ICAA5151B Gather data to identify business requirements

Have you ever been stopped on the street by a market researcher? Firstly, they usually ask you some screening question to make sure you fit the target profile, then they go on and ask specific questions about product x, y and z. Something like what you like or don't like about the product, how you use the products, which one do you buy, and so on. You may not be aware that you are taking part of a formal data gathering process to identify consumer requirements. Businesses do much the same with their employees, extracting information to improve organisational performance. This unit (ICAA5151A) provides information and activities to enable you to gain the skills required to identify the needs of a business or business process and quantify those needs into technical requirements that will enable the business or process to meet expectations.

Gather data through formal processes

NSW TAFE is developing plans for a mobile demonstration unit for ICT sustainability.

A classroom connected to a caravan is required. The caravan will have solar panels and batteries fitted. It is proposed to power 18 computers with this setup.

Gather data to enable you to design a low powered PC network.

ICAA5151B Gather data to identify business requirements

Name: Date:

What data would you highlight?

·  Entire network must be powered from caravan.

·  Solar cells and batteries.

·  Expensive.

What data would you possibly omit?

·  Type of caravan.

How would you present the data in your report and/or your presentation?

·  Bar graphs showing power usage, power ratios, costings and so forth.

Prioritise the requirements of the design:

1. Desired amount of Power

2. Duration Power can run for.

3. Efficiency of power.

Sketch of proposed architecture and internetworking to satisfy requirements:

·  Cover caravan in solar panels.

·  These will charge many batteries.

·  Even conservatively, computers run by TAFE have 200w PSU, they use some 100w easily. Thus we need at least 1800w just for the computers, let alone screens, servers, printers, routers. Assume upwards of 5000w.

·  It is unlikely a caravan could power this. On a cloudy day, with no sun, the batteries could not sustain the room. Even if you installed wind power, without a set up to rival the wind farm at Blayney, there is little hope of powering the room- and that’s if it’s windy. Which today it isn’t…

Suggested hardware to satisfy requirements

Item / URL / Cost / Notes
Lower power pc / http://www.lowpowerpcs.co.uk/ / Some 300 pounds. / Small, but expensive.

Suggested software to satisfy requirements

Item / URL / Cost / Notes
Windows 7 / www.microsoft.com / $199 and up. / Built in power saving.

Suggested options and recommendations:

Honestly this is an unfeasible, unworkable, highly expensive means of power reduction. It does nothing for the environment, let’s not forget where all the metal and plastics for the new pcs and parts come from, and batteries aren’t full of exactly nice elements. If you actually wanted to assist the environment- rather than make a politically null statement- it would be better to lobby the government to install nuclear fission technology or better yet nuclear fusion. At the moment nuclear fission waste is a cause for concern for some, however in Australia we can store it properly and safely, and unlike carbon, it will degrade over time. Or better yet, burry it in a sub oceanic trench it will slowly be absorbed into the outer mantel of the Earth posing a threat to no one.