APSU’s GIS Center and Oak Ridge Receive $400,000 Grant for Cell Phone App Program

Clarksville, TN – On a stormy Monday afternoon, while tornado sirens blared across the Austin Peay State University campus, Mike Wilson, manager of the school’s Geographic Information Systems Center, decided to talk about natural disasters.

“Suppose a tornado rips through here,” he said, knocking on his wood desk to ward off the suggestion. “If that happens, local officials will need to do a preliminary damage assessment. That’ll go to the state, and the governor will make a decision on whether to call in FEMA for a natural disaster. This app speeds that up.”

Wilson motioned to his Android mobile phone. A year ago, his office, in conjunction with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, developed an innovative new cell phone application known as the Disaster Mitigation and Recovery Kit (DMARK). The application allows emergency responders to document immediately any damage they come across following a disaster. [Read more]

APSU offering new course on mobile app programming

Clarksville, TN – Since the successful launch of its own iPhone app last fall, Austin Peay State University has moved toward another endeavor in mobile application development by offering a new course on programming for handhelds this spring semester, which begins January 13th.

The course, CSCI 3010 Mobile Software Development, will introduce the student to application development for small, mobile devices such as cell phones and smart phones. The class will examine topics including user interface design, application portability, Web protocols, data storage and security on platforms such as Android and iPhone. Apps will be implemented using java on Google’s Android operating system. [Read more]

APSU students, alumnus develop APSU iPhone app

iPhone app launch hoped for in the Fall

Christensen, in fact, after learning he would be working on the development of an APSU app, purchased an iPhone. “I bought one solely for this purpose,” he said.

Development of APSU’s iPhone app began last fall – at a Governors football game. Dr. Tristan Denley, provost and vice president of academic affairs at APSU, approached Dr. Bruce Myers, professor of computer science and information technology, about the idea.

“He said, ‘Do you have any students who could do this?’” Myers said. “ I told him I was not an iPhone person, but that I was sure we could find someone.”

Denley wanted to make sure, though, that student involvement was a key element in the project. [Read more]