A University of Alberta (U of A) student project team will be going head-to-head with community leaders to explain and pitch the Volunteer Steward smartphone Application.
Smartphones are now an essential part of modern life, why not use them in the most ancient areas still in existence in Alberta – our Protected Areas. The UofA team will present their application to ‘friendly’ Dragon’s Den on:
- April 4, 2024, 1200-1300h (MST) via a virtual Dragon’s Den.
- >>> Link to the Dragon’s Den <<<
- Background
- Business Need – Safe Inspections
- Concept Product for Protected Area Inspections and Visits
- The Panel and Audience
- The Results and Next Steps
- Further Reading
- Please Hire the Team!
Background
‘The University of Alberta (U of A) runs a social innovation unit within the Faculty of Arts called Community Service-Learning (CSL)’. They work with students and faculty from across the university to engage communities in their courses. CSL gives students the opportunity to work and make a difference with a local community group, while putting their experiences in context within a university course. Partnerships provide opportunities to gain valuable experience, and to contribute and increase their awareness of the social, economic, and political life of their community.
SAPAA partnered with CSL for two projects. One was indirectly discussed in a previous blog, Consultant Cage Fight and was the subject of that program’s Question. This session involves a different team whose project was to build a smart phone application.
- Client: Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas (SAPAA)
- Program: Computer Science 401 Capstone Project. Software Process and Product Management. All phases of software development are reviewed from a process perspective.
- Project Summary: SAPAA currently has a prototype site inspection form which is web based. SAPAA wants to understand what benefits and costs a phone-based application would provide.
- Deliverables:
- A ‘working proof of concept’ v2024-Winter.
- This tool will be fully functional and may be deployed based on its state of readiness.
- An assessment of the viability, benefits, issues, costs, and challenges of adopting a phone-based site inspection tool.
Business Need – Safe Inspections
Why a smart phone application? The Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas launched an online inspection form in 2023 as part of its efforts to re-invent itself and take over some of the functions formerly run by the Alberta Government.
The 2023 version was intended as a minimum viable product and has worked surprisingly well given its proof of concept nature. Missing from this version were two critical elements, the feature richness of the smart phone and occupational health and safety (OHS) functionality. The need for a OHS compliance was discussed in detail in 2023 at the CPA Alberta conference Safety and the Volunteer: How to Comply With/Excel at AB’s OHS Requirements and the follow up use case Easy Bake Safety.
Concept Product for Protected Area Inspections and Visits
The student team will present their build of a phone based application that supports site inspections and has ‘safety baked in’.
The question to the panel and the audience is how well did the team do? Is the user interface suitable for someone wearing gloves at -20C? What features would a typical user appreciate and which ones are future enhancements? Would anyone use it, can elements be repurposed to other functions? If you are an investor, and assuming there is a market for such an application, what questions would you be asking?
The Panel and Audience
- 1200h – Welcome and Introductions – Hans Potter
- 1202h – 8 minutes of fame – Sebastian Sekowski
- 1210h – 30 minutes – Dragon questions
- 1240h – 15 minutes – Mob rule and questions
- 1258h – 2 minutes – close and comments
Technical Feasibility. Is the application feasible and has the group reasonable considered the full enterprise architecture framework. What is needed in the next version to mitigate significant missing elements. What improvements could be made to the UX, is it usable by the typical and potential user-demographic, what is needed to support 10, 100, or 10,000 users?
Chris Izquierdo is the CEO of Sparrow Connected and has board experiences in the public and private sectors including the Edmonton Screen Industry Office, NAIT’s Mawji Centre for Entrepreneurship, Alberta Business Link and Cerebra Health. Chris has a degree in computer science and has received over 35 awards including RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant, one of 10 Most Influential Hispanics in Canada, and E&Y Prairies Entrepreneur of the Year.
Data Relevance. Which questions are most relevant to make ecological public policy decisions and what additional information (photos, videos, sound recording, pH or water measurements, etc.) would augment the relevance.
