Development Of A Mobile-Based Directory For Business Identification And Location

Description

ABSTRACT

Over the years, various business directories have been implemented and deployed to improve business identification or location by customers or other businesses. However, there are still improvements that could be done. Business identification and location is one major way that can facilitate the continual growth of businesses in a nation and the need to access businesses with ease. The aim of this study is to develop a mobile-based directory for business identification and location. The model adapted for this work is the Model, View and Controller (MVC) model and the top-down design approach. The implementation was achieved using PHP programming language, VueJs, Push Envoy and MySQL database. System validation testing results shows the implemented system can effectively identify and locate businesses within a given geographical location.

www.codemint.net/computer-science/development-of-a-mobile-based-directory-for-business-identification-and-location/index.htm

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Title Page……………………………………………………………………………………i

Declaration…………………………………………………………………………………ii

Certification………………………………………………………………………………..iii

Dedication………………………………………………………………………………….iv

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………v

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………….vi

Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………..vii

List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………….x

List of Figures ………………………………………………………………………………xi

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background to the Study………………………………………………………………1

1.2    Statement of Problem…………………………………………………………………1

1.3    Aim and Objectives of Study…………………………………………………………2

1.4    Significance of the Study……………………………………………………………..2

1.5    Scope and Limitation of Study………………………………………………………..3

1.6    Definition of Terms……………………………………………………………………3

 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Information and Communication Technology…………….……………………………6

2.2 Overview of Directory………………………………………….………………………7

2.2.1 Categories of Directory….………………………..………………..…………………9

Web Directory ……………………………………………….……………………..11

Yellow Pages………………………………….……………………..………………11

Business Directory ………………………….…..………………………….…..….12

Telephone Directory ……………………………………………….………………13

City Directory ……………………………….………………….………………….13

2.3       Identification and Location Technologies….……………………….………………15

2.4       Related Works…………………………………………………………….………..16

CHAPTER THREE: SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

3.1       Analysis of the current system………………………………………………………21

3.2       Limitations of the existing system………………………………………………….21

3.3       Justification of the new system……………………………………………………..24

3.4       Methodology………………………………………………………………………..24

3.5       Data Collection……………………………………………………………………..31

3.6       Database Design……………………………………………………………………32

CHAPTER FOUR: SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION, TESTING AND INTEGRATION

4.1       Choice of Programming Language………………………………………………….37

4.2       The System Main Menu Implementation…………………………………………..40

4.3       Push Notification Activation …….…………………………………………………41

4.4       Business View Implementation……………….……………………………………42

4.5       Authentication Page…..…………………………………………………………….43

4.6       User Dashboard Implementation…….………………………………………………44

4.7       Add Location Implementation……………………………………………………….45

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1    Summary………………………………………………………………………………53

5.2    Findings and Discussion………………………………………………………………53

5.3    Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………54

5.4    Recommendations…………………………………………………………………….54

5.5    Suggestions for Further Work…………………………………………………………54

References…………………………………………………………………………………..55

Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………….57

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE	PAGE
1: Analysis of the Existing System	21
2: Justification of the New System	24
3: Unit Testing	48
4: Integration Testing	50

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE	PAGE
2.1: NGCONTACTS	16
2.2: VCONNECT	18
2.3: Zillow	19
3.1: SDLC phases	25
3.2: MVC Model	29
3.3: User request flow in MVC model	30
3.4: Step-by-step user request flow on application built with MVC model	31
3.5: Entity Relationship Diagram	34
3.6: Architectural Design of the Proposed System	35
3.7: Use Case Diagram of the Propose System	36
4.1: Xampp Server	39
4.2: Main Menu	41
4.3: Push Notifications Activation	42
4.4: Business View	43
4.5: Authentication Page	44
4.6: User Dashboard	45
4.7: Add Location of a business	46
4.7: Android Views	47

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                        INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of Study

The continuous advancement in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, has improved a lot the Nation, making life easier for individual, organization and institution. Every field now see the importance of ICT as the world goes global and tend towards ubiquitous computing. Advancement in ICT has also reduced time taken to complete tasks or activities, because many tasks can now be automated with the help of technology improving the manual way of processing, storing, accessing, communicating and providing information from one person to another or among group of people.The role of information is inevitable in our daily lives. Information is extremely important to the successful performance of any organisation. The constant and steady stream of communication and information helps to build credibility and reflect a sense of transparency in our daily interaction. Various people assemble together for the purpose of communicating with one another towards achieving personal or organisation goal.

The latest development in business activities demands for easy access to the location of businesses their service(s) or product(s) so that effective transaction will be achieved always. If the information about businesses are known within a country, it will boost the economic activities of such country because customers will access them easily.

