in the market, each is invented and tested abroad. Those skin type readers in the beauty market are not applied well on Malaysian skin. Therefore, this paper proposes a facial skin analysis system tailored primarily for Malaysian skin. This paper integrated object detection and deep learning algorithms in developing skin-type readers. …

Classroom Environment Analysis Via Internet Of Things, Kai-Yuan Tan, Kok-Why Ng, Kanesaraj Ramasamy

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

In this era of rapid technological advancement, the potential of the digital age has opened up numerous possibilities for our society. However, despite these advancements, traditional classrooms still lack the necessary technology to create an optimal learning environment for students. Consequently, students may struggle to effectively acquire knowledge within classrooms. This paper aims to conduct a classroom environment analysis using Internet of Things technology to gather data and uncover valuable insights. The proposed solution involves an embedded system for controlling and monitoring the classroom environment, as well as exporting historical data for further research. By ensuring accurate data collection, this …

Real Time 3d Internal Building Directory Map, Zi Yang Chia, Pey Yun Goh

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Global Positioning System (GPS) is a famous technology around the world in identifying the real time precise location of any object with the assistance of satellites. The most common application of GPS is the use of outdoor maps. GPS offers efficient, scalable and cost-effective location services. However, this technology is not reliable when the position is in an indoor environment. The signal is very weak or totally lost due to signal attenuation and multipath effects. Among the indoor positioning technologies, WLAN is the most convenient and cost effective. In recent research, machine learning algorithms have become popular and utilized in …

Assessing The Efficiency Of Deep Learning Methods For Automated Vehicle Registration Recognition For University Entrance, Muhammad Syaqil Irsyad, Zarina Che Embi, Khairil Imran Bin Ghauth

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

With the ever-increasing number of vehicles on the road, a faster reliable security system for university entry is needed. This paper presents an approach for Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) using deep learning and PP-OCRv3. The proposed approach utilizes a pre-trained object detection model to locate license plates, extracts a single frame of the license plate, performs license plate recognition, applies pre-processing techniques, and employs PP-OCRv3 for text extraction in real time. The system was tested with Malaysian vehicle plates, and its accuracy and speed of detection were evaluated. The results show the system's potential to be easily adapted to …

Streamlining Dental Clinic Management For Effective Digitisation Productivity And Usability, Sin-Ban Ho, En-Yu Chew, Chuie-Hong Tan

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Oral health is an integral part of overall health, and poor oral hygiene can lead to a variety of health problems. Modern oral care has greatly improved our quality of life, but the increasing demand for routine dental checkups and treatments calls for improved systems for managing patient records and appointments. While technology has significantly enhanced the efficacy and experience of dental care, many dental clinics still rely on paper records to record the patient’s oral condition, but these are not easily accessible to the patients for viewing. This study aims to address the issue by developing a Dental Clinic …

Knowledge-Based Word Tokenization System For Urdu, Asif Khan, Khairullah Khan, Wahab Khan, Sadiq Nawaz Khan, Rafiul Haq

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Word tokenization, a foundational step in natural language processing (NLP), is critical for tasks like part-of-speech tagging, named entity recognition, and parsing, as well as various independent NLP applications. In our tech-driven era, the exponential growth of textual data on the World Wide Web demands sophisticated tools for effective processing. Urdu, spoken widely across the globe, is experiencing a surge in, presents unique challenges due to its distinct writing style, the absence of capitalization features, and the prevalence of compound words. This study introduces a novel knowledge-based word tokenization system tailored for Urdu. Central to this system is a maximum …

Sentiment Analysis In Social Media: A Case Study Of Hike In University School Fees In Selected Nigerian Universities, Abdulahi Olarewaju Aremu, Isah Muhammad

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Faced with escalating operational costs and government disinvestment, Nigerian public universities are implementing tuition fee increases to maintain institutional functionality. This necessary fiscal measure comes in the wake of 2022 industrial action, which exacerbated pre-existing financial strain through extended work stoppages and potentially higher costs associated with resuming activities, while leaving unaddressed the longstanding demands of academics for improved welfare and working conditions. The court-mandated resumption of academic activities without resolution of these core issues further strained university finances, leading to a significant increase in tuition fees. Using VADER, this study investigated social media sentiments related to the increase in …

A Bilingual Immersive Environment For Kids Learning, Tufail Ahmad, Arifa Bibi, Umar Farooq, Ihsan Rabbi

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Virtual Worlds (VWs) provide an improved learning experience as they have an increased level of user participation and technological involvement. They avoid content duplication and following a set of predefined rules to overcome the issues in game environments. VWs are coherent, persistent and collaborative social places that believe in realism through immersion. Client viewer software is used for user immersion in the form of avatars and in-world content creation in these environments. This work presents a simple bi-lingual environment developed for kids’ learning in English and Urdu using the well-known VW development framework called OpenSimulator (OpSim). It used Firestorm viewer …

