Case Studies
We have extensive experience in developing mobile interactive mapping applications. We are experts in mathematical modeling for Location-Based Services (LBS). We use the GWS (WGS84-compliant) tiling framework for iOS, which allows us to use a variety of servers (Yahoo, Google, Yandex, OSM, CloudMade) for tiling, including our own
For our clients in the gaming industry, we have designed and implemented a number of models of physical interactions. These models include a lightweight optimized Human Inverse Kinematics (HIK) Engine, which enables foot-planting and contact point evaluations. The models also include a physics-based blending engine for making realistic transitions between motion-capture clips.
We have solid expertise in rapid 2D- and 3D-rendering on a variety of platforms. Our libraries allow us to quickly build interactive animated 2D and 3D objects and forms.
We have participated in a range of mobile multimedia application development projects for Apple iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android. We have implemented numerous solutions based upon Apple's AVFoundation framework. We have also found ways to bring the functionality of AVFoundation to the Android platform, based on our research into the capabilities of the ffmpeg library and Java Media Frame library.
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Video on demand
Prototyping and Implementing Mobile Application for Viewing TV on iPhone and iPad
The Client is a venture-funded company, based in Silicon Valley, with R&D and development centers in China. It developed Cloud-based Video platform for videos and TV content.
We contributed to the team's goal of enhancing software development process by setting up best practices for Mac iOS development. We also prototyped and then implemented the company's mobile application for viewing TV on iPhone/iPad.
This project required loading multiple streams of media at the same time. The requirement was to pre-load and hold as many streams as the resources allowed. Implementation of many custom UI components was an especially interesting part of our assignment. The spec also called for implementation of the feature, similar to Apple’s AirPlay protocol.
We have implemented our own scheme, API and Framework for playing progressively downloaded media streams. Working closely with Client’s UI/UX designers we have crafted series of custom-crafted UI Controls. Development of message-driven UDP-based streaming synchronization protocol, allowing features, similar to Apple’s AirPlay, were a part, we have enjoyed the most.
This project success was built on very detailed and deep knowledge of AVFoundation Media Stack and AirPlay. Our ability to use efficiently extremely limited memory/processing speed resources was the achievement, we remain especially proud of.
Operating systems supported: iOS 4.x. Key frameworks and programming languages: AVFoundation, Objective C.
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Custom Video App
Design of Challenging iOS and Android Applications, relying on Amazon AWS S3 Multipart REST-full API
The client is a Y-Incubator venture-funded company, with a unique approach to using Artificial Intelligence in Video Editing and Post-processing.
Our client faced really hard technology challenges: The large amount of video data should have being uploaded into Amazon S3 Multipart storage in persistent mode, even if the application was in background mode. Amazon own S3 API Framework was not sufficiently mature and usable for the customer needs (on any of platforms. The large number of Camera Roll Assets should have being accessed in synchronous, non-blocking mode to allow users continuous interacting with UI, while manipulating the Assets. R&D Arts have designed and implemented (On iOS and Android) Amazon S3 REST-full API framework, capable of working in distributed multi-threaded environment. For iOS we have implemented universal asynchronous non-blocking S3 Compliant uploader, capable working in background. For Android we have implemented S3 Uploading Service, working in background. We have also implemented the UI Grid Control, capable of handling infinite series of data in background threads.
In-depth knowledge of Amazon AWS S3 Multipart REST-full API, Apple GCD technology and Camera Roll API were critical to project success.
Our team also reworked the architecture and design to improve usability and to enable a range of powerful new product capabilities. We built in the flexibility, needed to support new releases and feature additions for years to come.
Operating systems supported: iOS 4.x, Android. Key frameworks and APIs involved: AVFoundation, Amazon S3, Amazon EC2, ffmpeg. Programming languages used in the development: Objective C, Java, and C/C++.
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Video Chat
Customization of Open Public NGN Stack to address particular client needs. Custom UX/UI components design.
The customer is a Silicon Valley VC-funded developer of a popular location-based social networking platform that allows users to find others with similar interests and connect with them in real-time via free text, image messages and free VoIP calls without disclosing any personal information.
