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The Broadband Well – Exploration and prototypical implementation of use cases for lokal very-high speed broadband access points - vergeben / already taken

This project explores the practical value and importance of publicly accessible, very-high speed broadband access points (reaching or exceeding 10 Gbps symmetric) in comparison to today's private, home broadband coverage and lower-speed public access points which are asymmetric and slower by 2 to 4 orders of magnitude.

To start, explore the user's view on the private and business values of such a service. Second, design and realize a prototype access point (e.g. in cooperation with FunkFeuer, Vienna's community network) including the supporting software. For example, implement a Web-based map tool that visualizes whether a user should perform a Web download using their (slower) home connection or rather spend the time traveling to the Broadband Well and back, and perform the download there much more quickly.

Other use case scenarios may include using Internet services other than the Web, to be determined by the concept phase of your thesis. Depending on the specific use cases that should be supported, different technical and conceptual (e.g. legal) challenges arise and must be addressed by the thesis project.

This project is available as a Bachelor's thesis. The COSY research group provides a very-high speed broadband access point (10 Gbps symmetric) on our premises; please note that this access point is only accessible for research (e.g. testing) purposes.

If you are interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) and Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at).


Digitalisierung im Ballsaal

Die Wiener Ballsaison ist nicht nur einzigartig und ein besonderes Erlebnis für alle Besucher, sondern auch ein wichtiger Faktor für den Tourismus, die Wirtschaft und das Image der Stadt Wien. Egal ob auf großen oder kleinen Bällen, im Vordergrund stehen Musik, Tanz und Unterhaltung in eleganter Atmosphäre. Doch auch in den Ballsaal hat auch nach über hundert Jahren die digitale Technik Einzug gehalten. Seien es die Smartphones der Besucher, große Bildschirme auf den Gängen, komplexe Lichtshows oder Barcode-Scanner am Eingang statt der herkömmlichen Eintrittskarte. Die Ballbesucher tanzen und unterhalten sich nicht mehr ausschließlich, sondern posten die schönsten Eindrücke online in diversen sozialen Medien. Am Charakter eines Balles selbst hat sich nun nicht viel geändert. Aber die Möglichkeiten zur Kommunikation, Interaktion und letztendlich Unterhaltung in diesem Rahmen sind mehr geworden. Das wirft unmittelbar Fragen auf: Wie können digitale Systeme im Rahmen eines Balles genutzt oder weiterentwickelt werden und welchen Bedarf gibt es? Die konkreten Fragestellungen für eine Abschlussarbeit in diesem Themenkomplex sind vielseitig und können sowohl technischer als auch gestalterischer Natur sein.

Wenn Sie sich für dieses Thema im Rahmen Ihrer Bachelor- oder Masterarbeit oder auch Praktika interessieren, kontaktieren Sie bitte Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at) und ergänzen Sie warum Sie dieses Thema interessiert, welchen Bereich Sie konkret untersuchen möchten und welche fachlichen Kenntnisse Sie dabei mitbringen.

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Beyond the "Moral Machine" (vergeben)

Die am MIT betriebene "Moral Machine" (http://moralmachine.mit.edu/) ist eine Plattform zur publikumswirksamen Diskussion ethischer Dilemmata in der IKT, z.B. im Kontext von autonomen Fahrzeugen. Im Rahmen des Projekts PANDORA (https://cosy.cs.univie.ac.at/research/projects/project/271/) werden verwandte Fragestellungen vor dem erweiterten Horizont der langfristigen gesellschaftlichen Entwicklung und im Hinblick auf das zugrundeliegende Menschenbild erforscht, um so aus der Disziplin der Informatik heraus den Diskurs über eine nachhaltige IKT aktiv zu gestalten. In dieser Arbeit soll, basierend auf einer detaillierten Analyse der Moral Machine, hierzu eine web-basierte Plattform entstehen, die deren Konzept im Hinblick auf Fragestellungen aus der philosophischen Anthropologie erweitert.

