The use of mobile computing on the construction site has been a well-researched area since the early 1990's, however, there still remains a lack of computing on the construction site. Where computers are utilised on the site this tends to be by knowledge workers utilising a laptop or PC in the site office with electronic data collection being the exception rather than the norm. The problems associated with paper-based documentation on the construction site have long been recognised (Baldwin, et al, 1994; McCullough, 1993) yet there still seems to be reluctance to replace this with electronic alternatives. Many reasons exist for this such as; low profit margins, perceived high cost; perceived lack of available hardware and perceived inability of the workforce. However, the benefits that can be gained from the successful implementation of IT on the construction site and the ability to re-use construction site data to improve company performance, whilst difficult to cost, are clearly visible. This thesis represents the development and implementation of a data capture system for the management of the construction of rotary bored piles (SHERPA). Operated by the site workforce, SHERPA comprises a wireless network, site-based server and webbased data capture using tablet computers. This research intends to show that mobile computing technologies can be implemented on the construction site and substantial benefits can be gained for the company from the re-use and integration of the captured site data.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Jason Bergtold / In the grain industry, producers have sold grain for a long time over the telephone. This thesis suggests significant changes in grain marketing strategies and why other methods of selling grain may help both producers and grain merchandisers be more effective with cash grain transactions. Specifically, the use of web-based applications that allow growers to make, manage and monitor grain offers and use mobile technology for grain marketing solutions. This thesis evaluates two key technology options for agricultural producers. First, the research evaluates factors that impact traded bushels on Farms Technology’s private internet technology trading platform, the Dynamic Pricing Platform (DPP). The second element of the research defines a model which examines likelihood of growers adopting mobile trading technology to increase grain marketing opportunities. A thorough understanding of these two marketing platforms will allow Farms Technology to increase the number of growers opting to use technology to execute cash grain sales, which is financially beneficial to the company. Results indicate that a number of online variables significantly impact online grain trade, in addition to factors that specifically influence the potential adoption of mobile technology by agricultural producers. Results help quantify many insights which Farms Technology has developed in relation to online grade trading and uncovered future possibilities in the online grade trading industry. Statically significant factors that impact grain traded on the DPP include: acres (farm size), on-farm storage, percent of grain sold over the phone, offered bushels, and whether or not farmers received text messages. With respect to mobile application adoption, results identified factors that significantly and positively impact the likelihood of mobile adoption, including: farmers with no cell phone, farmers that are currently receiving text messages, farmers owning a smart phone, and customer service rating for Farms Technology by the farmer. Variables that significantly and negatively impacted mobile adoption included: farmers currently selling on the DPP and farmers who believe the online DPP application is too difficult to use.

The graduation thesis "Trends in mobile phones development" is focusing principally on detailed analysis of mobile phone market on a global scale. The aim of this thesis is to elaborate comprehensive analysis of mobile phone market oriented on phones with operating systems (smartphones). The analysis is drawn primarily from the perspective of the key players in the market and comparison of these manufactures. After the descriptive part, where is introduced market as a whole, market segmentation by volume and value, this section focuses on segmentation of the global market by key players. This descriptive part is completed by market segmentation according to the amount of mobile phones sold by key players. Second analysis is segmented by operating system. Following parts of the thesis is more practical. This part of the thesis is analyzing the companies, which are selling smartphones. In this part I started by describing a brief overview about what the market is, what is focusing on and what their advantages and pitfalls are. My focus is analyzing the market via Porter's analysis and SWOT analysis of individual manufactures. Finally, I analyze the financial indicators from year 2007 to present. In conclusion I come to recommendations what manufactures should and should not to do. Chapter with warnings is described by the products on the market, which failed in recent years. At very end I come to the evaluation and recommendations, which theoretically should bring some positive progress to companies. The main contribution of this thesis is to provide comprehensive, detailed analysis of the market of mobile phones and smartphones manufactures on a global scale. One of the benefits is the collection of information, data and analysis describing the current state of the market, but also recommendations practices, to which I reached via progression of the this work. Thanks to unique appreciation of the global mobile phone market, their indicators and strategic information, it is necessary to say that this thesis can be very valuable material for some readers, who want to get overview, or seek accurate information about certain manufacture.