We customized Doubango open source framework and integrated with our own VoIP Video Conferencing solution. The project included Customization of third party open NGN Framework (Doubango) to address particular requirements of the client; transition of application from/to background state with the connection to SIP server kept alive during all the Application lifecycle states and study of SIP protocol and server implementations in order to deploy and configure server side infrastructure. As a by-product we fixed a number of bugs and performed lots of Original Author-Acceptable alterations to Doubango Framework.
After complex and exhaustive study of open-SIP implementations we gained a good confidence in configuring/altering any type of open-SIP environment toward particular requirements.
Operating systems supported: iOS 4.x, Android. Key frameworks and APIs involved: AVFoundation, Doubango, Open SIP. Programming languages used in the development: Objective C, Java, and C/C++.
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Performance Optimization
Re-design of stacks and libraries to achieve optimal performance targets.
The client is a market leader in mobile asset management, navigation and telematics, mobile computers for mining, energy and transportation. The products of the client range from situational monitoring and telematics to custom on-site navigation solutions that include real-time landscape change monitoring.
We have helped our client with performance optimization tasks and tuned up 3rd party code libraries for optimal performance. We have accelerated Mapping System rendering and we have resolved certain problems with 3rd party video codecs for on-board camera units.
Client’s software is designed to run on very resource-limited industrial hand held devices that often lack basic services, such as graphics accelerator. The software incorporates many 3rd-party libraries that are designed very long ago and have achieved end of their life cycle. The source code of these libraries was not always available and we had to reverse-engineer them.
Our key contributing values were in-depth understanding of image rendering process. We were capable optimizing rendering loops to achieve maximal performance in limited space. Also we have tuned-up threading mechanism and we have gained 10 times better performance figures. Complete re-write of rendering libs allowed us to implement arbitrarily map transformation, the feature challenging even for modern desktop system.
Operating systems supported: Windows CE. Key frameworks and APIs involved: CGI, GDI, DirectX. Programming languages used in the development: C#, and C/C++.
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Smart Apps
Localization of extended applications suite, customization of public libraries, implementation of key-features.
The client, white-hot venture-funded pre-IPO company in Silicon Valley, offers Smart Apps, services, content and powerful personalization capabilities to a large variety of small to medium sized businesses.
We helped with localization and customization of iOS applications and have been repeatedly awarded with more increasingly challenging projects. We are currently helping with Web-related projects and integration of OCR components. The process was based on using agile with regular stand-ups and review boards. We are extending/modifying open source PhoneGap framework for iOS and Android to support the needs of business clients. Implementing of the same functionality (camera capture, file upload) happens on different platforms (iOS, Android, BB). We are using Tesseract for OCR. Our team integrated newest web technologies in multi-platform mobile app interface building (HTML 5 / advanced JS), implemented static frameworks for iOS and designed different algorithms for improving receipts quality before passing it to Tesseract for recognition.
Operating systems supported: iOS 4.x, Android. Key frameworks and APIs involved: EventKit, PhoneGap, Tesseract, ASIHTTPRequest, Node.js. Programming languages used in the development: Objective C, Java, JS, and C/C++.
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Reporting Engine Prototype
Design of new generation of reporting engine. Development of Reference Implementation.
The client is a global Fortune 500, diversified biotech, pharmaceuticals and health care products company.
We have helped with reference implementation of the next generation of Data Analysis, Business Intelligence and Analytics, including reporting engine. We have analyzed best industry practices, available tools and solutions and we ended up with adaptation of open source frameworks to the organization needs. Our work has resulted in universal reporting engine reference implementation, which would lay the path for further development. Technical Challenges included supporting Windows and Mac, using the same code base and point-precise rendering for multiple output devices, using screens with different resolutions, printers, and PDF files.
We worked in a very formal waterfall development model. We have implemented reporting engine that can work on Linux, Mac OS, Symbian, Android, and with all flavors of Windows, including CE. The same codebase is used for all of them. The engine is able to render reports to any output device with reasonably good quality.
