Dissertation Artefact Help

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Hello all,

I would like some help/guidance on what I could do for an artefact for my dissertation title.

The idea behind my dissertation is to protect designers intellectual property within the 3D printing market place (CAD files).

Currently I am doing a cyber security degree so part of the dissertation is looking at current and previous methods use for protection within media as well as banking to contrast to my idea.


The idea itself is a whole system, ranging from backend servers to a user application. If I was a programmer, the application would be the artefact, however I am not. This leaves me to question my dissertation on what the artefact could actually be.

If anyone could give some guidance that would be fantastic,

Thanks
 
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What do you mean by an artifact, just something that you have actually created rather than a bunch of words?

Would design documentation not suffice?
Really though, you should be speaking to your supervisor.
 
What do you mean by an artifact, just something that you have actually created rather than a bunch of words?

Would design documentation not suffice?
Really though, you should be speaking to your supervisor.

Artefact as in the item that you output from a dissertation, e.g. a program.

I have talked to my supervisor but he has asked me to go away and think about it. However I keep going round in circles in that the best output for this dissertation would be a program, however I lack the skills.

Therefore, I need to know what else the output of the dissertation could be or develop a new idea.
 
I may be wrong, but is your plan to create some sort of DRM for CAD files? because I don't think that's possible without creating a whole new file format. Where I work you need special permission to take CAD files off site and they need to be on an encrypted storage because as long as you have the right software you can open the files with no trouble what so ever.

The only idea I can think apart from that would be to have the 3d printer search a server and check whether that person has the write to print the model.
 
patent application?

Is there not official guidance on what is acceptable to admit as an Artifact?
Would a pseudocode design of the major functionality and some detailed functional specification documents not work? The kind of document you could hand to a development company if you were to commission the work?

I think you need to come up with a couple of options and talk to your supervisor about them, ask exactly what your expected to be submitting at the end of the cycle.

Finally you say your not a programmer, but could you not knock together something to demo the major functionality to some degree - I suspect it wouldn't need to be fully functional, or even very pretty as long as it was well tied in.
 
Hello all,

I would like some help/guidance on what I could do for an artefact for my dissertation title.

The idea behind my dissertation is to protect designers intellectual property within the 3D printing market place (CAD files).

Currently I am doing a cyber security degree so part of the dissertation is looking at current and previous methods use for protection within media as well as banking to contrast to my idea.


The idea itself is a whole system, ranging from backend servers to a user application. If I was a programmer, the application would be the artefact, however I am not. This leaves me to question my dissertation on what the artefact could actually be.

If anyone could give some guidance that would be fantastic,

Thanks

The best artifact for your dissertation is the one that most accurately demonstrates the skills you're meant to have acquired in taking your degree. I doubt that software development is one of those skills, but considering the problems facing software developers might be. So a design document with a practical solution to the problem you're describing is probably what you should be thinking about.
 
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