White Paper on Mobile Computing and Storage Solutions: A growing number of large providers are developing mobilized solutions that allow rich, human-friendly documents to communicate with business back-ends using lightweight XML schemas. This white paper will detail the available mobile computing applications and mobile storage solutions.

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by Chris S. Thomas. Intel Corp.

A growing number of large providers are developing mobilized solutions that allow rich, human-friendly documents to communicate with business back-ends using lightweight XML schemas. These solutions present the user with a document in PDF, DOC, or similar format, which contains the intelligence to send data from the user back to the publisher using Web services and other transports.

Thus rather than requiring the publisher to glean information from a form, for example, and enter that data manually into a database, the document itself acts as a front-end for the database, in much the same way as a traditional Web form or rich-client interface. This modality builds on the concept, however, in that it natively and smoothly supports offline use, in the same manner as a conventional document. A user might download a form, fill it out over the course of several sessions, e-mail it to other members of a work group for input, and then finally submit it back to the publisher. Moreover, only the data entered by the users is communicated back to the publisher, rather than the entire form, which increases the solution's efficiency.

This technology cuts network traffic, maintenance costs, and user labor requirements dramatically while also providing a new modality for document publishers to efficiently gather information from their users. It eliminates the necessity for the publishing entity to perform manual data entry, and it also conforms to the user's workflow by supporting offline use and making use of multiple transports. It is therefore an example of cutting what I refer to as "solution-induced labor," or the tendency of inflexible solutions to create work for users.

Strategists and solutions architects looking for lightweight, mobilized, standards-based methods of gathering information from end users can benefit immensely from using such documents as the front-end for their business systems.

Creating smart, mobilized application forms for government grants
The United States federal grant process traditionally required applications in the form of Web-based forms, hardcopy documents, or large word-processing documents that applicants submitted to one of approximately 900 agencies and programs. In the case of Web-based forms, users often had no way to fill out the form over the course of multiple sessions, leading to problems for users who needed to collaborate on grant applications with colleagues or who found themselves missing a required piece of information. A large number of applicants would typically try to access the same Web server around the time of major application deadlines, causing large traffic spikes that impacted availability.

Moreover, neither hardcopy nor electronic word processing documents provide an automated, direct means to extract specific information from those applications. As a result, redundant data entry created inefficiencies and inaccuracies. Sharing information between programs and agencies was also problematic.