CyberPage Requirement Document

Spring Quarter 1996
4/21/96

Document Author:
Stephen Hall

Project Sponsors:
Gregory Abowd
Chris Atkeson

Ben Cann (Architect/Programmer )
Adam Corkins (Manager/Architect)
Stephen Hall (Technical Writer)
Derrick Hardison (Programmer)

Project Description of Target System

CyberPage is a component of a larger project, CyberNag , which began in January, 1996. In turn, CyberNag is part of a larger project by the Future Computing Environments (FCE) Group, whose aim is to be the forerunner of futuristic computing. CyberNag is a message organizing system which aims to be somewhat user-specific. The types of messages CyberNag will be organizing will potentially be of all forms: e-mail, voice mail, fax, postal mail, newsgroups, and WWW pages. From these inputs, CyberNag will output the message into one (or more) of these four forms for the user: WWW pages, a pager, a telephone, or a text message. The form of output CyberNag will depend upon the users' respective preferences. The system will also feature a prioritization system whereby the users can receive very important or urgent messages immediately, for example, via pager.

A high-level description of the CyberNag architecture consists of six parts: an input device driver, a message recognition system, a prioritization system, a user interface, a catalog system, a system that process the output, and an output device driver. Various groups are working on enhancing and expanding the different components of this overall design. This quarter, the 976- Mail Team will be working on a component which will enable users to access their messages via phone. It will be important for this group and the CyberPage group to communicate regularly to uphold the conceptual integrity of the system. By preserving this conceptual integrity, the groups can assure that the different facets of the project will fit together in a coherent manner.

The CyberNag system is intended for use by anyone in the corporate or academic area who needs to be accessible at any time through various modes of communication. This type of system will become desireable to the general populous as access to the internet, communication by e-mail, and a proliferation of home computers escalate.

The "CyberPage" project is an extension of the work of last quarter's "Ball and Chain" team's project. While maintaining the functionality of receiving short messages via alphanumeric pager, and it will also facilitate the downloading of these pages from the pager into a portable computer. The user can then view the pages and selectively instruct CyberPage to dial his home-base system to retrieve the full messages, in whatever format it is stored (text,graphics,WWW page,etc).

Thus CyberPage will require a software system to run on a portable computer which can download pages, store them, allow the user to make download requests, and dial-up the home-base computer and receive, request, and view selected messages. It will be necessary to acquire an alphanumeric pager with a serial port on it, to facilitate interfacing with the computer. Also, we must ensure that the CyberNag server can service requests for specific messages.

Scenario Descriptions

Scenario One

Joe Friday, special agent for the FBI, is roaming the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, looking for witnesses who can pinpoint the movements of a dangerous suspect he is pursuing. As he continues talking to possible eyewitnesses to the crime, his fellow agents at headquarters are quickly drafting a composite drawing of the suspect which was created with the assistance of one observant witness. Joe's beeper alarm sounds, and he sees "suspect composite" on the tiny screen. He quickly returns to his car and plugs the pager into his laptop computer, using a special serial connector. Joe directs the computer to download the message from the pager, selects that message, and directs the computer to call headquarters and download the specified file. In just a few seconds, a picture of the suspect appears on his computer, and he is able to show possible witnesses exactly which man he is looking for.

Scenario Two

Martina Erlenmayer, a sharp saleswoman with Amalgamated Chemical Manufacturing, is driving to a client site. In two short hours, she has a presentation which could net her firm several million dollars. Her newly revised price list is being prepared by the marketing department, as she speeds toward her destination. About thirty minutes from the customer site, her pager begins beeping. She glances at it and sees "Mkt Dept. Urgent. Graphic". With a sigh of relief, she pulls over to the side of the road to download the price list, using her computer and modem hooked to her cellular phone. Then Martina resumes driving, confident that she has all the information necessary to make a great presentation.

Scenario Three

Businessman Bob Arnez is waiting for a message from one of his major clients as he peruses the 1996 Computer Systems and Services Trade Show. After passing twenty tables of boring products, he is rescued by his pager, which indicates a voicemail: "Orson Jones. Critical. Audio". He heads for the pay phones and plugs his laptop's modem into the phone. After downloading his pager to the computer, Bob initiates a data download request. After the call is completed, Bob hits the "Play" button. He clearly hears Orson's voice requesting to meet with him to work out the final details of the system delivery. Bob reaches for the phone, pleased that technology has enabled him to provide this level of service to his customers.

Storyboarding

Our storyboarding consisted of rough screen drawings to demonstrate the system's user interface. Each graphic showed a sample index screen which displayed all messages downloaded from the pager, with the functionality of dialing in to the host and downloading that data into the laptop computer. We would have liked to show images of our sketching, but we don't have immediate access to a scanner.

Functional Requirement

FPager

Sends pertinent information from Abstract Data File to user's pager.

User Browser

Downloads pager.
Displays index of messages from pager.
Lets user browse and select specific messages for download.
Initiates a modem call to the Modem Host.
Downloads data from Modem Host.
Lets user browse data offline.

Modem Host

Receives call from portable computer.
Services requests for specific data.

Message Router

Determines the location of the user.
Directs message to any of available outputs, including pager.

Non-Functional Requirement

In addition to the Ball and Chain Group's non-functional requirements , we have the following requirements:

The pager used will be the Motorola Advisor (not the Advisor Pro or Gold).
This will necessitate our purchase of this pager. SkyTell sells this for $189.
It is necessary to purchase an interface cable for the Advisor pager.
This will cost about $100.
It will be necessary to have some kind of modem connected to the portable computer.
This could be any standard-type modem. 14.4 or 28.8 Kbps would be better. It could be an external modem, PCMCIA, and even a cellular modem.

Platform and Network Environment

CyberNag will operate under SunOS on the computer box.cc.gatech.edu. In some future implementation, it might operate under any Unix machine.

Our Modem Host will also operate under SunOS. This system is actually the same computer as CyberNag runs on. They don't have to be the same machine, but they are in this case. Again, in some future version, this might operate under any Unix machine.

Our Vehicle portable computer is a IBM ThinkPad running Windows 95.
The Target portable computer would be an IBM-compatible computer running Windows 95.

Risk Analysis

Loss of personell.
This would be disastrous. We will need both programmers to be able to accomplish all our goals for this program. The manager and techincal writer are somewhat dispensible, but the remaining members would have to bear their responsibilities.
Inability to get the interface cable or the pager.
Either would be crippling. We would have to go back to the research phase to locate a product which would accomplish the same purpose. We might then have to rework our architecture to accomodate the differences.
Functionality of the interface software.
If it were unusable to us, we would try to program our own interface commands using information given to us in a conversation with a member of Motorola's Paging Product Services Department.
Hardware compatibility.
Although we are told that this hardware interface is designed specifically for our purpose, we have yet to see any real documentation on it. Thus, we don't know with enough certainty how applicable this product will be for our purposes.

Link to CyberPage Project Notebook
Last Modified 4/21/96 -- Stephen Hall