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Modern software development frameworks enable the native deployment of applications written primarily using web-technologies, onto a range on mobile operating systems. As a result, it is now possible to use smartphone web-browsers to directly access device hardware, whilst providing realtime feedback through responsive user interfaces. Research in the Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering (ECSE) at Monash University is exploring the boundaries of web-technology and pushing device browser-engines to the edge. As one of the first projects in this space, V-Tracker is setting the foundations for future experiments that will investigate the use of web-technologies in areas such as digital perception and robotics.
By exploring data-mining and mathematical modelling algorithms, V-Tracker aims to achieve realtime route learning and vehicle tracking using web-technologies on a mobile device. Melbourne's public transport network serves as a testing ground for the project since it is a well known and clearly constrained system.
For a more detailed breakdown of the project's requirements, please refer to the project's Requirements Analysis.
As the World Wide Web develops, the popularity of content-rich web and e-commerce applications continues to grow [1]. The year 2009 saw 1.8 billion users connect via the Internet and this usage-growth remains robust across the globe [2]. Furthermore, computing technologies continue to evolve with faster and wider spread WiFi connectivity and 3G networks now penetrating developing nations [3]. Further to richer user experiences, the increased deployment of high-speed mobile networks continues to encourage Internet use on mobile devices [3]. In addition to mobile cellular devices, Morgan Stanley define mobile Internet to incorporate tablet computers and other non-cellular devices, such as music players and handheld gaming consoles. A report from the company’s research division suggests that the number of mobile Internet users is expected to surpass that of desktop users in 2014 [2]. Whilst 3G remains key to the success of mobile Internet, there have been many other influencing factors, primarily: new functionality such as Global Position Systems (GPS), the global expansion of social media and communication technologies such as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) [2].
Figure 1. HTML5 logo and tag line
Until recently, the development and effective deployment of complex, fully interactive web-applications has been hampered by a variety of obstacles. Emerging standards, particularly those pertaining to HTML5 and WebGL, are removing many limitations and providing developers with the platforms to transform the web [4]. Through the consensus and support of the broader international community, the [World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)](http://www.w3.org/ "W3C"") provides standards that define an Open Web Platform for application development [5]. Of the many forthcoming standards, the HTML5 standard is commonly highlighted as a major step forward. The new standard complements the existing HTML standards by adding new features aimed at narrowing the distinguishing factors between web and desktop applications [4]. Some of these new features include: Offline Applications, Local Storage, Canvas Application Programming Interfaces (API), Built-In Audio and Video Support, Asynchronous Script Loading, Drag-and-Drop Support, Context Menus and Cross-Document Messaging [4] [5]. Further to the evolution of HTML and CSS standards, there have been significant developments to client-side JavaScript API, particularly those relating to Geolocation, XMLHttpRequest and Document Object Models (DOM) [5].
Figure 2. Key areas in HTML5
[1] Kamyar Dezhgosha and Swathi Angara, "Web services for designing small-scale Web applications," in IEEE International Conference on Electro Information Technology, 2005, pp. 1-4.
[2] Mary Meeker, Scott Devitt, and Liang Wu, "Internet Trends," Morgan Stanley, Presentation 2010.
[3] Dimitrios C Karaiskos, Panos Kourourthanassis, Panagiota Lantzouni, George M Giaglis, and Christos K Georgiadis, "Understanding the Adoption of Mobile Data Services: Differences among Mobile Portal and Mobile Internet Users," in ICMB. Eighth International Conference on Mobile Business, 2009, pp. 12-17.
[4] Antero Taivalsaari and Tommi Mikkonen, "The Web as an Application Platform: The Saga Continues," in 37th EUROMICRO Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications (SEAA), 2011, pp. 170-174.
[5] World Wide Web Consortium. W3C Standards. [Online]. http://www.w3.org/standards/