Android Question Options for a boardroom voting app

JamesGreaves · Aug 11, 2018

Please would anyone advise me with the communication options I could use in this scenario:

1 x chairman, many members. They need to vote on a number of proposals, 1 at a time.

1. The chairman creates a list of proposals on the agenda.
2. At voting time, he releases the first proposal from his Android/Apple phone.
3. Each member receives a notification instantly and votes according the the options presented.
4. The chairman's phone receives the votes for each proposal.

This could happen via SMS's, but sometimes that is slow and sometimes there is no Network connection.
What is the ultimate, totally awesome, best way in the world, kinda way to do this?

Erel · Aug 12, 2018

How can they communicate if there is no network connection?

AHilton · Aug 12, 2018

JamesGreaves said:
... What is the ultimate, totally awesome, best way in the world, kinda way to do this?

Option 1: Replace the board members with magical sea-slugs that read the chairmans' mind and agree with everything he/she/it thinks.
Option 2: Take the company/organization private and gain total control over it thereby negating the need for voting.
Otherwise: One way might be to set up your own, private wifi network in the boardroom that the board members would connect to. Perhaps something as simple as an ESP8266 module to setup an ad-hoc network when needed (voting is required). It's private, easy to setup/move/hide and it's a little bit 'awesome'. Nothing is 'ultimate' or 'best way'. If you can't rely on cell network availability and infrastructure networking might be a problem (need for security, setup, reliability) then you'll need to setup your own network somehow.

JamesGreaves · Aug 13, 2018

AHilton said:
Option 1: Replace the board members with magical sea-slugs that read the chairmans' mind and agree with everything he/she/it thinks.
Option 2: Take the company/organization private and gain total control over it thereby negating the need for voting.
Otherwise: One way might be to set up your own, private wifi network in the boardroom that the board members would connect to. Perhaps something as simple as an ESP8266 module to setup an ad-hoc network when needed (voting is required). It's private, easy to setup/move/hide and it's a little bit 'awesome'. Nothing is 'ultimate' or 'best way'. If you can't rely on cell network availability and infrastructure networking might be a problem (need for security, setup, reliability) then you'll need to setup your own network somehow.

OK, OK, thank you, AHilton maybe I deserved that.
Call me crazy but perhaps there are other options, if we think outside the box.

Thanks I like your suggestion, it is a good possibility.

JamesGreaves · Aug 13, 2018

Erel said:
How can they communicate if there is no network connection?

Hi Erel, I appreciate your attention. I don't mean to butter you up with the following comment but I am honestly amazed by what you have created in B4X and the support you offer. I think you are a remarkable person. I am about to make a career change relying on B4A completely.

I do not want to waste your time but I humbly ask for you attention for 2 minutes.
With the authority you have in the field of mobile technology and programming, you are the only person I know who can truly answer this question.

Mobile devices have the ability to transmit and receive in a number of way.

Transmit/Output signal:
1. Audio Speaker
2. Audio Jack
3. Screen
4. Torch light
5. Wifi
6. Bluetooth
7. Vibration
8. IR
9....

Receive/Input signal:
1. Built-in Mic
2. Mic Jack
3. Touch Screen
4. Buttons
5. Wifi
6. Bluetooth
7. Orientation
8. Magnetic (Compass Sensor)
9. GPS
10. Camera
11. FM Radio pickup
12....

This opens up MANY ways for communication between 2 devices, without a "formal" network.

EMITTER >>>> ))))))DETECTOR

OUT OF THE BOX EXAMPLES
1. The CAMERA on device A can detect when the LIGHT on device B is on.
2. The MIC on device A can detect when the SPEAKER on device B is plays a certain sound/pitch.

Beside the "normal" ways of connecting and handshaking devices through Wifi and Bluetooth, what other ways are there?

For example, is it not possible for device B to simple detect the basic PRESENCE of Wifi or Bluetooth? Of course!

So how quickly can a bluetooth or wifi device be turned on and off (morse code style)?
And then how quickly can device B pickup the presence and absence of that signal?

There may be other ways too send and received signals.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards
James

LucaMs · Aug 13, 2018

JamesGreaves said:
This could happen via SMS's, but sometimes that is slow and sometimes there is no Network connection.

Erel said:
How can they communicate if there is no network connection?

JamesGreaves said:
Bluetooth

BlueTooth is the only option, in this case (no network connection), I think.

I "love" that drink

Don Oso · Aug 14, 2018

Here in Chile a Girl Creates apps that receive information over radio waves using de mic of the phone, the systems its used to alert the people in catastrophe situations.https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/innovators-under-35/2018/inventor/barbarita-lara/

Mesh network https://github.com/RightMesh/HelloMesh

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-t...obile-phones-without-a-phone-network-android/

http://www.servalproject.org/

App Ready : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.servalproject

Maybe its one way.

Erel · Aug 14, 2018

The non-wifi based options are possible but are much more complicated and limited. You need to decide what is your main use case: local network, over the internet or no network at all.

