Connected Devices Weekly Update/2017-01-26

Revised SensorWeb Timeline

• Building test units of the SensorWeb device and the manufacture of those devices have been delayed, pending a final budget decision. The overall project timeline has been adjusted accordingly. At this point, we're running about 5 weeks behind the original schedule for the manufacture of the devices.

Beta Service and Developer Offering

• Team is working on the deliverables for the beta service and developer offering.
• Sprint 6, ending January 26th, has been focused on Favorites and the behavior when launching the the app (mobile and website) and authentication. A lot of work has been completed on the user interactions and wireframes have been updated.

• Upcoming sprints will focus on developer access.

SensorWeb SDK

• A SensorThings SDK for developers consisting of Web Service endpoints, documentation for SensorWeb, example code, and release notes for developer who wish to have early access to SensorWeb web services. Additionally, we will add access control to our SensorWeb Cloud service through client and user authentication. We will have this available as a closed beta to developers who wish to have early access. Included in this release is API authentication.
• This release will be an “early release”, not intended for large scale commercial deployment. It sets a foundation for further development. The objectives are:
  • Engage developers in the community to use the SensorWeb platform
  • Test our SensorWeb API for usability, reliability and completeness for both custom-defined devices and our devices and solicit feedback via closed beta for the SDK
• Demonstrate an early consumer-facing service offering utilizing PM2.5, temperature and humidity data in a visualization
• Give developers (contributors) the ability to add /remove/modify devices that they own
• Enable developers to add devices compatible with our SensorWeb Device

SensorWeb Device

• As a reminder, the SensorWeb device has not yet been manufactured. About 25 early boards have been produced and distributed to internal members of the SensorWeb project team for testing and development purposes.

• Gateway Spike
  • Put together an early draft of an architecture proposal for the gateway implementation
  • Discussing technical details of Gateway implementation
  • Working on ZigBee adapter implementation for Q1 gateway spike
  • Experimenting with ZeroMQ for Q1 gateway spike - End to end sample with a broker architecture
  • Created an early draft of a Web Thing API, focused on the initial simple use case for the Q1 gateway spike (turn a smart plug on and off).

• Secure Communication Spike
  • Deep dive into identified approaches
  • Brain storming on each approach with Mozilla security team

• Meeting with few MoFo/GigCity funded startups to discuss CD Whitepaper

• Release of the Magnet application at the end of Q1 has been delayed since we are waiting for key resources as the Visual Design and the Content Curator.
• This week will finish the first version of the Wireframes, that is being reviewed by all the team and during the following two weeks, Francis will create a version of the application in Invision (mockup) that will be used for a Usability Test
• The Usability Test is planned to be done in Vancouver with fewer number of participants and Mihalea's offered to do the recruitment herself. Early feedback will give us more time to guide the visual design.
• Sprint 11 (January 23th - Feb 3rd) started this week
  • Last sprint (Sprint 10) we worked hard on the React components, so we are in good shape to finish them this week. We finished the App Navigation and Deep linking tasks but we couldn't move too far in the Backend part.
  • During this sprint 11, we are not going to have visuals yet, we need to do all the work that doesn't require UI: Finishing all the React Components and all the backend part including the libraries and API.

Updated Time plan

Milestones

• UX Wireframes (first Iteration): 27/01/2017
• Usability Testing: 24/02/2017
• Visual Design of the app finished: Planned on 24/02/2017 -> Delayed 3-4 weeks
• Street Art content included in the Metadata Server: March 31
• Beta version of the application ready in the stores: Planned on March 31 -> Delayed 3-4 weeks
• Marketing campaign launched: planned during April 2017 -> Delayed 3-4 weeks

Resourcing

• Pending resource funding decisions are a risk the overall schedule. QA assistance and a visual designer are needed to finish up the app.
• Backup plan is for project team members to do QA testing. Team has also discussed using community help for QA and engagement of members of the accessibility community.
• Team will also reach out to visual designers within Mozilla who are outside of CD.
• Also wanted to start some work on the hardware side, but need industrial design help for that. This is currently on hold, pending the funding decision. We won’t be able to make our Q1 goal around ID. Waiting on final budget decisions before doing any more work on the device.

App Progress

• Planning and design work was conducted this week for the app.
• Focus has been on diagramming the desired user interactions, with lots of collaboration within the team taking place.

• We want to provide a good user experience, especially because our users are visually impaired. We want to get the user experience right. There will be a lot of testing in this area.
• Also want to achieve speed and accuracy in matching. Low error rate is important.
• Front-end work as well as work on image capture and matching is progressing in Sprint 2, which ends Jan 31.
• Team is discussing the best way to conduct testing. TestFlight is still being considered, but the team is also discussing the pre-loading of the app. on smartphones and then distributing those for testing.
• Team has held marketing discussions around the best ways to target users and to provide information about the app and what it does.