Unveiling The Efficacy Of Ai-Based Algorithms In Phishing Attack Detection, Tajamul Shahzad, Kashif Aman

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Phishing poses a significant challenge in an ever-evolving world. The increased usage of the Internet has resulted in the emergence of a different kind of theft referred to as cybercrime. The term cybercrime describes the act of invading privacy and illegitimately obtaining personal information using digital platform. Primarily an approach named phishing is employed, which involves the use of spoof emails or bogus websites by the attackers to get the victim's personal information like their account credentials, debit, or credit card’s number, etc. To give the brief knowledge of phishing attacks and their types of the objective of this work …

Ensemble Learning-Powered Url Phishing Detection: A Performance Driven Approach, Shougfta Mushtaq, Tabassum Javed, Mazliham Mohd Su’Ud

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

With the rapid growth in the usage of the Internet, criminals have found new ways to engage in cyber-attacks. The most common and widespread attack is URL phishing. The proposed system focuses on improving phishing website detection using feature selection and ensemble learning. This model uses two datasets, DS-30 and DS-50, each with 30 and 50 features. Ensemble learning using a voting classifier was then applied to train the model, achieving more accuracy. The combination of HEFS with random forest distribution achieved 94.6% accuracy while minimizing the number of features used (20.8% of the base feature set). The classifier works …

Secure Room-Sharing Decentralized App Development On Ethereum Block Chain Using Smart Contracts, Hasnain Raza, Reqad Ali, Jawaid Iqbal, Muhammad Awais

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

The purpose of this research is to analyze whether Blockchain technology can affect the share-economy. Apart from that, blockchain technology has been innovating the whole of the industries and so the academics are discovering the possibilities and starting to incorporate them in order to provide additional tech possibilities. The sharing economic system is the system which enables to share asset among the one person to the other person. It has seen the remarkable growth in the last few years, Uber, Careem, Airbnb, Zostel, Hostel World are some companies to mention which have fueled this growth. Yet, the majority of the …

Temporal Climatic Shifts In Henan Province: A 16-Decades Perspective Through Regression, Sarima, And Nar Modeling, Lin Qing, Ang Ling Weay, Shao Yiyang, Sellappan Palaniappan

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Global warming is having a significant impact on all aspects of human production and life. This study employs a cross-sectional analysis to investigate the temporal dynamics of average temperature changes in Henan Province, China, from 1851 to 2012. Utilizing the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature Data and the Daily Meteorological Dataset of China National Surface Weather Station v3.0, we applied regression analysis, Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA), and Nonlinear Autoregressive Network (NAR) models to predict temperature trends. Results indicate a significant warming trend over the 160-year period, with the models demonstrating strong predictive performance, albeit with some variability. The study …

Social Messaging Application With Translation And Speech-To-Text Transformation, Kang Qin Yip, Pey Yun Goh, Lee Ying Chong

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Unlike traditional SMS or MMS, messaging apps offer a broader range of data transmission capabilities. The application utilizes a WIFI or internet connection and enables users to exchange information through various means such as text, voice, and multimedia files. However, popular messaging applications such as WeChat, Telegram, and WhatsApp have limitations in language translation and file uploading size. Thus, this project aims to address these limitations by developing a social messaging application that serves as a comprehensive communication tool. The application will facilitate both written and verbal communication by providing translation services for various languages, including voice messages. The proposed …

Development And Validation Of Autotronic Training Module For Automobile Technology Students In Polytechnics In Southern Nigeria, Saue, Baritule Prince, Chukuigwe, Ogbondah Nndameka, Bassey, Imaobong Sunday

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

A research was carried out to create and verify an autotronic training module for students studying vehicle technology at polytechnics located in Southern Nigeria. The design used for the project was Research and Development (R&D). An observation has been made that the curriculum of polytechnics in Nigeria lacks sufficient substance on autotronics technology. As a result, lecturers have challenges in fully imparting the abilities that are essential for the professional world. Undoubtedly, there is now a disparity between the training that craftsmen receive and the skills that are demanded by industries. The research was carried out in the southern region …

Performance Evaluation Of Yolo Models In Plant Disease Detection, Usman Ali, Maizatul Akmar Ismail, Riyaz Ahamed Ariyaluran Habeeb, Syed Roshaan Ali Shah

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Plant diseases significantly impact global agriculture, leading to substantial production losses and economic consequences. Timely disease detection can enhance crop yield, optimize resource utilization, reduce costs, and mitigate environmental effects, ultimately ensuring high-quality food production. Deep learning, specifically computer vision-based techniques, have proven invaluable in tasks like image classification, segmentation, and object detection. Deep Learning techniques such as You Only Look Once (YOLO) models are state of the art neural network algorithms used for accurate object detection. In this study, YOLOv5, YOLOv7 and YOLOv8 models were trained on CCL’20 dataset for citrus disease detection. Data augmentation techniques such as image …