Operating systems supported: Windows/OSX. Key frameworks and APIs involved: Nokia Qt. Programming languages used in the development: C/C++.
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High performance video filters
Design of real-time video filter overlay.
The customer provides video content creation solutions for retail and media companies. Its patented technologies power the creation of tens of thousands of broadcast quality videos for many of the world’s largest brands, including Fortune 500 retailers, mass merchants, and largest media brands. Amazon did its Venture Funding.
We implemented custom blending video filters for the iOS application and implemented complex porting to Macintosh OSX. The requirement was to implement the set of blenders that will have at least 30 frames per second speed rate. We have implanted family of OpenGL shaders to present the blending algorithms in dynamic layer overlay.
Operating systems supported: iOS. Key frameworks and APIs involved: AVFoundation, OGL. Programming languages used in the development: C/Objective C.
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Photoptic Sky Survey
Implementing Large Photoptic Sky Survey application for our partner.
Our partner, renowned astronomy enthusiast, has spent years traveling the globe with his cameras to create high quality images of deep sky. His remarkable photographs laid the foundation of Photoptic Sky Survey that is available in media and prints. We are lucky to be selected to implement that survey in form of Mobile Application.
We have built the very sophisticated Sky Survey application for mobile devices, including super fast navigation and location functionalities and features. Image maps were rendered on Virtual Cube representing visible part Celestial Sphere. The position of each observer where calculate suing GPS, Magnetometer, Gyros and the Timer. We have invented set of heuristic compensatory filters to suppress magnetometer signal deviations associated with passages of magnetic objects. We have implemented very rapid search technique allowing simple navigation via multitude of Celestial Objects in our database.
Operating systems supported: iOS. Key frameworks and APIs involved: CoreLocation, CoreMotion, and OGL. Programming languages used in the development: C/Objective C.
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Blended Reality Application
Implementing video game for kids that blends reality with animation.
Our partner, San Francisco Software Development Company has relied upon our expertise in video processing in this project. The application is a funny kids game that allowed recording kid’s dance in the company of imaginary animated personage.
We have designed gaming application that blended device camera input with the content of Cocos2D animation. The blending included Audio and Video tracks and provided an illusion that an action caught on camera was performed in the company of the animation personage.
Operating systems supported: iOS. Key frameworks and APIs involved: AVFoundation. Programming languages used in the development: C/Objective C.
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Survey Data Visualization
Implementing Survey Visualization Application.
Our client specializes in user-friendly, robust and affordable online research, survey and analytics tools. Its solutions are used by Harvard, Stanford, MIT and more than 150 other leading Universities, Microsoft, Intel, Intuit, HP, US and Canada Governments.
We developed complete implementation of Charting solution for Native iOS Application. We have also designed custom Touch recognition techniques, allowing separating touch actions in same screen asset area. We had to switch from Java Script to Native iOS chart rendering and to support different types of charts, allowing significant degree of user interaction with the chart content.
Implementing of quite unique UX paradigm and separate touch controls method for different data types on same screen asset area was instrumental in solving the challenge.
Operating systems supported: iOS. Key frameworks and APIs involved: Core Graphics. Programming languages used in the development: C/Objective C.
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Video Processing API
Implementing custom Video Processing API for MP4 video files.
Our client is Venture-funded West Coast Start-up and one of the fastest growing private companies in America, bringing together unique video cameras, sensor data, navigation and apps, into a powerful social platform for sports and travel.
We have developed range of APIs that will allow extended Media Title Manipulation features to be implemented in Client Applications. The features include track and frame manipulations, additions, extractions and transformations.
Operating systems supported: OS X, Windows. Key frameworks and APIs involved: QuickTime, Nokia QT. Programming languages used in the development: C/C++.
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Real Time Video Playing Framework
Implemented customized player capable playing combination of video streams.
Our client is fast growing innovative software and consumer Product Company with a portfolio of unique media mobility solutions for the digital home, funded by top VC firms in Canada. Its focus is on advanced transcoding, transcription and QoS aware-streaming capabilities. It provides a complete solution for Telecoms, converged operators and electronics OEM with high value applications, such as side-loading, place-shifting and micro-targeted ad insertion.