Kristyn Mayner is passionate about Edmonton’s natural areas, their biodiversity and the importance of wetland ecosystems. She holds an MSc degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences. A registered Professional Biologist, she currently works as an Executive Advisor in the Office of the Chief Scientist, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas. She also volunteers as a Director with the Alberta Native Plant Council and Edmonton and Area Land Trust, aligning her knowledge and skills with like-minded organizations wherever she can.
Safety and Emergency Response. What questions or elements can be added to the Toolbox section to ensure reasonably compliance with OHS and a safe volunteer experience?
Ted Luyckx has nearly 2 decades of experience as a safety professional in large industrial settings. Mostly recently, Ted has run his own company. Ted is also the Safety Lead for the Canadian Birkebeiner Society; 15 minutes.
User Experience, Is the tool relevant and useful in the field. Does the interface make sense, how ‘reading glasses’ or -20C friendly is it?
Tony Blake, when not a conductor for CP Rails (retired, 2009), he has been outside – his passion. His retirement job as a vegetation manager takes him across Alberta and Saskatchewan to assess what is growing in oil refineries to nature reserves. He graduate from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1976 in the engineering technology program and has been a strong support for SAPAA visiting many of the provincial natural areas.
Hans Potter, B.A. (Moderator) has been involved in the performing arts from a very young age. He strives to combine dual loves of the academics of acting and being in front of a camera or an audience. When not acting, he is directing, teaching, and raising a family in Vancouver.
Hans is always interested in discussing jobs and projects needing leadership, great communications, a good dose of fun-common-sense. He lives with his wife and children in North Vancouver.
A series of audience polls will also help the student team (and SAPAA) better understand directions for the next version of the application.
The Results and Next Steps
The results of this session will be used to flesh out a potential launch of the application, application for funding to build and operate it, or other potential futures.
Further Reading
Links to screen shots for the application (as of March 4, 2024) as well as the original design specifications:
- March 4, 2024 Interim Screenshots for the Application.
- Design and Initiation Document.
- SAPAA v2023 Site Inspection Form
- Example of a Site Inspection Report: 2023-10-01: Nestow
- Select User Guides for the 2023 Online Version of the Site Inspection Report
- Site Inspection Form – Trust but Verify
Please Hire the Team!
On a personal note, the team has been a delight to work with. If you are looking to hire a smart person for a techno-business role, look no further. Their Linked In-link, graduation dates and technical focuses are listed.
Sebastian Sekowski (team lead) is an aspiring computer programmer in his 4th year. He is taking a combined computer science major and a Biology minor. Sebastian is passionate about merging technology and biology to innovate solutions for a sustainable future.
When not coding or studying, he is exploring nature trails, pushing my limits in the gym, or performing with orchestras on my violin.
Aaron Boyd is in his 4th and final year of Computer Science at the University of Alberta. He loves using his skills to find creative solutions to problems and is a keen team player on projects such as this one.
When I am not working on a software project, I’m outside skiing or kayaking, or playing video games with my friends.
Bao Nguyen, a Computer Science student, is passionate about technology and innovation and how to use it to solve real-world problems. Always a curious learner, he loves to explore new technologies, cultures, and languages. He is particularly enthusiasic about front-end web and app development. and how to make digital tools more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Kristina Anfilofieff is a 4th-year Computer Science major; she has a passion about technology and programming. “I find joy in crafting solutions that not only work but exceed expectations”.
When she is not coding, she is engrossed in a good book, diving into the virtual worlds of gaming, or tending to her beloved cat. She take immense pride in her work and is open to opportunities for growth and collaboration in the tech industry.
Martin Mullappallil Johney, a 4th year Computer Science major, built his first Android app in Java in 2020 and has been hooked ever since. Since then, he has work at a Top 100 University, an Oil & Gas company, a non-profit, and a large financial institution.
His passions include building digital products, new technical tools, mountain biking, skiing, and binge-watching The Office on repeat.
Michael Wolowyk, a 4th year Computer Science major has been coding for 8 years. He loves to try new things and opportunities such as AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing.
He has worked in a pharmacy for 5 years and his end goal is to merge medicine and computing. Outside the classroom he practices karate, the guitar, and skiing (but not at the same time).
Organizational Biology 
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