Reaction All Years

Project Description:

Our client Sophia Levy-Presner is the operator of Building Blocks HR (BBHR) in Toronto. The intention of this organization is to maximize HR for small and medium enterprises that do not have a recruitment and selection process. BBHR is predicated on the idea that it provides three basic packages namely standard, plus and custom for starting a Human Resource department from the bottom. Corporations can always choose specialized services from all of these options to meet the customers’ needs.

The idea of this research is to establish a web-based option that enables workers to examine HR standards, benefits information, and vacations from their smartphone or pc without attempting to consult the boss or owner, and then all the information about the employees, customers, companies should be stored on a database to be more organized and improved efficiency of customer management. Afterwards, we implemented our skills to get the work done collaboratively.

As there was currently no database in the server, we developed a database in the server from the beginning to keep the record of all the employees and customers that BBHR has. At the same time, we also create a web-based back-end management system for our client to do database management. The project’s goal is to create a fully working website for the customer that includes a database and a back-end database management system.

The android application would be supported on mobile devices. Any device with an internet connection and a web browser will be able to execute the web application. Users will be able to install a mobile application on their devices.

The official website only provides the most basic information about the company. So, we constructed more web apps for our customers, the corporate administrator, and a sole employee to view and organize information. We took advantage of the server’s current functions as much as feasible. At the same time, we also taught the client about using the server and left a permanent strategy for doing so.

This project has taught us teamwork which improves productivity, enhances flexibility, improves service levels, and overcomes obstacles. We helped each other throughout the whole project to get our work done flawlessly. Whoever was good at something used to teach others about the same to enhance the knowledge of all the members of the team.

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Project Description:

For Costa Ricans, knowledge of the English language is crucial for anyone looking for good paying jobs, and getting accredited certificates for their knowledge is what makes people stand out of the crowd, especially in the digital world.

During the pandemic, the online space has grown substantially, and since more jobs are now remote than ever before, the need for knowing the English language has also grown. Our clients Andrea Minicola from SpeakHabla are working hard to bridge the language gap for residents in Costa Rica.

Our team, MegaDevs, while only formed a few months ago, has been hard at work researching, designing and developing solutions for our clients to help them adapt to the digital world. Our team members are:
Eduard Draghiciu (Team Lead)
Johanna Cano (Design Lead)
Rodrigo Gil (Tech Lead)
Ben Peterkins (Developer)
Youssef Khalil (Developer)
Sherefat Onibile (Developer)

We are working with Speak Habla, an established brand in Costa Rica, to develop an English language assessment platform called BELA (Business English Language Assessment). Our platform will allow business professionals to take English tests, and purchase official certification that can be downloaded or added to LinkedIn automatically.
BELA Platform will also allow HR Managers and companies to test their employees on their English level and monitor their progress.

We are building a highly performant and scalable full stack application that will replace their current testing system which involves a lot of manual work to operate. Our application will streamline most of their processes including test scores, generate official certificates, checkout and payment.

The dynamic test feature is what sets BELA apart from the competition. People will be able to take multiple English tests, and our testing algorithm will always show new questions every time. This allows our client to sell more certificates, and also provides BELA with the data to properly analyse and display individual growth based on different question sets.

HR Managers will be able to track employee progress, while admins will be able to add or edit test questions via an intuitive database management user interface called Rowy.

BELA is built using the following technology stack:

Javascript
React
Node.js
Firebase
Cloud Functions

After our first development phase is over, we are hoping that Speak Habla will continue the development roadmap proposed, which includes adding more features to the HR Manager/Company dashboard and to the Admin dashboard.

Finally, we would like to thank our teachers from the MAD9145 course, Adesh Shah and Adam Robillard, for giving us the opportunity to put what we’ve learned in school towards a real life project that impacts real people in a positive way.

