BBCast: Cloud-Based Interactive Public Bulletin Board

Interactive digital displays are now finding their way in various public spaces as tools for information dissemination. Current methods of deploying such technologies include installation of large screens along with expensive and bulky dedicated machines making them costly for multiple deployments. Interaction with these displays is done through sensors or through mobile applications but often fail to fully engage the user with the display. These implementations are plagued by content management and presentation issues, oftentimes multiple contents obstructing each other. To solve these problems, we developed BBCast, a cloud-based interactive bulletin board. Having the system deployed on the cloud eliminates the need for dedicated servers on site, therefore cutting cost and saving space. Interaction with the display is done through an Android application integrated with social media services to fully engage the user, allowing users share content in ways that they are accustomed to. The displayed contents are organized in a grid where a particular media type goes to its corresponding widget. This project was deployed in the lobby of an academic institution where at least 1,000 people pass by everyday and tested for Quality of Experience.