If you're interested, please contact Peter Reichl (peter.reichl@univie.ac.at) and Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at) and describe why you are interested in the project and your related technical and philosophical experience.
Chat-bots as the (chat) window to your Smart-Home environment - vergeben

This topic aims at utilizing a chatbot-type agent to interact with users of a Smart-Home environment. A conversation-based interaction/service design is to be designed to support Smart-Home-related tasks, such as (1) adding and removing IoT-devices to the Smart Home, (2) effective management of access and security policies (ABAC), (3) everyday usage.

Your task is to create a chat-bot interaction/service design with regard to usability-related qualities (simplicity, usable and understandable security features) and meaningful features, and make use of the existing Smart-Home setting of COSY:Lab to develop a chat-bot prototype for this context. A small user trial should then collect feedback and test for conceptual feasibility and usability.

If you're interested, please contact Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at) and Nemanja Ignjatov (nemanja.ignjatov@univie.ac.at)
Social Computing meets the Smart Environment: COSY Healthy-Living Bot: Supporting users with pursuing meaningful fitness goals - vergeben

This thesis is about interaction design and prototypical implementation of a chat-bot which supports a healthy lifestyle. A prototype exists already, and your core job is to incorporate motivational design, e.g. by means of gamification, in order to support the user with finding meaningful fitness goals. To achieve this, you can make full use of the existing prototype feature-set (already integrated APIs: Google Calendar, Fitbit, Recipe API, Work-Out API) and extend it if necessary.

If you're interested, please contact Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at)
Social Software meets the Internet of Things (IoT): Sensors and/or displays for a Smart Grätzel community platform - vergeben

This thesis is about interaction design and prototyping of a community platform ("Smart Grätzel") that incorporates IoT devices. This thesis comprises (1) defining a social software concept that supports a given community by incorporating software (e.g. a web-platform, a chat-bot) and IoT devices (e.g sensors or displays), (2) creating a prototype, (3) conducting a small user trial to explore/validate meaning from a user perspective.

If you're interested, please contact Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at)
Social Software for Computer-Supported Community-Building - vergeben

This topic is about computer-supported community building. Social networks emanate from purposeful social mingling and interaction and can bring about significant positive social change, a process that can be specifically supported and nurtured, e.g. as described by Plastrik and Taylor (1). While the authors have created their framework before there were social networks like Facebook on the Internet, it seems clear that today's technology can add a lot to this effort.

This thesis is about (1) creating a social software concept that supports the building of ad-hoc social communities, following Plastrik and Taylors approach, and investigating how the specific network goals defined by them can be supported by ICT, (2) prototyping this concept and (3) conducting a small user trial to test for conceptual feasibility.

(1) https://networkimpact.org/downloads/NetGainsHandbookVersion1.pdf

Note: This topic is only available as P1/P2 or Master's Thesis.

If you're interested, please contact Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at)
A youth perspective on social networks - co-designing a social network with children - vergeben

While social networks are very popular among younger people, none of them have been designed from their perspective, putting them first. This topic is about designing a social network from the perspective of youth/young persons. The thesis comprises (1) the participatory design of a social network concept that is based in the interests, wishes and needs of young persons, (2) the prototypical realization of this concept, (3) conducting a small user trial to validate the prototype.

Note: This topic is only available as P1/P2 and Master's Thesis.

If you're interested, please contact Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at)
ScoutApp - A social smartphone application for scouting - vergeben

This thesis is about designing and creating a smart phone application that supports activities undertaken by the scouts, a worldwide youth movement. The functionality can focus around different areas: (1) An outdoor, location-based gaming application, (2) a social diary aimed at collecting experiences, (3) an application that supports connecting scouts worldwide, ..

The thesis comprises (1) the design of an application concept (2) the prototypical realization of this concept, (3) conducting a small user trial with members of the scout movement to validate the prototype.

Note: This topic is only available as P1/P2 and Master's Thesis.

If you're interested, please contact Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at)


b. Topics with a Network-related Focus

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