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Project Description:

Trainer.ai, the mobile application our client works on, is a personalized trainer mobile application by using highly advanced machine learning technology and artificial intelligence. This App is primarily designed for users who can easily install and have a track of their daily physical training in a systematic workout regime without having human assistance. They applied sophisticated training algorithm to the mobile application to create a custom fit workout for users that consider their strength training ability and tools and equipment available at the gym.
In this project we are assisting the client to build a web application to help the client to manage exercises and workouts in mobile applications. We are using React.JS, TypeScript and TailwindCSS for front-end development, and the Apollo client with GraphQL to communicate with a backend database. We aim to implement 6 web pages including Login page, Dashboard page, Users page, Workouts page, Workout Plan page, and Setting page. Users will be able to log in to the system with their registered account (email and password), and they can create/update/delete data in this web application. Here are the pages and features:
Login Page:
• The pages that users can login with email and password.
• Users can also login with Gmail account.
Dashboard Page:
• List all exercises.
• Create new exercise.
• Update exercises.
• Delete exercises.
Users Page:
• List the all the users, and their profile information including email, phone number, description etc.
• Edit user’s information.
Workout Page:
• View all workouts.
• Create new workout.
• Update workouts.
• Add exercises to workouts.
• Delete workouts.
Workout Plan Page:
• View all workouts plans (a set of workouts).
• Create new plan.
• Update plans.
• Add workouts to plans.
• Delete plans.
Settings Page:
• Editing user account details.

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Project Description:

Right now, remote internet access is provided via satellite constellations that rely on microwave signals from satellite to ground connections. The next generation of satellite constellations will implement an optical satellite tracking system that points at satellites mid-trajectory with impeccable precision.
The SatelliteTrackers project aims to utilize current TLE data directly from Celestrak to provide accurate, real-time orbital positions of satellites, along with auto-alignment features, centroid computation, and satellite sorting algorithms compiled into a Python code to achieve the objective.
The project will use a modified TLE orbital position script that gives the right ascension and declination values of the selected satellite approximately 60 seconds ahead of the current time, allowing the telescope to be in line with the trajectory but remain ahead of the satellite for the highest accuracy.
At this point the code can compute a slope of the satellite’s movement. ASCOM commands, Skyfield Library, and T.MoveAxis are used to control the mount for the highest precision pointing.
One concept that allows the program to be accurate is the consideration of the perspective of the telescope, in that it will seem as if the satellite is moving fast directly above the telescope but slowing down towards the horizon. For this reason, the slope will constantly need to be updated to ensure the tracking is stable. The satellites are considered in view if they are more than 10 degrees above the horizon. Running this code and studying results based on the real-time tracking done via Stellarium yielded accurate results.
The user will have the chance to choose specific satellites to track and a switch-case can be implemented to allow for the accurate tracking of the desired satellite.

The project is capable of executing tracking features and adjusting the connected hardware seamlessly, with movement at 4 degrees per second and precise pointing. The SatelliteTracker is capable of tracking and imaging moving satellites with a field of view within 2 degrees, which is very accurate for this new technology.
The SatelliteTrackers system can be used outdoors with any imaging device (from cellphones to professional guide cameras), or it can be used in conjunction with the Stellarium virtual planetarium should weather conditions not allow for optimal visibility.

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Project Description:

The project investigates the energy performance of a 100 sq.ft. real-scale test shed constructed by Building Science students. The test shed is equipped with an in-floor heating hydronic system using Uponor PEX piping that is designed to be powered by a vacuum tube collector with an opportunity for the future addition of the geothermal loop through connection with a three-way valve.

The in-floor hydronic heating system was installed as a part of the Uponor – Algonquin College project that aimed to investigate the performance of Uponor PEX piping application at the radiant heating systems. The industrial partner (Uponor Ltd.) has a particular interest in assessing energy efficiency, thermal comfort, usage efficiency, regulatory compliance, and ease of installation and maintenance of their product. The main aim of the hydronic part of the project is to help the industrial partner demonstrate and market the superiority of its PEX products and solutions by providing Uponor Ltd. with a detailed analysis of the results from future system testing.
In addition to the hydronic heating system, there is an electric baseboard installed in the shed, which provides an opportunity to conduct a comparative analysis of both systems. Thus, the focus of the presented part of the project was to evaluate the shed’s energy performance by conducting a series of tests (heating and cool-down) using the installed 2000 W electric baseboard heater. The instrumentation included the data logger with three temperature sensors installed throughout the height of the shed. The “heating” tests aimed to investigate how fast the indoor temperature of the shed reaches the user’s comfort setpoint of 20 ᵒC. While the “cool-down” tests involved observation on the temperature decrease after the heater was turned off and till the temperature balance with outdoor temperature archived. The tests were performed under different weather conditions have shown that the average time for heating the shed’s upper space was between three and five hours, depending on the outside temperature. While the cooling of the shed occurred within 14 to 20 hours, which is respectively dependent on the temperature outside. The findings of those tests provide the experimental results of the shed’s energy performance, establish the setpoint for further hydronic system testing, and show that to archive the better performance hydronic system should provide power higher than 2000 W.

