PROJECT NEBULA: PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNDER UNCERTAINTY
Group members: Weiyi Huang, Arshnoor Jandu, Anjida Sripongworakul
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Rob Duimering
Projects, especially new software development products, often undergo multiple revisions as they progress, as more information regarding design requirements, resource availability, and task durations becomes available. Current project management software tools do not incorporate this uncertainty into planning. Project Nebula is an Excel, VBA-based Project Management Tool, allowing project managers to output schedules indicating optimal task sequences, total estimated required resources and project duration, every time project tasks are revised. This tool enables project managers to better adapt to dynamic business environments, ensuring quality products are delivered on time.
TRACK2DELIVER: MAIL TRACKING TOOL FOR CANADA POST
Group members: Maha Alam, Jesse Feld, Sharan Gurkar, Kavitha Koshy
Faculty Advisors: Prof. Lukasz Golab & Prof. Mark Hancock
The existing tracking system at the Gateway Processing Centre (GPC) in Mississauga does not effectively collect information regarding when, how much and what type of mail is coming in, making it hard to schedule and allocate resources to process mail in a timely manner. Track2Deliver has developed a web application allowing users to input real time information which will be relayed to GPC. This will give GPC management the ability to appropriately utilize resources such as employees, machines and material handling equipment by creating status reports, identifying areas of improvement, and generating effective production plans.
PARKINGBOOM: ENABLING P2P DRIVEWAY RENTALS IN WATERLOO
Group members: Christian Furman, Tony Jacob, Francois-Johan Roy, Clarence Wong
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Parmit Chilana
The growth of real-estate in large metropolitan areas over the last decade has made parking more expensive, inconvenient, and inflexible. With traditional parking lots frequently unable to meet the demand of this industry, it is ParkingBoom’s goal to create a peer-to-peer web platform allowing homeowners to rent out their vacant driveways to registered drivers. As a result of this application, drivers will have more parking alternatives and homeowners will gain additional income. ParkingBoom provides a unique opportunity that allows homeowners to connect with drivers, increasing competition in the parking industry and reducing costs for consumers.
TANGLED: FINDING YOU THE RIGHT HEALTH AND BEAUTY SERVICE
Group members: Esat Balkir, Nor Hameed, Arshia Hayat-Davoudi, Ariana Rodriguez
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Igor Ivkovic
With over 80,000 employees working in the hair and nail salon industry in Canada alone, it can be extremely difficult to find the right health and beauty service provider. Tangled is a professional network that individualizes the service providers in a business, allowing them to better market themselves. Tangled will be implemented as a mobile application, and will use personal traits, skill endorsements, and a mathematical algorithm to display personalized content while matching users to the most suitable healthy and beauty professionals.
BLOODY MATHEMATICS: REDUCING DISTRIBUTION COSTS FOR CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES
Group members: Constance Gervais, Juliana Gonzalez, Brianna Horton, Danielle Shawcross
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Hossein Abouee Mehrizi
Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is responsible for collection and distribution of blood across Canada. Last year they facilitated over 771,000 blood transfusions. Currently, there is no defined method for hospitals to manage their blood inventory, resulting in high distribution costs for CBS as they try to fulfill multiple ad hoc delivery requests. Our project takes the guesswork out of blood inventory management in Ontario by creating an ordering policy for hospitals through an innovative stochastic model for perishable inventory management.
TANZANUMBERS: IMPROVING NUMERACY IN TANZANIA
Group members: Usama Ahmed, Wendy D’Souza, Merisa Lee, Kamilla Karthigesu
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Mark Hancock
The lack of basic numeracy skills leaves many illiterate and semi-literate people in Tanzania unable to effectively use financial services. We are collaborating with My Oral Village, a non-profit organization, to enable communities to manage their money and build their confidence in financial tools. TanzaNumbers is an educational Android game designed to teach essential skills such as numeral recognition, place value theory, and currency value in an engaging manner. Through the gamification of these concepts on a software platform, TanzaNumbers provides an independent learning experience for a much broader audience than a traditional classroom setting.
UNAV: DESIGNING EFFICIENT NAVIGATION ON CAMPUS
Group members: Motaz Al-Ashhab, Anuja Chokshi, Astor Wong, Eric Wong
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Igor Ivkovic
uNav is a web-based platform with responsive design that aims to provide users with an effective route from one place to another within the complex architecture of campus infrastructure. Building interiors are represented as network graphs, allowing the use of path-finding algorithms. The uNav platform applies graph-based navigational data to provide easy user navigation, detailed room information, access to common amenities, and panoramic views from several positions within the map. With uNav, those who are new to campus are more likely to find the campus infrastructure more accessible.
