School of Engineering and Computing

UCLan Coursework Assessment Brief

2024/25

Module Title: Software Development 2

Module Code: EL2311

BEng

Recording and analysing UAAV movements with  a database.

This assessment is worth 50% of the overall module mark

THE BRIEF/INSTRUCTIONS

The following Learning outcomes will be assessed in this assessment

· 1. Develop appropriate software solutions to technological problems.

· 2. Describe and apply features of an object oriented programming language.

· 3. Effectively exploit the programming language and development environments.

· 4. Effectively apply software design and development principles.

Introduction and background

Students will be provided with the following software (on blackboard) :

An SQL-Lite database file.

A client program that generates an XML file with data.

The aim of the coursework is to give students practical experience in object oriented software development by implementing a system in an object oriented language (C#) that involves a number of real-world engineering applications (reading standard data format (XML), database access and storage, user interface design).

The System.

The UCLan autonomous all-terrain Vehicle (UAAV) is in testing phase, the UAAV has been designed to navigate extremely remote and hazardous locations and as such there will be many times when direct communication will not be possible.  With this in mind a system has been designed that monitors various metrics around the vehicle and saves the data to a file.  The system saves a snapshot of readings once every 5 minutes whilst operating and saves the result to an XML file for analysis (The client software simulates this by producing an XML file with all the readings for that day).

You have been given the task of writing a software system that can take the readings file, save its contents to a database and allow engineers to access the data.

The XML file contains data on when the readings took place, the UAAV’s speed at the time, its internal cabin temperature, its engine compartment temperature, its fuel level, its battery charge level and shock absorber wear.

The database file (Readings.db) contains a single empty table (UAAVData) that has the following structure :

Where :

· Day is the day the readings took place, this is an integer value set by the user in the client program (note the UAAV is only ever tested once a day).

· RunningTime is the time the UAAV has been running, all tests run over a 5 hour period, this is an integer value showing the time (in minutes) since the tests started.

· Speed is a double indicating the speed in miles per hour that the vehicle is travelling at the time.  After the initial start, a value of 0 indicates that the vehicle has stopped and therefore a fault has occurred.

· CabTemp is a double indicating the internal temperature of the UAAV (in degrees Celsius).

· EngTemp is a double indicating the Engine Temperature (in degrees Celsius).

· Fuel is a double indicating how much fuel is left. The value is a percentage of remaining fuel.

· Battery is a double indicting how much battery charge is left.  The value is a percentage of remaining battery charge.

· ShockWear is a double, this indicates how much stress and strain the UAAV’s shock absorbers have sustained during the test.  The value generated is a unitless metric designed by an unknown engineer who has since left the project.

The databases table has a composite primary key consisting of Day and RunningTime.

Part One - Software development.

The student is required to write a C# program that performs the following actions :

· Reads in an XML file generated by the client program, it should do this cleanly without errors and should be able to handle a malformed or non XML file being selected with an error to the user but without a program crash .

· Permanently stores the data in the database file.

· Allows a novice user to run some basic queries on the database. (See below)

· Allows expert users to run custom SQL queries on the database. (See below)

There are two types of user that you need to account for when writing this program.

1) Novice Users.  These users know no SQL or database theory at all, they need to be able to retrieve simple information out of the database.  The information your program should allow them access to is as follows : 

i) For a user selected day, the maximum and average readings of the following sensors (Speed, CabTemp, EngTemp, ShockWear)

ii) For a user selected day, the minimum readings of the following sensors (Fuel, Battery)

iii) For a user selected day, all the readings (along with time) if the UAAV breaks down (see later)

iv) A report showing all successful runs, all runs that resulted in a breakdown and all runs that completed successfully but were considered a failure (see later). 

2) Expert User.  These users should be allowed to write any SQL query they wish and have it run against the database.  The program should return sensible errors any time the SQL written is not valid.  The expert users should NOT be allowed to add, modify or delete data from the database.

Break Downs.

The UAAV never stops moving in the test once it starts, any value of 0 in the speed attribute indicates a failure (all subsequent values for speed after that for the test will also be 0, the UAAV can not self repair). 

 Things that can cause a break down are :

· Running out of fuel.

· Draining the battery.

· The engine overheating.

· Excessive shock wear.

 For the latter two the value at which the system breaks is currently unknown.