In addition to this and to ensure the further safe use of the shed without damaging the installed in-floor hydronic system, the removable floor finish was designed and installed. The design of the floor includes a radiant barrier to prevent excessive heat losses through the ground, as well as allows application of different thermal mass concepts by filling the space between pipes with different materials. Moreover, the test shed itself is equipped with panels designed to facilitate testing the effect of different details and composition of wall assembly on the building envelope performance.
The further steps and opportunities of the project include conducting a comparative analysis with the hydronic system, separate and connected to the solar source and potentially. Moreover, the testing opportunities that this equipped shed provides will enable college students and professors to perform a regular range of repeatable applied research activities to test, analyze, and benchmark the performance and effectiveness of the systems used in this project as well as to connect them with the building envelope performance.

The project is sponsored and made possible by the Office of Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Uponor Ltd (PEX), and the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

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Project Description:

Caremada wishes to create a website application task list. They currently only have their task list available to be accessed on mobile. However, they would like a web app to be integrated with this pre-existing mobile app. Connecting to their database with a web app using tools such as angular, nodeJS and javascript, as well as other website creating tools such as HTML, CSS, and bootstrap, will create a functioning web app that has integration with their mobile application.
The application is integrated into Caremada’s user account homepage. By clicking the “Tasks” tab, the user starts the product dashboard. Both as a caregiver and a client, the dashboard shows tasks with all necessary details and operations, including posting comments and editing tasks. The product also used the notification system that sends updates to the related party when triggered. All information is secured by running the API, and the authentication process goes before page load. Therefore, unauthorized users are restricted from extracting information of tasks details of other users.
During building the project, our team gained great experience in software development with agile methodology, as well as web app design, Angular, NodeJS, HTML and CSS.

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Project Description:

Choosing where to live is one of the most important decisions any person will make at some point in their life, at least once. What do you look for when choosing a place to live? Location, close by amenities, quality of the building, but most importantly, it’s the community around you. The community that is made up of the same people who chose to live where you live. It is the community that makes you feel at home and who you can always rely on in a crisis. You need to make sure you are connected to that community in the best and most efficient way to get the most out of your home.

This is exactly what our client, Smart Living Properties here in Ottawa, wants to solve. We started by conducting market research to find out what’s most important to renters today to achieve that sense of home. We interviewed 35 people from different walks of life and analyzed their responses to uncover the fine details that matter the most to them. Armed with this information, we designed the user experience of our app, Smart Tenant to exceed expectations.

Our next task was to design an equally engaging user interface which we also had volunteers test out to ensure its ease of use and intuitiveness, and that it meets their expectations.

It was now time to move on to the development stage. Choosing the right technology stack to build the final product is crucial to the success of any application For the frontend we use the most professional and trusted cross-platform technology to date, React Native to ensure it looks just right on both iPhone and Android devices. React Native was developed and maintained by Facebook and is currently the leading technology for building cross-platform applications. For our backend, we used Google’s Firebase services for secure and robust data storage and transmission. All our data is kept here in Canada.

Smart Tenant recreates the sense of community from the ground up. It is centered around every individual tenant to deliver an experience that has never been felt; a never been felt before sense of community. Smart Tenant allows its users to engage with, not only their neighbors but with local businesses, property managers, and landlords.

