DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMPUTERIZED FOOD MENU DIRECTORATE SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

The main objective of this study is to develop an ICT assisted menu directorate system, whereby someone could be able to choose a meal, get the list of ingredients to cook the meal and follow a step by step help in order to cook the meal. In the other hand, it will also consist of a food time table, where certain meal will be designated for a certain time. Analysis involved a detailed study of the current system, leading to specifications of a new system. The existing system of Menu Directorate System is highly manual; the chef or cook thinks about a specific meal he or she wants to cook, determines the ingredients he or she wants to use, he or she then collects the ingredients before starting the cooking process. There is no definite database in this system; the only thing the chef or cook may do is to write down the ingredients in a book for reference purpose and forming a timetable. The development ICT assisted menu directorate system involved many phases. The approach used is a top-down one concentrating on what first, then how and moving to successive levels of details. The first phase started with a detailed study of the problems and prospects of cooking a meal. In the course of this study, many problems were discovered to have hindered the effectiveness of the existing manual system. These problems, information needs, and activities were documented and later used as the basis for system design, which immediately followed the first phase. The design phase was concerned primarily with the specification of the system elements in a manner that best met the voter’s registration need. During this phase, strict adherence was made on proven software engineering principles and practices. To implement this design, a computer program was then written and tested. It is hoped that effective implementation of this software product would eliminate many problems discovered during systems investigation.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the study

        Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a term used to describe technologies in manipulating and communicating information. As telecommunication systems have evolved, they have increasingly used computing technology in switching nodes and then in non-switching nodes supporting services. With mobile telecommunications, the amount of information processing required to manage mobility and services has increased enormously and this has resulted in a tremendous increase in computer communications within the telecommunications environment.

         The parallel emergence of computer communications in science and business, the enormous increase in the capabilities and numbers of personal computers and the extraordinary changes brought about by the Internet have driven a merging of computing technology and telecommunications as the two areas have moved from analog to digital and then to packet technologies, and as the Internet has emerged to become the dominant data communications system in use today, whether as the “public Internet” or “managed Internet.”

          What started as a circuit-switched voice network has evolved to a packet switched data network. Initially, data was handled by making it look like voice (modems.) Now voice is handled by making it look like data (Voice over IP or VoIP.) While voice remains the dominant revenue generator, the shift to VoIP brings major challenges to telecommunications operators as they manage the enormous shifts taking place in the nature and volume of traffic they carry on their networks.

         ICT capabilities vary widely. In developed countries, they are widespread and sophisticated, while in developing countries, they may be less available and offer less capacity. Developing countries are catching up quickly by leapfrogging older generations of technology as well as creating solutions that suit the needs of their user communities. In some cases, the lack of a legacy infrastructure makes rapid modernization easier.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Cooking a delicious food is a tedious and complex task, the combinations of ingredients of several tastes, weight, and forms is usually a herculean task for various Chefs. One of the major problems of this study is to tackle the problems of selecting a choice of what to cook, also the problem of arranging a complete set of ingredients for cooking a specific meal without forgetting any one of the ingredients, and also to teach how to cook a specific meal in a step by step manner within a specific time and with little or no stress.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to develop an ICT assisted menu directorate system, whereby someone could be able to choose a meal, get the list of ingredients to cook the meal and follow a step by step help in order to cook the meal. In the other hand, it will also consist of a food time table, where certain meal will be designated for a certain time.

1.4     Scope of the Study

          This research work is designed to enable chefs and even a lay man to cook a described meal, with the aid of a step by step directory and also gives the ingredients needed in cooking the specified or chosen meal, within a specific time.

1.5     Limitations of the Study

          During the design of this project work, much finance was required and owing to the financial meltdown globally, the research was limited by finance and hence concentrated on the available materials within the locality. Another limitation was time, the time given for the project work was limited and there are other works for me on campus thus limiting the scope of the study to the available time.

1.6     Significance of the Study

In view of the rapid development of computer technology in virtually all fields of operation and its use in relation to information management, it has become important to look into the development of a menu directory for cooking various meals:

(a) List various meals, both European and African dishes.

(b) Safeguard data and information in the system.

(c) Avoid the omission of cooking ingredients.

(d) Keep accurate record of every meal.

(e) Allocate a specific time to a certain meal

(f) Provide a food time table.

1.7 Project Report Organization

This project was covered under five stages:

CHAPTER 1; Deals with the introduction. The background of the project is discussed. The objectives of the project, its significance, scope, and constraints are pointed out.

CHAPTER 2; This chapter is a Review of the evolution of ICT and food applications.

CHAPTER 3; Discusses system Investigation and Analysis. It deals with detailed investigation and analysis of the existing system and problem identification.

CHAPTER 4; Treats the system design and implementation

CHAPTER 5; The summary and conclusion of the project are finally treated in this chapter.

1.8 Definition of Terms

ICT: Information and communication technology

Information System: It is a collection of procedures, people, instructions and equipment to produce information in a useful form

Technology: It is study of techniques or process of mobilizing resources (such as information) for accomplishing objectives that benefit man and his environment

Computer Network: is a system that connects two or more computers together using a communication link.

Databases: A systematically arranged collection of computer data, structured so that it can be automatically retrieved or manipulated. It is also called databank.