Although it does not cause a break down (I.E. the UAAV will continue moving) if the internal cabin temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius the test is considered a failure, due to it being an unsuitable environment to transport people.

Part Two - Documentation

Students are required to produce a report that details their development of the program written for part one.  The report should include the following sections :

· Development description.  A detailed account of what the student did in order to produce the submitted program.  This may include diagrams showing data / process flow and control, UML etc., any necessary assumptions made, testing details, explanation of algorithms used etc. 

· Testing plans to ensure the software is working correctly, this include (but is not limited to) XML file loading, database queries, and database protection.  

· Brief discussion on ideas for improving the program, this discussion is theoretical and the student is not expected to implement changes, therefore the discussion should not be limited to changes that are either within the student’s ability range or within the time allocated for the coursework.

· The student should also provide an estimate on the working limits of the UAAV’s engine temperature and shock wear and explain how they estimated these figures.

· Brief discussion section that include how a system such as this could operate in real-world conditions with autonomous vehicles.

Word count for the report (not including tables, diagrams and code) should not exceed 2000 words.

Mark Allocation.

The breakdown of the marks for the assignment is as follows :

Part One – Software Development (Total 70%)

Part Two – Report (Total 30%)

Software should be appropriately commented and should employ the techniques and principles of object oriented programming demonstrated in the lectures and labs where appropriate.

Reports should be produced to a professional standard, reports that are badly formatted and/or contain numerous examples of poor grammar/punctuation/spelling may be penalised.

Check that your program works on the standard lab machines, programs that do not compile on a lab PC in CM034 (due to missing libraries, wrong file paths etc.) will be given a bare pass at best.

The marking scheme / grid is attached in Appendix A.

Advice and Hints.

· Get a basic working version of the program working first before trying any of the difficult additions (calculating UAAV failure etc.).  

· Backup your work frequently, then you can return to an earlier version if things don’t work.

· Start small and build.

· Although there are different ways to access databases than the ways shown in the lab, the way used is the Microsoft recommended way and it works.  Students that use methods different from the lab exercises (for example methods found on the internet) do so at their own risk with the knowledge that instructors may not be familiar with that method.

· Do not expect markers to install external libraries, frameworks etc other than those covered in the lab.   

· Put any files used (database files etc.) in the bin/debug directory to avoid filepath issues.

PREPARATION FOR THE ASSESSMENT

· XML file handling was covered in lab 12

· Database access / SQL was covered in labs 13 and 14, students should use the code given in these labs for this work.

· Students will be given time during lab sessions to work on the assignment with guided assistance.

· The assignment will be explained and students given the opportunity to clarify any points in a lab session, and the recording will be placed on Blackboard.

RELEASE DATES AND HAND IN DEADLINE

.                      

Assessment Deadline Date and time (Report): 06/4/25 11.59pm

Please note that this is the final time you can submit – not the time to submit!

Your feedback/feed forward and mark for this assessment will be provided on Blackboard after 15 working days

SUBMISSION DETAILS

Submit a a zip file containing the Visual Studio project and your report.  This to be uploaded to Blackboard (TurnItIn) before 06/4/25 11.59pm

HELP AND SUPPORT

· For support with using library resources, please contact  Neil Marshall [email protected] or [email protected]. You will find links to lots of useful resources in the My Library tab on Blackboard.

· If you have not yet made the university aware of any disability, specific learning difficulty, long-term health or mental health condition, please complete a Disclosure Form.  The Inclusive Support team will then contact to discuss reasonable adjustments and support relating to any disability.  For more information, visit the Inclusive Support site.

· To access mental health and wellbeing support, please complete our online referral form. Alternatively, you can email [email protected], call 01772 893020 or visit our UCLan Wellbeing Service pages for more information.

· If you have any other query or require further support you can contact The <i>, The Student Information and Support Centre.  Speak with us for advice on accessing all the University services as well as the Library services. Whatever your query, our expert staff will be able to help and support you. For more information , how to contact us and our opening hours visit Student Information and Support Centre.

· If you have any valid mitigating circumstances that mean you cannot meet an assessment submission deadline and you wish to request an extension, you will need to apply online prior to the deadline.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this assessment brief is correct at time of publication. In the unlikely event that any changes are deemed necessary, they will be communicated clearly via e-mail and a new version of this assessment brief will be circulated.

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