Open Source Systems

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is well known for distributed real time systems for various applications. In order to handle the increasing functionality and complexity of high resolution spatio-temporal sensory database, there is a strong need for a system/tool to analyse real time data associated with distributed sensor network systems. There are a few package/systems available to maintain the near real time database system/management, which are expensive and requires expertise. Hence, there is a need for a cost effective and easy to use dynamic real-time data repository system to provide real time data (raw as well as usable units) in a structured format. In the present study, a distributed sensor network system, with Agrisens (AS) and FieldServer (FS) as well as FS-based Flux Tower and FieldTwitter, is used, which consists of network of sensors and field images to observe/collect the real time weather, crop and environmental parameters for precision agriculture. The real time FieldServer-based spatio-temporal high resolution dynamic sensory data was converted into Dynamic Real-Time Database Management System (DRTDBMS) in a structured format for both raw and converted (with usable units) data. A web interface has been developed to access the DRTDBMS and exclusive domain has been created with the help of open/free Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools in Extendable Markup Language (XML) using (Hypertext preprocessor) PHP algorithms and with eXtensible Hyper Text Markup Language (XHTML) self-scripting. The proposed DRTDBMS prototype, called GeoSense DRTDBMS, which is a part of the ongoing IndoJapan initiative ‘ICT and Sensor Network based Decision Support Systems in Agriculture and Environment Assessment’, will be integrated with GeoSense cloud server to provide database (dynamic real-time weather/soil/crop and environmental parameters) and modeling services (crop water requirement and simulated rice yield modeling). GeoSense-cloud server has been developed with Opera-Unite for file sharing, web server (with cost effective web server tools Windows Apache MySQL PHP-WAMP and X -any operating systems Apache MySQL PHP and Perl –XAMPP), file upload, and web proxy functionalities. Currently, the GeoSense DRTDBMS is useful to the rural farming community for ubiquitous decision making in precision agriculture aspects. In future, this DRTDBMS system could be used in climate/environmental systems to understand the micro-climatic variations in real-time mode.

In this paper we discuss a framework for teaching software testing to undergraduate students’ volunteers. The framework uses open source software development methodology and was implemented in the “Introduction to Software Engineering” course at the department of Informatics, Aristotle University, Greece. The framework is in three phases, each describing a teaching and learning context in which students get involved in real software projects activities. We report on our teaching experiences, lessons learned and some practical problems we encountered. Results from preliminary evaluation shows that students did well as bug hunters in the bazaar and are willing to participate in their projects long after graduation.