ProQuest develops and distributes a PARTS database for the automotive industry. The database is distributed on CD or DVD and in Web based form. The PARTS database (for our purposes) consists of 2D, raster based, black and white line drawings of automobile parts. ProQuest has developed a proprietary image viewer that provides fast and accurate imaging of parts, but the viewer only deals with 2D raster images.

Some automotive companies are currently providing ProQuest with part images in vector form. ProQuest would like to

• Identify the top three vector based image formats in terms of
  
  • Support for color
  • Size of image
  • Quality of viewed image
  • Speed of download/imaging
• Identify the top three vector image viewers in terms of
  • Size of viewer
  • Quality of image produced
  • Speed of download/imaging
• Investigate 3D image formats and the possibility of moving toward a 3D imaging system

After researching vector image formats we decided to look further into SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile), and DXF (Data eXchange File). SVG and CGM had already been received by ProQuest and DXF was a natural choice if ProQuest was thinking of moving to 3D images in the future. We analyzed the formats and compiled information related to the criteria described in the problem. We also analyzed and rated multiple viewers for each formats. This research was designed to get an accurate picture of the advantages and disadvantages of each format so that ProQuest would be able to choose a format that would best suit the company's needs. Our investigation of 3D formats began with a sample imagse provided by ProQuest that was in XVL (eXtensible Virtual world description Language or eXtended VRML Language). We also found that X3D and WRL, which are both VRML-based, are formats that we felt were worth looking into. We provided ProQuest with information about these 3D formats to consider if they choose to adopt 3D images for their parts catalogue.

ProQuest is a very large company with several major divisions, including Media Solutions. Media Solutions is in turn hired by companies to help them manage and access their databases. Our AMRE project worked with a Media Solutions team that needed to load databases and set up a website for a new company.

At the onset, we set up a database management system, MSSQL Server 2000. We were intially given two datasets to use for the creation of the databases. The two databases were very different in size and quality. The first database was a product registration database and the second was birth records of parts. The dataset for the product registration database was given to us in a flat format from which we needed to create a relational database design. Even though the dataset itself was relatively small, making a design based on a dataset that had few previously enforced rules can be challenging. The birth records data turned out to be nearly clean but also could be cumbersome to manage because of its much larger size.

Through much feedback with the team and the customer, we made a relational database design for both databases. To help this process, the team and the customer used a Product Requirements Document to describe in detail problems, solutions, and requirements related to the project.

We also started the creation of the frontend website, which was to be written with ColdFusion pages, *.cfm. During the official eight weeks of AMRE, this aspect was mostly an educational one. Both student members of the team had no previous experience building ColdFusion pages. Ultimately, this project continued for the rest of the summer and into the fall semester. The student incorporation into this project ended upon one of the final releases of the webpage.

The goal of this project was to create an easy-to-use web-based contact management software system for the College of Wooster's Student Affairs Department. The problem this was intended to solve was that Student Affairs is a large umbrella department encompassing many subdepartments whose offices are scattered throughout campus. They needed a way to easily share information regarding each subdepartment's interactions with students. Requirements for the software included ease of use, portability, and security. The resulting product, Pansophy Contact Manager, is a web-based application written in the PHP scripting language and designed to run on top of a MySQL database. It provides an intuitive interface for recording and retrieving information about interactions between the College's Student Affairs Department and its students. Pansophy contains a variety of security mechanisms and supports encrypted data transfer over a network when placed on an HTTPS-enabled web server.

This project examined customer retention and price elasticity across various segments of Progressive auto insurance customers, with the purpose of determining which factors make a customer more or less price sensitive. The first part of the project involved extensive background research on why customers choose whether or not to renew their insurance policies, and general information on customer price sensitivity. Part of this included looking at complaints regarding general customer service and the handling of claims. Data analysis comprised the second half of this project. Using SPSS, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, statistical analyses, including linear and logistic regression, in addition to descriptive statistics, were completed for each variable. The relationships between variables were also analyzed using the Cramer's V statistic. Variables were then examined in conjunction with each other, creating several distinct segments which varied across individual variables; there was significant variation in the price elasticity of these segments.

The goal of this project was to provide information to both the city of Wooster and Wayne County public officials in estimating the effects of Rubbermaid's departure from the Wooster area. The three areas of focus were the impacts on jobs, the housing market, and the tax implications. Techniques used include Location Quotient, Shift-Share Analysis, and Input-Output Analysis.