Abstract 2011-2012
Integration with a Web Applicationto Create Navigational Instructions for Locations on the Campus of ECSU

http://nia.ecsu.edu/ur/1112/teams/mobile/index.html

Mashups are an exciting genre of interactive Web applications that draw upon content retrieved from external data sources to create entirely new and innovative services. The purpose of the Mobile Applications Research Team was to create an interface mashup in which geographic information and meta data from buildings located on the campus of Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) can be presented to users via mobile platforms. The project includes HTML5 programming which referenced a database that housed information such as location, building establishment date, academic departments, and academic programs. The information was then compiled using a PHP Hypertext Processor (PHP) form to populate a MySQL database. HTML5 coupled with PHP programming was then used to render a mobile web page with both map and database information.

Using Google Map Maker paths, streets, and buildings were created in appropriate geographic locations on the ECSU campus. The Google Maps Application Programming Interface was then used to generate Uniform Resource Locator's to both retrieve user Global Positioning System coordinates and create walking directions to selected locations. The user then had the ability to generate walking directions to locations on the university's campus.