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Computing Project ProposalVersion 15 – January 2015The Programme: MSc in IT Domain: Security Engineering (CKIT-511), Computer Structures (CKIT 501), Databases (CKIT 504), Object Oriented Program Java (CKIT 510)Please name the module or modules whose subject matter is closest to that of your project (include the CKIT numerical codes).Proposal approved by: (To be filled in by the DA)Date of the approval: (To be filled in by the DA)Approval confirmed in MiTSA by the Lead Faculty (Dissertation):: (To be completed by the Lead Faculty) Sponsor's Details: N/A(Name, Company, Address. If there is no Sponsor, write N/A)Sponsor's Background: N/A(Who the sponsor is. Contact name(s). Location.)Sponsor's Agreement: N/A(Has the person you have requested agreed to sponsor the project? Please note that quoting the agreement will suffice at this stage. When the proposal is approved and there is an external sponsor, a document signed by the sponsor agreeing to the project must be sent to the Dissertation Advisor prior to the start of the project. It will be posted in the student’s Group File Exchange. The form is found in the Forms section in the RMT class.).The Project Aims and Objectives:(What the project aims to achieve, what hypothesis or hypotheses it is testing, what its objectives are, and an explanation of why the requirements cannot be met by using an existing solution, if any is found.Check your Aims and Objectives, do they address the following?Do you have a problem or research question of general interest to scholars and other organisations that is discussed in the academic literature?Are the overall aim and objectives of the project clearly stated and defined?Do you have a hypothesis which predicts some solution to your problem or an answer to your research question?Do you have some recognised research methods which will guide the production of an IT artefact?Do you know what kind of IT artefact you want to produce which will help test your hypothesis? Is the topic researchable and the scope of the research appropriate for the programme?Does the problem have the potential to make an important or significant contribution to the body of knowledge?)The project aims to describe a methodology and framework for acquiring, maintaining and utilising Biometric information to facilitate the authentication of Non-Literate and Semi-Literate banking customers in Kenya. Existing implementations do not provide adequate means of authenticating customers who may have problems with memorising or visualising numbers or letters such as used in PIN and Password authentication schemes used in the mainstream systems.In the table below, please state your hypothesis or hypotheses; the research methods you will use to guide the development of your IT artefact; the kind of IT artefact you will produce; and the means by which you will evaluate the IT artefact in the light of the hypothesis. StepShort DescriptionHypothesisMajority of the methods used for authentication greatly disadvantage the Non-Literate and Semi-literate and the proposed methodology and framework will bridge this gap while enhancing security.Research MethodsConduct a survey and interviews where appropriate on current methods employed for authenticating users and challenges encountered with the Non-Literate and Semi-literateAn evaluation of the current state of the art for Biometric authentication and potential new technologiesIT ArtefactA methodology and framework for the use of biometrics in authentication systems that can be easily and cost-effectively adopted by the Literate and Semi-literate Literate and Semi-literateEvaluationEvaluation to conducted using sample group of peers from the banking industry on the suitability of the proposal.Project Outline (Please describe briefly in about 200 words the practical steps of which the project will consist. Describe the research methods you will use and the artefact that will be produced)The project proposes to come up with a framework for the use of Voice biometrics in the authentication of semi-literate bank customers who find it challenging to use the traditional methods of authentication such as PINs and passwords. A survey of existing implementations and methods of authentication employed by banks by sampling some mainstream banks and microfinance institutions in Kenya.Literature Survey / Resources’ List: (A preliminary literature survey must be included in order to verify that some research and reading on the subject was done before the proposal was written. Please note that the resources should not be just from Internet sites, but rather from quality resources usually found in the UoL Library or a similar resource. Also the Pre-Proposal submission, in the RMT class to the GDI, must identify at least two academic papers that discuss the problems/issues in which you are interested as proof that they have scholarly credibility. An annotated list is strongly recommended as it should indicate that the literature review is relevant to the project)Beranek, B. (2013) 'Feature: Voice biometrics: success stories, success factors and what's next', Biometric Technology Today, 2013, pp. 9-11 [Online] ScienceDirect. Available from: EBSCOhost.Currie, D. (2014) Shedding some light on Voice Authentication [Online]. Available from: http://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/authentication/shedding-light-voice-authentication-847 .Khitrov, M. (2013) 'Feature: Talking passwords: voice biometrics for data access and security', Biometric Technology Today, 2013, pp. 9-11 [Online] ScienceDirect. Available from: EBSCOhost.Medhi, I., Gautama, S., & Toyama, K. (2009) 'A Comparison of Mobile Money-Transfer Uls for Non-Literate and Semi-Literate Users', Chi -Conference-, 3, pp. 1741-1750 [Online] British Library Document Supply Centre Inside Serials & Conference Proceedings. Available from: EBSCOhost,Scholarly Contributions of the Project (Specify what you consider to be the original aspects of your project in relation to scholarly contributions in Computing/ Information Technology. What does it add to human knowledge? Cite academic papers that discuss this topic, thus showing it has scholarly credibility. Indicate what gap in our knowledge you are trying to fill. This requirement is to demonstrate academic rigour. It will not be enough to show that your project is of interest to a single organisation. It has to be of general interest to scholars and other organisations)The project will contribute to the body of world knowledge by demonstrating that voice biometric authentication can be used to provide a cost effective adoption of biometric technology in the banking industry in a developing country such as Kenya where the technology is not currently well adopted. Description of the Deliverables:(A deliverable is a product – an outcome in the evolution of a fully implemented project e.g. a programme design or survey design; a completed computer programme, a framework, or set of survey results; test results, a statistical analysis, or the results of an evaluation. Provide a description of expected deliverables. What will be the content delivered upon completion and in what form?)A framework describing how voice biometric technology can be applied in transactional authentication.Evaluation Criteria: (Evaluation takes place at the end of the project and must include an evaluation of your artefact in the light of your original hypothesis. It will tell you whether your hypothesis confirmed or rejected. This may include the statistical analysis of evaluation reports or some other form of testing. Identify key objectives that are essential to the success of the project, and describe how you will assess the extent to which they have been achieved.What are the criteria used to measure the success of artefacts in testing your hypothesis? How will you assess whether these criteria have been met?)The project output will be evaluated by technical and non-technical peers from the banking industry. The evaluation will determine whether the framework proposed is feasible and practicable in the Kenyan banking industry environment.Resource Plan: (The equipment, software, people and other materials necessary to complete the project, how they are to be provided, and what the financial costs, such as for travel, will be)Resource requirements for the project will include a desktop computer and laptop. These are currently available.Any travel costs that may arise will also be catered for by the researcher.Project Plan and Timing (Anticipated milestones and interim deliverables. A detailed timetable (schedule) of the stages, including the estimated finishing date, is a must. Stages will be reviewed with the sponsor and DA. Include the major University milestones, such as DS Proposal approval, Project Specification and Design, Implementation, Evaluation, and Write Up) Risk Assessment:(A description of what obstacles may arise and contingency plans to meet them. One aspect that should be considered here is the availability of the software, hardware and people you intend to use and, if you need to interface several pieces of software, whether this is known to be possible. Identify what could go wrong)Quality Assurance:(How progress on your project will be monitored and how success at each stage will be assessed. This may include, but should not be limited to, the formal project assessments. Name people whose feedback will be sought)
Solution: proposal research project