<p>U disertaciji je predstavljeno istraživanje usmereno ka problemu unapređenja rada postojećih industrijskih SCADA sistema. U fokus istraživanja su postavljeni zadaci klasičnih SCADA sistema kao što su: prikupljanje podataka o postrojenju, skladištenje i analiza podataka, kao i prikaz podataka o postrojenju i na koji način se ovi zadaci mogu unaprediti kroz primenu postojećih mobilnih tehnologija, tehnologija Interneta stvari, kao i tehnologija proširene realnosti. Kao rezultat istraživanja predložen je novi model mobilnih nadzornih sistema sa proširenom realnošću i integrisanim industrijskim Internetom stvari. Predloženi model omogućava realizaciju novih sistema nadzora industrijskih postrojenja baziranih na Industriji 4.0 kao i jednostavnu integraciju u postojeće industrijske sisteme. Predloženi novi model nadzornih sistema je opšti model i njegova velika prednost je univerzalnost i otvorenost za primenu novih mobilnih tehnologija, tehnologija Interneta stvari, kao i tehnologija proširene realnosti. On takođe ima svojsvo fleksibilnosti zato što se može primeniti za različite strukture preduzeća, kao i različite proizvodne procese. Predloženi novi model omogućava sledljivost prikupljenih podataka o industrijskim postrojenjima i proizvodnim procesima dvosmerno, od senzora i aktuatora ka menadžmentu postrojenja, kao i od menadžmenta postrojenja ka senzorima i aktuatorima. Omogućena je implementacija različitih algoritama obrade podataka, nezavisnih od predloženog novog modela nadzornih sistema, sa ciljem detektovanja grešaka ili potencijalnih problema u radu industrijskog postrojenja. Predloženi model omogućava uvid u podatke o postrojenju ne samo licima zaduženim za nadzor i održavanje postrojenja, već i proizvođačima industrijske opreme koji dobijaju informacije o opremi u realnim uslovima omogućavajući unapređenje kvaliteta industrijske opreme. Za analizu i obradu podataka prikupljnih o industrijskom postrojenju i procesu model omogućava implementaciju više algoritama istovremeno, čime je moguće međusobno porediti algoritme sa različitim parametrima obrade podataka.</p> / <p>In this doctoral dissertation, a research oriented to the problem of improvement<br />existing industrial SCADA systems is presented. The research is focused on<br />the tasks of classical SCADA systems such as data acquisition, data storage<br />and analysis, and displays of acquired plant data and how these tasks can be<br />improved by applying existing mobile technologies, Internet technology, and<br />technology of augmented reality. As a result of the research, a new model of<br />mobile supervision systems with augmented reality and integrated industrial<br />Internet of Things was proposed. The proposed model enables the<br />implementation of new supervision systems in industrial plants based on<br />Industry 4.0 concept, as well as simple integration into existing industrial plants.<br />The proposed new model of supervision systems is a general model and its<br />great advantage is the universality and openness to the application of new<br />mobile technologies, the Internet of Things technology, and technology of<br />augmented reality. It also has its own flexibility because it can be applied to<br />different company structures and different production processes. The proposed<br />new model enables the traceability of collected data on industrial plants and<br />production processes in two ways, from sensors and actuators to plant<br />management, as well from plant management to sensors and actuators. It is<br />possible to implement different data processing algorithms, independent of the<br />proposed new model of control systems, with the aim of detecting errors or<br />potential problems in the operation of industrial plants or production processes.<br />The proposed model provides insight into plant data not only for plant<br />monitoring and maintenance personnel but also for industrial equipment<br />manufacturers who receive information on equipment in real-world conditions,<br />enabling improvement of the quality of industrial equipment. For the analysis<br />and processing of data collected on industrial plants and production processes,<br />the proposed model enables the implementation of several algorithms at the<br />same time, thus making it possible to compare different algorithms with different<br />data processing parameters.</p>

