Cloud computing, Non-dedicated clusters
- Samford University Virtual Supercomputer Spring 2009
- The exploration of cloud computing as a platform for distributed and parallelized GIS operations Summer 2009-Spring 2010
Web engineering
I am currently engaged in a number of website design and development projects. These projects have inspired me to address some interesting research questions:
- How can a web application maintain responsiveness while processing large datasets?
- How can we design a framework that will transparently migrate work between web servers and web browsers to maximize web browser responsiveness without overloading the web server?
- What are the limits to the ability to geographically index large datasets within MySQL and what performance benefits can be obtained by using integrated MySQL spatial extensions?
- What tools exist to help a faculty member update their personal faculty web page? Furthermore, what currently hinders faculty members (and other professionals) from updating their websites?
- How does social networking affect the design and development of websites?
Publications and Presentations
- “Investigating the impact of Ajax on server load in a web 2.0 application“, by Brian Toone
- “MySQL spatial indexing for GIS data in a web 2.0 internet application“, by Brian Toone.
- “Designing a professor’s blog”, by Brian Toone
- “A framework for migrating web application functionality using AJAX” by William Skinner (Birmingham-Southern College) and Brian Toone
- “Accessible Visualization of Global Statistics” by Michael Johnston (Birmingham-Southern College) and Brian Toone
Class Projects
- Mesa - a student self-registration website for the Samford University Spanish department
- OnlineMapper - an e-commerce store for selling maps
- RoboAdvisor - an online advising system for the Samford University computer science department
Website Portfolio
 |
Mesa Online http://faculty.samford.edu/~brtoone/alive/mesa/ php, database, ajax, large user base Students taking Spanish courses in the World Languages department here at Samford participate in a program called “Mesa” (Spanish word for “table”). Students sign-up for lunch or dinner with a small group of students and one faculty member to spend the time conversing only in Spanish. The previous sign-up system involved a large, unwieldy list of timeslots posted on the wall. My Fall 2008 software engineering class undertook a project to convert the paper-based system to an online system. I helped the students bring the project to a conclusion just in time for it to go live for the Spring 2009 semester. |
 |
ALIVE @ Samford University http://faculty.samford.edu/~brtoone/alive/ wordpress, plugin and theme development You are looking at this website right now! I went with Wordpress for the main engine because of it extensibility, ease of installation, and ease of use. The technical details related to the Wordpress installation are interesting because there is no database located on the web server. Instead, I have to remotely connect to a database hosted on a different computer on campus for the Wordpress backend data storage. |
 |
ASB Meeting Registration http://www.alabamaacademyofscience.org/asb/ php, mysql database, email notification This is a custom meeting registration system I designed, complete with a simple database and PHP form for registration information, email notification, and report generation. |
 |
Alabama Academy of Science http://www.alabamaacademyofscience.org/ php, mysql database, email notification, website upgrade This was my first attempt at overhauling a large existing site. When I was (s)elected editor for electronic media for the Alabama Academy of Science, I reorganized the website to introduce uniformity across all of the pages via a custom php template that I designed. Additionally, I have organized the submission process for the annual scientific research conference as well as for executive meeting registration systems for report submission, file uploads, and summary reports. |
 |
Home of the Tria Market Cycling Team http://www.bhamvelo.com/ php, mysql database, extensive wordpress customization One of my pride and joy websites, I have created a MySQL database to manage |
 |
TopoCreator http://www.topocreator.com/ php, mysql database, google maps API, global mapper This website is my first online business venture. The site (still under development) allows you to create color-coded topographic shaded relief maps with just a few mouse clicks. Look for it to go live soon! |
 |
MoneyCoach http://www.ourmoneycoach.com/ php, mysql database, data collection, security certificates A business website that helps people manage debt on the road to financial freedom. |