Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
EE3314 Information Product Design
2007/2008 Semester B

1. Objectives

The aim of this course is to provide students with a clear understanding of the practical design problems in information systems. This is a project based course and the project is designed to help students to tie together the computing and networking concepts learned from other IE courses. In addition, the course is also aimed to arouse the student creativity in information system design.

2. Intended Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this course, the students will be able to:

  • Design and describe specifications of an information system
  • Use embedded Linux system as development platform
  • Analyze and apply Open Source software to build an information system on an embedded Linux system
  • Assess information system in terms of testability and reliability

3. Teaching and Learning Methods:

Most of the real-world Information Engineering projects are almost always carried out by teams. In this course, therefore, the students will be sub-divided into project teams with 5 members each team, each team of students will be given an embedded Linux network storage device as a development platform for building an information system with a suggested IT applications.

4. Information System Project : Networked Video Surveillance and Home Automation System

In this year, students are required to design and implement a networked home automation and video surveillance system on the Buffalo Linkstation, which is an embedded Linux network attached storage (NAS). The NVSHAS is a digital recording product that supports live video recording, motion detection and different digital video formats such as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and H.264/AVC. Users can use web browser for remote monitoring, recording and configurations. It display and recording of video and audio are in real time.

Home automation is the use of one or more computers to control basic home functions and features automatically and sometimes remotely. An automated home is sometimes called a smart home. Smart Homes can control the scheduling and automatic operation of water sprinkling, heating and air conditioning, window coverings, security systems, lighting, and control of Audio/Video distribution. Home automation may also allow vital home functions to be controlled remotely from anywhere in the world using a computer connected to the Internet.

The second objective of this project is to develop a low cost and ease of install Home Automation system on the Buffalo Linkstation, which will make use of the vide surveillance system for the monitoring. Students are recommended to use open source software for building the home automation system and following Buffalo PC-OP-RS1 Infrared Module for send control signals to difference home appliances.

Basic Specifications

Students are required to complete the basic video surveillance system features as listed below on week 8:

  • A good product name to promote or represent your system or product
  • Market survey for similar products
  • Video Recoding function in of one of the most popular digital video formats
  • Remote video monitoring, recording and system configurations by web browser
  • User-friendly software interface

Home Automation System's features should be proposed by students and here are some suggested features for the home automation system:

  • Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11g connection
  • Home Security system such as motion video alert and remote video monitoring
  • Infra-red remote control of the home appliances
  • Auto download information (e.g.: Weather Forecast, RSS News, etc.) and display on screen panel on the rover.
Students are encouraged to modify the final specifications by adding innovative features, which will be one of the major considerations for the higher grade.

5. Lab Exercises:

Each student is required to complete 3 lab exercises in order to obtain sufficient hand-on experience on using the embedded Linux system as development platform. The three lab exercises are:

  • Lab1: Embedded Linux Network Storage Device Setup for Information System Development
  • Lab2: Dynamic Web and Database Service on Embedded Linux Device
  • Lab3: Web-based Applications and APT on Embedded Linux Device

Students could complete these lab exercises in group, but each student is required to submit his/her signed Instructor Verification sheets on or before week 3. Some of steps in these lab exercises must be checked by a lab instructor. When you have completed one of these steps, simply raise your hand and demonstrate the step to the instructor who will then initial the Instructor Verification line for that step.

6. Attendance Requirements:

  • Too pass the EE3314 course, a laboratory attendance of at least 75% is required.
  • As there are only 12 lab sessions, absence of more than three lab sessions is considered as not satisfying the attendance requirements.
  • In each session, late arrival of more than one hour is regarded as an absence.
  • For late arrival of less than one hour, the late arrival time is accumulated. For every hour of accumulated late arrival time, it is regarded as an absence of one session.
  • If student has accumulated late arrival time more than 3 hours, he/she is also considered as not satisfying the 75% attendance requirements.

7. Assessments:

  1. System Proposal with User Specifications (Week 4)
    • Each group is required to write their own system proposal based on assigned project title. Thus, each project group is required to submit their project proposal and present the proposal on week 4. In general, the purpose of a system proposal is to get approval to proceed with the development. In this course, the proposal is intended to give sufficient information to provide some early feedback on the scope and content of your system before you are too committed to your initial ideas. This should help your system be more successful, and earn you a higher grade.

      The proposal with specifications is intended to be a lengthy and detailed document that means it could provide all necessary information for someone to get a feel for what your system will be all about. Your proposal must not less than 20 pages. The format and style of the proposal should conver the first 4 chapters of the Report Template and students are recommended to have a survey on the Internet in order to define their proposal and specifications style.

  2. Proposal Presentation (Week 4)
    • Each team is required to present their project proposal with major ideas with 15 minutes on week 4.

  3. Progress Report and presentation with Demo for video surveillance system (Week 8)
    • - Each team is required to submit a progress report to the instructor and a 15-minute presentation with demonstration of the video surveillance system during the week-8 session. The progress report should provide the implementation details of the surveillance system and the plane for implementing the home automation system features.

  4. Final Project Presentation with Demo (Week 12)
    • Each presentation must be at least 20 minutes long or 4 minutes per team member (whichever is longer).
    • Each team member must participate in the presentation in some way.
    • Demo is required during the presentation.
    • Each Group from the other presentation sessions has to ask to at least one question during the Q & A.
    • Members of the same team may receive different grades for the presentation but same grade for the report.

  5. Project Competition
    • Each lab session of EE3314 will select the best two teams based on the final project presentation on week 12 to join the project competition on week 13.
    • The details could be found in the information sheet of this competition.

8. Schedule

    Please identify which lab you are going to work in and download the required lab manuals. Please print in advance.

    Week No. Date Activities Download
    1 17,18 Jan 2008 - Briefing with introduction of projects
    - Meeting your lab supervisors     		Gen_Info
    2 24,25 Jan 2008 Lab1: Embedded Linux Device Setup for Information System Development
    Lab2: Dynamic Web and Database Service on Embedded Linux Device     		lab1, lab2
    3 31 Jan, 1 Feb 2008 Lab3: Web-based Applications and APT on Embedded Linux Device lab3 Files
    4 14, 15 Feb 2008 - Submit a written project proposal with work schedule
    - Proposal Presentation     		-
    5 21, 22 Feb 2008 - Project Development Agenda, Minutes
    6 28, 29 Feb 2008 - Project Development -
    7 8, 8 Mar 2008 - Project Development InfraRed
    8 13, 14 Mar 2008 - Progress Report and Presentation with Demo for Video Surveillance System -
    9 27, 28 Mar 2008 - Project Development -
    10 3 April 2008 - Project Development -
    11 10, 11 Apirl 2008 - Project Development -
    12 17, 18 Apirl 2007 - Demo and Project Presentation -
    13 24 Apirl 2008 - Competition and submission of final reports Report Template Competition Schedule

Last Updated: 9 Jan 2008
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