Abstract Recent times have witnessed increasing availability of mobile technology-based products/services in developing regions such as Africa. However, the extant literature has not traditionally focused on understanding the adoption and use of these technologies by consumers in these parts of the world. This gap cannot be ignored and the need to investigate consumer intention to use mobile based-technology in this region is becoming paramount to their successful implementation. One such mobile-based technology is the M-pesa financial service. The current study merged appropriate theories that could predict consumer intention to use this M-pesa service in two African countries, Kenya and South Africa. First, the two countries were compared in an attempt to provide an explanation of why the launch of the M-pesa service has been more successful in Kenya than in South Africa. It then examined the effects of the Technology Acceptance Model variables (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), subjective norm from the Theory of Reasoned Action, self efficacy from the Social Cognitive Theory, and six dimensions of Switching Costs, on consumers intention to use M-pesa. To measure the study’s variables, validated scales from the IS literature, social psychology literature, and economics literature were identified and adopted. Data were collected using paper based survey instruments from individuals residing in low-income communities in Kenya (N=265) and South Africa (N=150), thus a total of 415 responses. The results indicate there are correlations between all variables and intention to use, however, only perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norms have a direct influence on intention to use M-pesa. The model explained 33.1% of the variance in intention to use M-pesa. The results suggest that while switching costs do not have a direct influence on intention to use, some of their effects are mediated in predicting intention to use. Thus, this study has paved the way for future testing and enhancement of the study’s model. The study’s contribution to theory and practice are also presented.

One-to-one mobile technology integration is the goal of increasing numbers of school districts each year, and many factors exist to consider when measuring success. The research problem for this qualitative study focused on one of the critical components for measuring success: the need for effective teacher professional development. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) principles and practices to facilitate the integration of one-to-one mobile technologies into professional learning experiences, and (b) the perceptions of technology instructional coaches regarding changes in teachers' practice and attitudes following professional development. The conceptual framework included Knowles's theory of andragogy and Koehler and Mishra's TPACK framework. In two rounds, 19 interviews were conducted with 13 technology instructional coaches. Thirteen coaches were interviewed in round one and from that data six high level coaches were identified for a second round of interviews. The data from both interview rounds were analyzed and coded to identify themes and categories. The key findings revealed that effective one-to-one mobile technology integration requires supportive leadership; building culture and relationships; instructional design with standards and frameworks; building collaborative, job-embedded teacher agency; and personalized learning with differentiated delivery. All stakeholders could use the key results to make informed decisions for planning and implementing professional learning opportunities. This study may affect positive social change by enhancing how technology is integrated into teaching and learning through increased teacher engagement in professional learning.

<p>Purpose/Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate future marketing channels from the perspective of professional marketers.</p><p>Material/Method: The study is based upon interviews with six professional marketers.</p><p>Main results: Traditional marketing is not being put aside but needs to be combined with new methods. There are several new and exciting ways to gain attention from the audience, all depending on the purpose of the campaign. Mobile technology is considered upcoming and target group defining is a key issue.</p>

Purpose/Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate future marketing channels from the perspective of professional marketers. Material/Method: The study is based upon interviews with six professional marketers. Main results: Traditional marketing is not being put aside but needs to be combined with new methods. There are several new and exciting ways to gain attention from the audience, all depending on the purpose of the campaign. Mobile technology is considered upcoming and target group defining is a key issue.

abstract: Statistics is taught at every level of education, yet teachers often have to assume their students have no knowledge of statistics and start from scratch each time they set out to teach statistics. The motivation for this experimental study comes from interest in exploring educational applications of augmented reality (AR) delivered via mobile technology that could potentially provide rich, contextualized learning for understanding concepts related to statistics education. This study examined the effects of AR experiences for learning basic statistical concepts. Using a 3 x 2 research design, this study compared learning gains of 252 undergraduate and graduate students from a pre- and posttest given before and after interacting with one of three types of augmented reality experiences, a high AR experience (interacting with three dimensional images coupled with movement through a physical space), a low AR experience (interacting with three dimensional images without movement), or no AR experience (two dimensional images without movement). Two levels of collaboration (pairs and no pairs) were also included. Additionally, student perceptions toward collaboration opportunities and engagement were compared across the six treatment conditions. Other demographic information collected included the students' previous statistics experience, as well as their comfort level in using mobile devices. The moderating variables included prior knowledge (high, average, and low) as measured by the student's pretest score. Taking into account prior knowledge, students with low prior knowledge assigned to either high or low AR experience had statistically significant higher learning gains than those assigned to a no AR experience. On the other hand, the results showed no statistical significance between students assigned to work individually versus in pairs. Students assigned to both high and low AR experience perceived a statistically significant higher level of engagement than their no AR counterparts. Students with low prior knowledge benefited the most from the high AR condition in learning gains. Overall, the AR application did well for providing a hands-on experience working with statistical data. Further research on AR and its relationship to spatial cognition, situated learning, high order skill development, performance support, and other classroom applications for learning is still needed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Technology 2013