We have implemented the player that was able to play combination of video streams on one playing surface. The player allowed frame synchronization of played streams. Streams could potentially come from various sources and required intermediary buffering for further synchronization. The program manager chose the streams and the user could not disable stream playback.
Operating systems supported: iOS. Key frameworks and APIs involved: AVFoundation. Programming languages used in the development: C/Objective C.
Services
Custom Software Development
We turn your project requirement or prototype into an industrial quality end product. We take care of the full development cycle including researching your options and solving new cutting-edge technical research problems. We take care of the design of the software and its interface (GUI), implementation, quality assurance, and documentation. If needed, we'll even hire the developers for you, and pass to them the knowledge required for your own project continuation.
We use Rapid Application Development (RAD) techniques and our own adaptation of the Scrum process. We break the project into sequence of two-week iterations, so you can control the process. By observing the outcomte of each iteration, you can provide input for changing the course of the process if it is required.
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Rapid Prototyping
Do you need a prototype to show to your investors, clients, or collaborators? Whether you have a full specification or just a basic idea of your program or service, we can quickly build a stable and persuasive prototype that will help you demonstrate its capabilities. We allocate all the expertise required for your prototype development, including graphic designers and quality assurance.
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Emergency Rescue of Projects at Risk
Let's face it. Sometimes you need a rescue from a project that is in trouble. We can jump in to a failing project and bring it back to life. We pride ourselves on reducing complexity, restoring maintainability, and providing a reliable code base. We'll add our developers to your team, facilitate quick knowledge transfer, root out obscure bugs, and repair defunct infrastructures.
We have proven to be successful where others failed. Our expertise includes finding creative and mutually beneficial technical and financial options for start-ups who are struggling to break through.
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Software Engineering Project Management
We offer complete end-to-end project management for software research and development. Starting from your requirement documents, prototypes, or just simple ideas, we provide everything needed to create your final product or service.
We make all arrangements, set up the process, establish the infrastructure, and allocate resources. We can even hire a dedicated team on your behalf, and transfer the expertise to your employees. Start to finish, we've got it covered.
Our Approach
We have an established Software Development procedure. We use the Agile development technique with a proprietary adaptation of Scrum methodology. Our development process is tuned up to adopt best practices. We are a 100% paperless office.
We work quickly to understand your vision and requirements, and in very short cycles of rapid iterations we will prototype your product. We will use our internal set of libraries and frameworks to save on development time. We allow the use of our Intellectual Property in the prototype as long as it is required for the prototype's main purpose.
We welcome clients even in the earliest stages of creation, whose ideas are not yet fully fleshed out. We can use our prototyping process to help the client envision how they want their end product appear and function.
We turn form into function
Are you facing a technical software challenge? Do you have a vision for a mobile app you want to build? Whether you have just a basic idea or a complete specification, we can help make your idea a reality.
We are an experienced consulting team of software engineers and scientists. Our main focus is research and development in mobile computing.
Our clients include companies at every business stage – from start-ups to mature organizations. From our base in Vancouver, BC, we serve clients throughout Canada and internationally.
We offer a full range of software R&D services. Our team has a diverse and extensive range of qualifications, including special expertise in multimedia and mobile cartography.
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What We Do
- Research and Development of Custom Software
- Rapid Prototyping
- Emergency Rescue of Projects at Risk, including for Start-Ups
- Project Management
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Our Expertise
- Web and Mobile
- Applications (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Mobile)
- Mobile Cartography and GIS Applications
- Project Management
- Multimedia and Games, including Physical Modeling
- Performance Optimization
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Special Capabilities
- Custom Component Design: We have a mathematician and physicist on staff, so we can quickly and affordably design and implement components that other comparably-sized companies cannot.
- On-Site Service: When you need contributors on site, our team can come to you.
- Multilingual Flexibility: While English is our principal working language, we enjoy working in richly diverse cultural environments. We are proud to be able to offer communication in Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Armenian as alternative working languages.