Check this tutorial for a list of many of the possible communication methods: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/b4x-the-networkers-guide-to-the-galaxy.68974/#content

JamesGreaves · Aug 19, 2018

Don Oso said:
Here in Chile a Girl Creates apps that receive information over radio waves using de mic of the phone, the systems its used to alert the people in catastrophe situations.https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/innovators-under-35/2018/inventor/barbarita-lara/

Mesh network https://github.com/RightMesh/HelloMesh

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-t...obile-phones-without-a-phone-network-android/

http://www.servalproject.org/

App Ready : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.servalproject

Maybe its one way.

VERY VERY INTERESTING, Thanks

JamesGreaves · Aug 19, 2018

Erel said:
The non-wifi based options are possible but are much more complicated and limited. You need to decide what is your main use case: local network, over the internet or no network at all.

Check this tutorial for a list of many of the possible communication methods: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/b4x-the-networkers-guide-to-the-galaxy.68974/#content

WOW, this is amazing!!!

AHilton · Aug 19, 2018

Here's another one using a sophisticated combination of sound and light as a network communications method ...

1. The chairman has a mobile device (phone, for example) app that has the agenda on it in a selectable list. Once pressed, a particular agenda items' text representation is then sent through the devices' speaker (which, depending on the size of the room, attendees, etc. may need to be routed through an external sound wave amplification device ... but, if properly modulated, shouldn't affect the next part) to the board members.

B. The board members have another app (could be the same app but different screens, aka 'activities' than the chairmans) that will be waiting to receive that agenda item to be voted on in sound wave form from the chairmans' app. It will convert that to readable text so that the board member can read it. Or just route it through the speaker to their bluetooth connected earplug.

III. To initiate the vote, the same thing happens above. The chairmans' app gives a signal wave form from the speaker - the board members' app picks that up and signals the board member to press a button on their app for their vote.

d. For the information to be passed back to the chairman, the board members' app gives a visual indicator (a color / emoji / different flashes / whatever) on the screen that the chairmans' app is looking for (think: red light cameras or license plate readers technology). Of course, the chairmans' device would probably have to be positioned so that it could receive, accurately, the information from all of the board members. I have some ideas on how that could be achieved in a most excellent, cool way, too. Also, the board members would need to make their own devices visible to the chairman in some way, too. Hmmm, maybe have them, position their devices on some sort of skeletal-like extendable pole (it'd need to be reinforced with a sort of support fibers in order to do the extending / retracting I suppose). Again, I have ideas on how that's achieved ... very organically (modern business still likes that word? or is it too 00's?). Once the vote tally for that agenda item is made, then the same sort of communications methods can be performed to signal that the apps are ready for the next agenda item/vote.

Anyway, that's just a quick outline. Based on quite an old idea, of course, but it has seemed to work for millennia.

JamesGreaves · Aug 19, 2018

AHilton said:
Here's another one using a sophisticated combination of sound and light as a network communications method ...

1. The chairman has a mobile device (phone, for example) app that has the agenda on it in a selectable list. Once pressed, a particular agenda items' text representation is then sent through the devices' speaker (which, depending on the size of the room, attendees, etc. may need to be routed through an external sound wave amplification device ... but, if properly modulated, shouldn't affect the next part) to the board members.

B. The board members have another app (could be the same app but different screens, aka 'activities' than the chairmans) that will be waiting to receive that agenda item to be voted on in sound wave form from the chairmans' app. It will convert that to readable text so that the board member can read it. Or just route it through the speaker to their bluetooth connected earplug.

III. To initiate the vote, the same thing happens above. The chairmans' app gives a signal wave form from the speaker - the board members' app picks that up and signals the board member to press a button on their app for their vote.

d. For the information to be passed back to the chairman, the board members' app gives a visual indicator (a color / emoji / different flashes / whatever) on the screen that the chairmans' app is looking for (think: red light cameras or license plate readers technology). Of course, the chairmans' device would probably have to be positioned so that it could receive, accurately, the information from all of the board members. I have some ideas on how that could be achieved in a most excellent, cool way, too. Also, the board members would need to make their own devices visible to the chairman in some way, too. Hmmm, maybe have them, position their devices on some sort of skeletal-like extendable pole (it'd need to be reinforced with a sort of support fibers in order to do the extending / retracting I suppose). Again, I have ideas on how that's achieved ... very organically (modern business still likes that word? or is it too 00's?). Once the vote tally for that agenda item is made, then the same sort of communications methods can be performed to signal that the apps are ready for the next agenda item/vote.

Anyway, that's just a quick outline. Based on quite an old idea, of course, but it has seemed to work for millennia.

Brilliant! I like the way you are thinking. Thank you, I see you understand the scenario very well too. One to many, then Many to one. If you are interested, I would love to thrash out some more thinking like this. Chat later.

Android Question Options for a boardroom voting app

JamesGreaves

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Erel

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AHilton

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JamesGreaves

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JamesGreaves

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LucaMs

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Don Oso

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Erel

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JamesGreaves

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JamesGreaves

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AHilton

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JamesGreaves

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