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:42:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriane da Silva Higuchi.pdf: 1128917 bytes, checksum: 714bc33f2cde671ec6798d5668d8cc0d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-23 / The use of the mobile technology has caused several changes in all segments of society. Due to their being inserted in people s lives, the digital mobile devices cause changes in the way people communicate, interact, work, purchase, entertain and learn. In search for greater flexibility, convenience and mobility, society has increasingly taken control of the digital language and sets new characteristics on the sender-receiver, consumer-supplier, employee-employer, media-reader and even State citizen relationships. The so-called digital generation is born, grows, learns and lives being connected to a digital world full of &#8213;rotating and mutant&#8214; pieces of information, available through mobile digital devices, like cell phones, net books, tablets, etc. Unlike past generations, today s one shows skills to browse through various web channels, all at the same time and on the go. In this context, education is not immune to the effects of the mobile technology as well. How does the appropriation of this technology occur in schools? How does the traditional education system perceive and cope with cell phones inside the classroom? What are the challenges? This research starts up an interdisciplinary reflection, which involves information technology, communication and education, in search for answers to these questions. Keeping focus on the mobile device, we seek to learn whether and how the school environment incorporates the mobile technology in its educational process. This research presents the exploratory study accomplished in a public school in the city of Mogi das Cruzes, located in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, concerning students of the 9th year of the elementary school and 1st year of high school levels, using the mobile device as an aid in the pedagogical activities punctually and intermittently accomplished by the history teacher. The study shows and encourages thinking on how the mobile device is being incorporated as an apparatus to assist the pedagogical practice in the formal education environment / O uso da tecnologia móvel tem provocado mudanças em vários segmentos da sociedade. Inseridos no cotidiano das pessoas, os dispositivos móveis digitais transformam a cada dia a maneira como as pessoas se comunicam, se relacionam, trabalham, consomem, se divertem e aprendem. Em busca de maior flexibilidade, comodidade e mobilidade, a sociedade se apropria cada vez mais da linguagem digital e imprime novas características às relações emissor-receptor, consumidor-empresa, trabalhador-empregador, imprensa-leitor e até a de cidadão-Estado. A chamada &#8213;geração digital&#8214; nasce, cresce, aprende e vive conectada a um mundo digital repleto de informações circulantes e mutantes, disponibilizadas por meio de dispositivos digitais móveis, como aparelhos celulares, netbooks, tablets etc. Diferentemente de gerações passadas, a atual geração demonstra habilidades para navegar em movimento nas informações de inúmeros canais e veículos, tudo ao mesmo tempo. Nesse contexto, a educação também não está imune aos efeitos da tecnologia móvel. De que maneira ocorre a apropriação desta tecnologia nas escolas? Como a educação &#8213;formal&#8214; percebe e lida com os aparelhos celulares dentro da sala de aula? Quais são os desafios? Este trabalho de pesquisa inicia uma reflexão interdisciplinar, que envolve tecnologia da informação e comunicação e educação, em busca de respostas para esses questionamentos. Com ênfase no aparelho celular, busca-se aqui saber se e como o ambiente escolar incorpora a tecnologia móvel no processo educacional. Este trabalho apresenta o estudo exploratório que foi realizado em uma escola pública da cidade de Mogi das Cruzes, localizada na Grande São Paulo, com alunos do 9º ano do curso Ensino Fundamental e 2º ano do curso Ensino Médio, que utilizam o aparelho celular como auxiliar em atividades pedagógicas desenvolvidas, de forma pontual e esporádica, pela educadora na área de conhecimento em História