Earlier this year, GermaniumWeb, a 3D in-building platform developed by IDMPO-supported company GElement, was launched as an official programming platform for code::XtremeApps:: (CXA) 2010. Organised by the Information Technology Standards Committee (ITSC), CXA creates awareness on the use and value of standards in programming, and cultivates programming talents and interest in Singapore.

Held over a 24-hour period, the competition has as its goal to develop a web-based or mobile application, and this year’s theme was to develop such applications to help reduce environmental impact or promote sustainable living in Singapore.  This year’s competition took place on 23 July 2010, and the winners were announced on 3rd August 2010.

 The winning team for the open category, The Dynamics, consisted of 3 students from Nanyang Polytechnic, clinched the top prize with their ‘Green Remote Estate Network ‘(GREN) program which impress the judges by a web-based building application that can be installed to any residential, commercial premises to conserve energy, allowing users to monitor and maintain electrical appliances even if the user is not present at the premise. Users can also check the premises real time through a CCTV surveillance camera. In addition, the GREN system can be set based on weather conditions to adjust utilities settings, such as reducing the fan speed or air conditioning when the weather gets cool.

Team member Kishan Manokaran said that the team aims to expand the range of controllable appliances from lights, fans and PCs to ‘printers, escalators, lift and so on’, and eventually commercialize GREN. “We are working closely with our teachers on making sure we can achieve something that can really be used by a lot of buildings. If anyone wants to buy our stuff we would welcome them,” Manokaran told Business Times.  

The second prize went to Anjels, formed by a team of three practicing industry professionals, who developed “Green Police”, a multi-user Web-based 3D application for checking on energy wastage in a building. Last but not least, third prize winner berYL, formed by three Singapore Management University (SMU) students, came up with an integrated Web and iPhone application called “Eco-Watch Adviser” which allows users to conveniently access information and tips on living a greener lifestyle, including energy consumption guide from the National Environment Agency (NEA), live traffic data and weather forecast, and a calendar of upcoming ‘green’ events and activities in Singapore.

“We are very pleased that almost half of the finalists in the Open Category used GermaniumWeb in their entries. They have successfully used GermaniumWeb to visualize in 3D the buildings controlled by their applications, right in a Web browser. Some have integrated other Web-enabled technologies and even hardware into their applications, and in these entries, GermaniumWeb allows their users to virtually view the hardware that is being controlled. For example, in one of the entries the user can remotely turn off the PCs that are displayed in the 3D view,” commented Mr. Ian Loh, Product Manager for GermaniumWeb at G Element.

Further details at  The Business Times.

The winning team: Team Dyanmics from NYP uses the IDMPO supported GElement plugin, GermaniumWeb to create their winning application for CXA 2010

Application "GREN'