Design and development for a mobile-based Co-housing application for MSc students transition

• Main Author: Luo, Chongwei
• Other Authors: Shao Xuguang, Michelle
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Computer and Information Science; Engineering; Co-living; NLP; Software; iOS development; Android development
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/176629
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The Co-housing Application for International Students addresses the challenges posed by the growing number of international students enrolling at institutions like Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Finding affordable on-campus and off-campus housing has become more challenging as more foreign master's students are enrolling in Singapore. One of the issues they face is housing because there is a shortage, and the cost of renting has increased. With the proposed application, it allows foreign students find both apartments and potential roommates simultaneously. Using natural language processing (NLP) linguistic features that utilize semantic matching techniques. This includes an in-depth review of textual data while taking style, meaning, and structure into account. Additionally, the software makes use of a cloud service that allows users to enter data about their values and personality traits, and the system uses that data to automatically find potential matches among registered students. The platform provides information about the local area and transportation options, empowering students to make informed housing choice. Furthermore, extra procedures have been explored to protect the system's safety and security, such as content and text control; monitoring and filtering data, such as roommate profiles and messages. User verification is also implemented to ensure users are legitimate users. This can help prevent fraudulent users and protect the safety of the community. By implementing these measures, we can enhance the safety and reliability of the application, making it a more secure and trustworthy platform for international students seeking housing and roommates.