Current Functionality of RapidFTR Web App (July 2010) from Rapid FTR on Vimeo.

RapidFTR is looking for someone to help us develop our BlackBerry client. Have BB dev experience? Know someone who does? Send yourself / your friends our way.  

To apply send code sample/link to repo + cover letter + cv to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with subject line: "RapidFTR BlackBerry DEV Job"

Here's the job posting:

Overview:

We are seeking a mobile developer to create a BlackBerry application for RapidFTR (http://rapidftr.com), an open-source mobile application and data storage system that helps aid workers collect, sort and share information about unaccompanied children in emergency situations so they can be registered for care services and reunited with their families.

Because RapidFTR is an existing and ongoing open source project, the developer will be responsible for coordinating his or her efforts with work that is already in progress from a distributed team of volunteers. RapidFTR developers work in a Test Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior Driven Development (BDD) fashion, using Agile methodologies.

Timeframe for this work is 6 to 8 weeks.

 

Objective:

Create a fully functioning prototype of a BlackBerry client application for the RapidFTR API, with all necessary documentation.

More information:

Learn more about RapidFTR: http://rapidftr.com

Join the RapidFTR Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/rapidftr

Explore the RapidFTR codebase: http://github.com/jorgej/rapidftr

Watch a 20 minute presentation about RapidFTR: http://bit.ly/jjustthesis

 

Specific Activities:

The developer would:

• Lead development and deployment of a BlackBerry application for RapidFTR, based on the RapidFTR API and a list of specifications to be determined by the RapidFTR team and UNICEF.
• Oversee main RapidFTR repo, including testing and merging commits from volunteers.
• Work closely with distributed team of developers, including monitoring the RapidFTR Google Group, skypeing into planning meetings, and partitioning user stories for work by other developers
• Provide live support and development during testing and deployment, since all specifications cannot be predefined, and more development or customization may be necessary in the field.
• Oversee deployment plan for RapidFTR, including helping create documentation outlining necessary steps for deploying RapidFTR in emergencies.
• Oversee RapidFTR server and TeamCity install

• Be available for volunteer "code jams" if necessary

 

Work Products / Performance Indicators

Sample User Scenario:

Users are registered through administrative page of  RapidFTR

 Zubair Elkin is a Child Protection Specialist at an IDP camp in Uganda. He discovers three unaccompanied children who have been living in a child headed household in an area of the camp.

• Zubair launches the RapidFTR Application on his BlackBerry to create a new child record. He takes a photo of the first child, enters her name, current location, and whatever other information the child provides him.
• Upon saving the record to the phone, a unique child ID is generated for the record.
• If there is connectivity, the RapidFTR Application attempts to submit the record to the API. If there is no connectivity, the RapidFTR application remembers this and does not attempt to connect again until the application is relaunched.
• Zubair repeats these steps for each child.
• When the BlackBerry application connects to the RapidFTR API, it downloads new a new "medical information" in the background and includes it in each child record. A pop-up alerts Zubair that this new form has been added. 

If there is no network connection:

• Upon returning to his headquarters, Zubair opens his netbook and syncs the BlackBerry application to a local instance of RapidFTR. He then prints a PDF photo of each child for addition to a 'photo wall.'

 Because RapidFTR will be used in situations where access to electricity and network connectivity are not guaranteed, the application will need to take battery conversation and local data storage into account. Data security is another important concern, and user stories will reflect the need for password protected accounts and onboard data encryption.

 

Delivery Dates

Daily: Publishing of all work-in progress code to a forked repository.

Weekly: Merge all commits to main repo on a weekly basis.

 Knowledge and Skills

• Candidates must have experience developing mobile apps for BlackBerry, and proficiency in Java.
• Strong preference given to candidates with experience in agile development and familiarity with test driven development and continuous integration practices, including tools like J-Unit and TeamCity.
• Strong preference given to candidates with experience developing software as part of a distributed team using GitHub, especially in open-source environments.
• Strong preference given to candidates who are authors, maintainers, contributors, or otherwise active members of at least one open-source project.
• Some knowledge or experience in developing and maintaining applications using Ruby and Ruby on Rails would be helpful but not required.
• Travel may be required towards the end of the term.  Start date: Immediate

 

 

 

Kristen Taylor caught up with Jorge at the ITP Spring Show and gave us a nice little shout-out on PopTech.

Calling London Coders.

ThoughtWorks London is hosting the second RapidFTR Code Jam this Saturday, April 24th at their offices in Holburn.  We're especially looking for agile developers with Ruby on Rails, CouchDB and BlackBerry experience, but we're open to anyone with a desire to help out.  The last code jam was a huge success, and this one will be even better, now that we've got the kinks worked out. Probably the most vital prerequisite is to have the development environment up and running on your machine before you get to the jam.  If you're even vaguely interested, send a message to our Google Group or to info /at/ rapidftr.com so we can get you up to speed and tell Code Jam Heroes Tom and Zubair know you're coming.

And if you're on the fence about spending your Saturday with a bunch of really smart interesting people working together on a project that could do some good in the world, then remember: free Monmouth coffee!

One of our participants from the first code jam wrote up a pretty good rundown of how it went--both good and bad--which you can read on his blog.  And check out lots of photos here and here.

Hope you can make it!

 

UNICEF'S Anthony Mwangi reports that an estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year.  It's a multi-billion dollar industry that's prospered even further during the global economic crisis.

But progress is being made in the form of campaigns such as AU Commit, an African Union initiative to implement the Ouagadougou Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Especially Women and Children.  Here's the entire Ouagadougou Action Plan, and Mr. Mwangi's article detailing the causes and some possible solutions to child trafficking, can be read on the UNICEF site.