Question:
Team Members Full Names:
Answer:
Shawn Mclean,
Derron Brown,
Dwayne Samuels,
Trevoir Williams,
Question:
Mentor:
Answer:
Henry Osborne
Question:
Title of Project:
Answer:
RAIN - (Resource Access Intelligent Network)
Question:
Project Overview:
Answer:
R.A.I.N. is a solution that is being developed to tackle the problem of poverty and hunger. It is a platform that targets the agricultural sector in a bid to increase the productivity of farmers (with an emphasis on small farmers), open up markets for produce, create job opportunities, and allow corporate entities to easily manage large and multiple plots of land. R.A.I.N. currently uses Jamaica as the foundation of its design but the solution can be easily customized to achieve global impact.
Question:
Technology/Software Used:
Answer:
Visual Studio 2008.
Expression Studio.
.NET Framework 3.5 SP1.
Microsoft Silverlight
Windows Mobile 6 SDK.
Windows Communication Foundation
Question:
Inspiration: What inspired your team to enter the Microsoft Imagine Cup and why did you choose the Software Design competition?
Answer:
Our university has been competing in the Imagine Cup since 2005 in the Software Design category and we wanted to carry on the tradition. The mix of goals within the team (Software Dev. - Trevoir & Derron, Game Dev. - Shawn, Interface/Graphic Design - Dwayne) made software the best category for us to compete in this year.
Question:
Team History: How did your team meet?
Answer:
We all started university the same semester in 2006 and ended up in the same classes. We realized that we were on the same wavelength with regards to ambitions and goals and developed a great team chemistry that led to us working on projects together.
Question:
Team Experience: What experience did your team have with Software Design before competing in the Imagine Cup?
Answer:
We gained most of our programming knowledge from research and experience from projects. We have also been successful in several IT based local competitions.
Question:
Highlights: What has been the best part of the Imagine Cup competition to date?
Answer:
The best part to date is the knowledge that we have gained in using different technologies in the development of our solution.
Question:
Inspiration: How did your team come up with your submission? Include which Millennium Development Goal inspired your solution.
Answer:
Our initial idea was aimed at solving most, if not all, the Millennium Goals but we later realized time would not permit this. So we analyzed the current situation in our country and realized the stress the government has placed on the agricultural sector as the driving foe that will make the country self-reliant. Armed with this analysis, we decided to address the problem that will most directly impact agriculture in our country at large and by extension the world.
Question:
Challenges: What personal or technological challenges did your team face while developing your submission?
Answer:
The most outstanding challenge was our lack of personal internet access and proper machines. In addition to that, geographical constraints made it harder for us to meet on as regular a basis as we would have liked
Question:
Future Plans: What does your team plan on doing after the Worldwide Finals in Cairo, Egypt? Do you plan to use your project to launch a new business?
Answer:
We hope to receive funding to finish and launch the project in Jamaica to help bring its agricultural ambitions to fruit. After its success, we will expand it to a Worldwide scale.
Question:
Links to more information (i.e. website, blog):
Answer:
http://www.leftclik.blogspot.com/