Wix For Web Development And The Application Of The Waterfall Model And Project Based Learning For Project Completion: A Case Study, Mawar Madiah, Ng Kai Xuen, Tan Yew Wen, Tan Zhi Heng, Chong Zhi Tian, Chan Jia Xuan

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

Website development without prior knowledge of HTML or programming experience would be a significant challenge. This study aims to share the students' experiences developing a website using Wix, a user-friendly website builder. The website was assigned as a project-based assessment of one of the courses required to complete a Foundation programme. The course was delivered using a project-based learning (PBL) approach in this context. The students worked as a group to write a project proposal, plan activities, develop the website, write reports, and present the outcome. As for the website development process, the study demonstrates the completion of the project …

Ensemble-Smote: Mitigating Class Imbalance In Graduate On Time Detection, Theng-Jia Law, Choo-Yee Ting, Hu Ng, Hui-Ngo Goh, Albert Quek

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

In education, detecting students graduating on time is difficult due to high data complexity. Researchers have employed various approaches in identifying on-time graduation with Machine Learning, but it remains a challenging task due to the class imbalance in the dataset. This study has aimed to (i) compare various class imbalance treatment methods with different sampling ratios, (ii) propose an ensemble class imbalance treatment method in mitigating the problem of class imbalance, and (iii) develop and evaluate predictive models in identifying the likelihood of students graduating on time during their studies in university. The dataset is collected from 4007 graduates of …

Empirical Analysis Of Ci/Cd Tools Usage In Github Actions Workflows, Adam Rafif Faqih, Alif Taufiqurrahman, Jati H. Husen, Mira Kania Sabariah

Journal of Informatics and Web Engineering

As software systems grow larger and more complex, with rapidly changing requirements, manually managing code integration, testing, and deployment becomes extremely challenging. Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) practices and tools have emerged to help automate these processes. This research explores the usage of different categories of CI/CD tools within GitHub Actions workflow configurations across GitHub repositories. The five-tool categories analyzed are Version Control Management, Static Code Analysis, Build Automation, Test Automation, and CI/CD Servers. The data used in this research is from a dataset of GitHub Actions workflow configuration files. From the data, the usage is extracted and the …

The Robot On The Hill, James Ryan

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

“The Robot on the Hill” is a rogue-like autobattler that procedurally models the state of the individual in the information age. The game abruptly transitions between diverse framings - a hill, a bedroom, a pond, a chessboard, the void - in order to highlight the disjointedness that is present in the informationalizing of self and reality. It dialogues with Byung Chul Han and Heidegger to portray what Han describes as a ‘narrative crisis’ in modernity and the devaluation of experience. When the value of experience diminishes and disintegrates, “all that is left is bare life, a kind of survival.” …

Crime Prediction Using Agent-Based Modeling, Yifei Gong

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Crime risk evaluation and crime prediction using agent-based modeling (ABM) have gained popularity in the field of computational criminology in recent years. Traditionally, researchers rely on statistical methods and machine learning models to predict crimes using historical data. ABM generates macro-level crime patterns in a bottom-up fashion by simulating the daily behaviors of autonomous entities, such as citizens and offenders. ABM takes into consideration the non-linear interactions between agents under complex social contexts. Currently, the comprehensive usage of ABM for criminological theory testing and urban policy evaluations calls for a unified software framework. In this research, we introduce CARESim, an …

Communication Challenges In Underwater Wireless Networks: Mac Protocols And Software Solutions, Dmitrii Dugaev

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Underwater wireless networks (UWNs) represent a diverse and intriguing research domain, encompassing a wide array of scientific and industrial applications. This dissertation delves into the communication challenges at the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer within UWNs, stemming from the distinctive signal propagation conditions and the harshness of the deployment environment. The manuscript provides comprehensive coverage of key aspects of UWNs, including potential applications, communication protocols, methodologies employed in such networks, and existing software solutions that facilitate simulation, emulation, and real testbed scenarios for underwater research endeavors. Furthermore, this research introduces innovative software and communication solutions designed to facilitate the seamless …

Detecting Foot Strikes During Running With Earbuds, Changshuo Hu, Thivya Kandappu, Jake Stuchbury-Wass, Yang Liu, Anthony Tang, Cecelia Mascolo, Dong Ma

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Running is a widely embraced form of aerobic exercise, offering various physical and mental benefits. However, improper running gaits (i.e., the way of foot landing) can pose safety risks and impact running efficiency. As many runners lack the knowledge or continuous attention to manage their foot strikes during running, in this work, we present a portable and non-invasive running gait monitoring system. Specifically, we leverage the in-ear microphone on wireless earbuds to capture the vibrations generated by foot strikes. Landing with different parts of the foot (e.g., forefoot and heel) generates distinct vibration patterns, and thus we utilize machine learning …