PADPIPER: HELPING STUDENTS FIND NON-LOCAL HOUSING
Group members: Zeffrey Carter-Allan, Matt Duffy, Jack Forbes, Raman Molla
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Olga Vechtomova
PadPiper is a web service for students and landlords that streamlines the renting and leasing process for both parties. Landlords are provided a continuous stream of verified potential occupants, while students are provided features for verifying and reviewing properties, and connecting with colleagues by viewing their locations and details on a map. PadPiper’s verification process for users ensures the legitimacy of all occupants and landlords. The interface allows users to see a hybrid list and map view, showing previous student tenants, with the ability to easily check transit options.
OPTIMIZING FACILITY LAYOUT AND MATERIAL HANDLING AT PWO CANADA INC.
Group members: David Devries, Masa Shaban, Rumani Sharma, Faria Rahman
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Sibel Alumur Alev
PWO Canada Inc. is an automotive part manufacturer and supplier, building a range of components for various vehicle models. The air spring production line, a relatively new area in the plant, has been experiencing problems due to inefficient material handling and complex material flows. This resulted in excess inventory in some locations as well as machine downtime due to lack of materials. Using data analysis, simulation, and optimization, we are designing a material handling system and developing a new layout for the air spring manufacturing area to bring improvements and cost benefits to the company.
RATATRADE: A WEB-BASED PREDICTION MARKET SOLUTION
Group members: Chung-Kuang Lin, Justin Kim, Maggie Mi, Jun Shim
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Stan Dimitrov
RataTrade is a web application that allows people to get precise forecasts on any topic – from politics to commerce and technology to entertainment – by letting users create prediction market securities with values contingent on the outcome of a future an event. A security’s price, in a prediction market, is the current market estimate of the likelihood of the traded event occurring. RataTrade collects the wisdom of the crowds and enhances forecasting and decision making, and will unleash untold opportunities in the collection and aggregation of information.
OUTSTANDING: DISRUPTING DESK-JOB SITTING
Group members: Cathleen Joya, Brian Kim, Matt Rizzo, Yahya Wahbeh
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Frank Safayeni
Sitting is the new smoking. Jobs are becoming more computer-centric and extended periods of sitting have been linked to heart disease and cancer. Current solutions are expensive, invasive and do not address the sedentary issue. Outstanding is a minimalistic software application that encourages users to take necessary breaks to move away from sedentary habits. Using various Human Computer Interaction and Organizational Behaviour concepts, our algorithm analyzes the user’s computer input to monitor and visualize personal sitting health, while educating them about the irreversible effects of extended periods of sitting.
TO DRONE OR NOT TO DRONE? INVESTIGATING DRONE DELIVERIES
Group members: Muhammad Altaf, Rupan Dandiwal, Brady Lee, Taha Mirza
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Fatma Gzara
There exists substantive speculation surrounding the feasible application of drone technology in various industries. Logistics giants such as DHL and Amazon have begun testing parcel deliveries using drones. Despite exponential advancement of drone technology, major technical and economic concerns exist regarding the practicality and value of parcel delivery via drones. This translates into a crucial need for a decision-making aide that allows businesses to evaluate drone deliveries. Our team has designed a tool that investigates the feasibility and benefit of deploying drones for commercial parcel deliveries based on a given distribution network.
RETAILQUANT: DATA VISUALIZATION AND ANALYTICS FOR A LARGE-SCALE RETAILER
Group members: Gurjyot Nanda, Murtaza Marvi, Behram Qazi, Harshil Valand
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Stan Dimitrov
Choithrams is one of the largest superstores in the United Arab Emirates. In the growing retail environment, sales managers require a system that allows them to monitor their performance and make operational decisions in a timely manner. Our solution, RetailQuant, is a centralized web analytics platform which enables managers to not only view all their reports in one place but also predict key performance indicators such as sales performance and inventory levels. By leveraging Choithrams’ current IT infrastructure, our system uses data visualizations and advanced forecasting methods to improve information access and deliver cost-saving business insights.
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AT MEALSPIRATIONS
Group members: Zichao Chen, Lucille Li, Kyle Zheng
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Ken McKay
Mealspirations provides an online grocery service, allowing customers to select and order meals they want to prepare for the following week. Mealspirations then packages and delivers the groceries along with meal recipes. Currently, cross-referencing and ingredient calculation are performed manually, and are time consuming and prone to error. Our software automates these tasks by keeping a library of recipe ingredients and calculates the total groceries needed based on customer orders. Our software will improve Mealspirations’ ordering process by reducing administration time and errors.