Files
Download Full Text (998 KB)
Abstract
In today’s day and age, data should be accessible at all times. The biggest break-through for data accessibility is mobile technologies such as phones and tablets. The CCTR provides a continuum of informatics research and services to support translational and clinical research. Clinical Trials represent one of the central themes for the Center for Clinical and Translational Research, but they do not have a mobile app for the VCU community to access CCTR’s informatics resources.
This project aims to promote the expanded informatics research and services available to VCU students, faculty and staff as well as patients interested in discovering more about clinical research at VCU. The CCTR wants to extend current research data management systems and traditional webpages to mobile technologies. This will enable the CCTR to provide the CCTR user community with seamless access to its current and developing infomratics resources.
The project followed the agile development methodology. Each week, we created new features for the mobile app, slowly adding onto the initial app we created. The major goal of the project was to be able to pull data from the Forte API. Extra features were added on later on for the overall user-friendliness. The app primarily focused on function over form. In the end, we tried to stick with VCU colors. Over the course of the project, we encountered a few issues along the way. None of us have had experience programming for the android OS. We were familiar with java, but the android library had many more requirements to get everything working. We needed to learn to program for the android OS and also learn new technology associated with mobile app programming. Another issue we came across was scalability, getting the app to comply with VCU branding seemed simple at first, but when we started adding in logos, we encountered a lot of errors. The logos had to be refactored to fit 100% with the application.
The CCTR now has a fully functional Clinical Trials Android Application. Over the course of the final semester, additional features will be prioritized based on complexity, and importance to the CCTR and included in the mobile apps.
Features that impact the access of information and benefits the CCTR will be added as the project progresses. The final goal will be to create both an Android and an iOS app. Before the apps can be officially finished, a live instance of data will be needed that utilizes VCU resources for accessing data about VCU’s clinical trials.
Publication Date
2015
Keywords
computer science, mobile applications
Disciplines
Computer Engineering | Engineering
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Preetam Gosh
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
David Fenstermacher
VCU Capstone Design Expo Posters
Rights
© The Author(s)
Date of Submission
July 2015