Big C Atlantic Challenge 2023 April 26
0:00 Special Guest Robin Bennett of Start Software joins our host Dave McCormick to discuss The Big C Atlantic Challenge, a grueling trans-atlantic journey that involves crossing the ocean in the smallest boat possible. Andrew Bedwell plans to break the current record of 5 ft 4 in by building an even smaller boat. Robin Bennett discusses his involvement and interest in the challenge.
5:00 Andrew will cross the Atlantic in a 3'2'' boat alone and unsupported. Robin and Start Software are sponsors of Andrew's journey and developed an app using Alpha tech to track and share Andrew's progress on a map and FB. Andrew will send daily updates and photos during his 90-day journey.
10:00 Robin discusses developing technology to capture data from extreme field applications such as solo transatlantic rowing. An app is being built to track progress, send messages, photos, and videos offline. Reliability and security are considered, and a web system with Cordova implementation is chosen. A simple method for posting messages without logging in is created. Alpha launch is also considered for the app.
15:00 Robin futher explains how he used Alpha launch for easy installation and updates. They use Alpha Cloud for the back-end and store updates in a database. They debate SQL vs. NoSQL databases, and Alpha Cloud is chosen for fault tolerance, load balancing, and software deployment.
20:00 Robin discusses the decision-making process for choosing a SQL database for the Big C Atlantic Challenge. They opt for SQL Server due to familiarity and ease of use, but note that a NoSQL database would work too. Amazon's RDS service is used for hosting SQL databases. They create a table to store Challenge information, including location and weather data, for display in Alpha anywhere.
25:00 He continues with the concept of a data-bound UX, which is a user interface component that interacts with a database table. He uses Alpha's interface to create this component by adding controls to a blank screen and populating them from a table. He shows how to customize controls by changing them to a drop-down box, adding choices, and testing the component by saving a message as a new record.
30:00 The video presents two options for recording data in an app for a challenge in 2023: table control and list control. The list control is preferred as it works offline and synchronizes data later. The video demonstrates how to set up a list control, including naming it, indicating the database connection string, and the details view for entering and updating information. Although the list of records appears cramped, the data is successfully captured.
35:00 Robin shows how to add photo display functionality to the upcoming Big C Atlantic Challenge app, linking image capture action to the photo display. They recommend using an offline list for message display and suggest creating a child table for photos to allow multiple photos for each message.
40:00 The video explains how photos are stored in SQL Server, and how it's not ideal for videos. Storing videos and photos on external services is suggested. It also shows how to store location data and recommends adding more fields to the table for other useful information. Finally, it warns of permission errors when using geolocation in work in preview mode.
45:00 Robin showcases an offline list with Alpha launch storing the database in Amazon RDS. They have created a form with fields such as location, date, time, message, and photos, and the form includes Alpha Transformers as a backup plan. The form also shows the speaker's current location in latitude and longitude.
50:00 Robin closes the presentation with the limitations of the app, and how it could still be useful as a backup for Andrew's Atlantic Challenge. They mention the boat designer, Tom McNally, and Andrew's fundraising for cancer research. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to support Andrew by donating.
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