As for our learning outcomes, this experience has been unparalleled and far exceeded our expectations. We learned and experienced what it takes to design and develop a mobile application from scratch and learned to overcome the typical, and some unique, challenges that come with it. We sharpened our design and development skills significantly and learned to work and cooperate together as a group and in a real-world setting. We feel that the quality of the learning we gained from this experience far exceeds the quality and extent we would have received from an internship or a co-op term.

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Project Description:

This project came to be when the client, Carolyn Lorimer, wanted to build a net-zero home. The first of its kind in Canada. She knew that a system of sensors monitoring data must be implemented. This system needed to be able to monitor the air quality of the earth tube heat exchange, which will be the primary heating and cooling method for her home since it is an incredibly efficient method. It is also needed to compare the exterior air temperature to the interior air temperature to ensure gauge the effectiveness of the earth tube. To create this system, Carolyn needed help from Electrical Engineering Technology students, so she came to Algonquin College to give students a chance to learn via the project course.
This project was then assigned to the student team. Over the course of the project lifespan, the team then researched the equipment that was purchased, and put together a plan to build a working system. To do this, the team got individual sensors working with the controller. After the sensor configuration was done, a ‘wiring harness’ was created so that once the home was built, Carolyn or another group could install the system on the house.
Over the lifespan of this project, the team had numerous learning outcomes, including, but not limited to, sensor configuration, troubleshooting, project management, project documentation, and programming skills. By working on this project, the team needed to develop their skills using various sensors, especially sensors which they were not familiar with beforehand. Their troubleshooting skills were brought to a higher level since they were working with software and equipment they were not familiar with. The team gained new troubleshooting skills by fixing things when they were not working. By working on this project, they had to develop their project management skills by creating various documents for every step of the way, as well as managing the whole project.

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Project Description:

A permanently mounted turbine will be designed to be placed beside a highway and/or high traffic roadway to help ease the load on existing electrical circuitry in a town. The design focus is based on efficiency and reliability of electricity production from the different wind conditions generated by the passing vehicles, and to reach the end goal of a turbine efficient enough to remove a substantial load from street lighting and the distribution system. This project will include SolidWorks FEA analysis, design of electric generators, motors and controls, and a creation of a downsize scaled, 3D model prototype.
Key Requirements are:
• Function with the most efficient blade type at wind speeds of 14.4 ft/s.
• Charge an 8.4V 18650 battery pack.
• Provide feedback generation statistics including kW/h.
• Stay in a budget of $1,500.
• Produce enough energy to power an 8V LED panel

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Project Description:

Promly is a social enterprise that was founded by Jennifer Libby, a psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience treating at-risk adolescents. In response to the social media industry’s lack of responsibility for the growing youth mental crisis exacerbated by social media platforms, Promly was created as a safer and healthier alternative. The aim of Promly is to act as a social network platform for its target users, Gen Z, where they can connect with one another while also being provided various features to help address mental health issues and coping strategies.

To achieve this goal, Promly developed an iOS mobile application that is currently in beta. However, to ensure a wider reach of their audience they also wanted an Android app version, and so our team was tasked with creating the Android mobile app version of Promly as our project. Due to limited time and resources our team had narrowed down the specific features of the Android app to develop at least 1 main feature which is the ‘We Got You’ feature. The major function of the We Got You feature is to provide immediate access to crisis, suicide prevention, and mental health resources. It also provides various stories, articles, and questions from peers where the user can get information and answers provided by therapists and mental health professionals. Within the scope of this project, all that information is currently mocked up.

As the client already had a beta in place for their iOS version of the application, our main goals were to replicate the look and feel of the iOS app for Android. We first worked on the layouts of the We Got You feature pages and made sure to follow the client’s UI design including button placements, images, and branding colours. Afterwards we focused on implementing functionality so that the user can navigate between pages and scroll up and down the pages with ease. This also included buttons that can be pressed and redirect the user to the right pages (such as specific mock articles) or functions such as the device’s dial pad/SMS application to contact holistic resources.

Working on this project has taught us how to cooperate as a team and use agile methodology to deliver parts of a project in sprints. We also learned more about mobile development for Android and how to use a GitHub repo for storing our code. With the completion of this project, the client will have the base for the ‘We Got You’ feature for Android and they can proceed with replacing the mock data with their database and continue further development.

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