This study therefore, aim to explore new functionalities and technologies for developing a directory for business identification and location.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Over the years, various businesses directory have been implemented and deployed to improve business identification or location by customers or other businesses. However, there are still improvements that could be done.

This study aim to address the issue of business listing in Nigeria country and to allow companies have a wider range of business view.

The issue of unemployment is the country is growing and business around may have job opportunities that they want to advertise to the general public, this study will also look at how to provide a solution to it.

Another problem is the poor network access and users have to use more data due to the heavy and slow loading of applications, but with the new system it will be optimized to load faster.

1.3       AIM AND OBJECTIVES

This project is aimed to develop a mobile based directory for business identification and location. The following specific objectives will help in achieving the stated aim:

• To access the current business directories in terms of functionalities and technologies used.
• To design a new directory for easy business identification and location using enhanced technology (Laravel, VueJs, MySQL and Push Envoy).
• To implement the proposed business directory.
• To validate the proposed business directory.

1.4        SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is purposefullyto address the problem of poor access to business locations and services within the Nigeria. As such, the study will be beneficial to business owners, customers and the federal government.

Benefits:

• Business

The business owners will benefit from the system as it will provide them with solutions that will increase their target market. Some of the benefit for the business owners are:

• Reduce the problem of poor access to business locations and services: many businesses are not being patronized not because they don’t sell quality products or render good services but they can’t be located by potential customers. But with the new system, business locations will be available to customers.
• Increase target audience: With the new system the business owners will be able to reach out to a larger number of potentials customers and this will increase the business sales and increase profit.
• Advertise job vacancies: with the new system the business owners can now easily advertise job vacancies to the public and with this they can easily employ more work force to the business.

• User/Customers

The users of the system will benefit from the following functionalities:

• Easy access to business location: The users will have easy access to business locations this will give the users a helpful guide on how to reach the business. This include the business location and address.
• Access to business services and products: user will have access to view the business products or services been offered by the business.
• Access to business contact address: users can easily get business phone numbers and email address to contact the business owners.

• Federal Government

With a good business grounds in the country the government will benefit from the following:

• Increased payments in tax: with a high increase in business activities, there will be a higher increase in tax payments by business owners and this will increase the economy of the country.
• Reduced Unemployment: With a good business environment more businesses will spring up and it will reduce the rate of unemployment in the country.

1.5       SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The project scope is to develop a more efficient business directory application that runs both on desktop and mobile phone for business identification and location.

The limitation of this project includes but not limited to:

• It is not a new concept but a modification of existing concepts using the new development technology to develop an effective business directory application.
• Learning of new technology
• Integration on third party API’s that may demand charges
• Not every business can be registered

1.6       Definition of Terms

Learning Objects: In the context of this research, a learning-object-is-a-resource with a clear educational-application. It is in digital form – examples: a Microsoft Word Document or a PDF document.

Business Directory: A business directory is an archive, storehouse or container that allows storage, cataloging, accessing all business related information.

Identifier: An identifier is simply a unique identity attached to one object, it aids referencing such object directly when its identifier is requested. An identifier can be a serial number, identity number (also written as ‘ID’) or an index number.

Object: An object in the context of this research refers to a project record returned by a database – queried using an Object Oriented Programming (OOP) approach. An object (i.e. a business record) returns or contains the business name, business email, phone, address, location, category and the date and time the object record was created.

Database: A database is a repository that allows storage, retrieval and manipulation of data. A database can be used efficiently with the aid of a Database Management System (DBMS) – it comprises of tools that allows storage, access, retrieval and maintenance of data stored in a database, examples of DBMS include XAMPP, WAMP, LAMP and AppServ to mention a few. A database understands only the Structured Query Language (SQL) which is used to communicate with it, popular databases used by well-known Information Technology (IT) firms include are MySQL, Oracle and Django DB.

Web-Browser: A web-browser-is-software program that interprets the codes written in markup languages in graphic and visual (like images, text, audio or animation) form. This allows users to easily request and access a website or to search for information through a search engine (either Google, Ask, Bing and AOL among others).

Keyword:A phrase or just one word that is used to search for a certain result or set of results.

User: A user is system, application, request or person that can use a computer or software to perform a specific task.

Metadata: A set of data that describes and gives information about other data.

Dataset: A collection of related game plans of information that is made out of disengaged segments however can be controlled as a unit by a PC.

Relational Database: A database composed to see association among relations of information delineates tables from which data can be gotten to or reassembled in different courses without rearranging the database tables.