Online Booking System for Parking - Report Example

…………………………………………………………………..….xxxxx …………………………………………………………..……..xxxxx ……………………………………………………………………….xxxxx …………………………………………………………………….xxxxx @2012 Developing an online booking system for parking Section 1: Introduction Goal of the project: To develop an online booking system for parking that will make it possible for users to book parking space online. Context of the project Usually people waste so much time trying to locate a parking space especially in busy commercial centres such as cities and shopping malls. Besides wasting time this activity can be draining psychologically and can be a demotivator and a prospective client may even drive away when they fail to locate a vacant space (Whapples 2005). Even after locating the space it might not be possible to access it since there could be other vehicle blocking the way. This is all due to the cumbersome nature of organising manual system. The level of safety in such a parking lot may be compromised since the user may not be in a position to navigate the congested parking damaging other user’s property. Developing an online booking system would alleviate the problem of time wastage on the side of the users of the parking lots included in the system (Whapples 2005). People visiting the area for the first usually find it difficult to locate organised and accessible parking space where they can feel secure. They always end up stranded and have to keep enquiring from strangers further increases the risk. During open public occasion such as the festive season there is usually an influx of people in key commercial centres. The congestion cause confusion and locating a vacant parking space can be highly involving. Online booking system for parking would help solve this problem since the user will have priory located and paid for the parking service (Cegielski 2010). This gives the people time to settle down into the main activities of the day within the shortest time possible. It would also relieve the workers who have office in the premises of the hustle of trying to locate a parking space every time they report working. This means their productivity would be enhanced since they do not waste energy so early in the day. Customers always are motivated to shop at the malls that do not put them through unnecessary strains associated with lack of parking space (Whapples 2005). They feel safe, and this would mean that encourage them to make subsequent visit to such well managed premises. The system will fit in well with the already existing online communication network such as the e-mail and mobile phone communication. This is because most of the current communications are data enabled and can therefore, access internet. Overall objectives This project seeks to achieve the following objective: Move from the paper base parking booking system to an online system for wide easier accessibility by users Make open occasion booking and payment easier especially for the visitors. To acquire a far more effective management tool with which to operate the parking booking and payment for it. Reduce the time spent by users trying to locate. Techniques for realisation During the selection of the reservation period, the user reservation request is usually directed the server which controls the parking system at the parking lot (Global 2010). This is where the basic charges tariffs are stored in the system and determined. Discounts can be allowed for various parking periods. Specification of the contingency and the reservation period consideration, the time per each reservation and the number of customer reservations determines the individual charges. The reservation system is a platform for car park booking at all locations connected to the system. The online booking system has the freedom of web design (Whapples 2005). This means that through the server interface, the reservation system can be integrated directly into the customers own web site such as their email provider for easy accessibility. Since browser does not have windows opening in it, the advertising banners functioning capacities will be maintained at a lower cost This reservation system can also be perfectly integrated into the web sites of cooperating partners such as travel agencies and companies who may be having their offices located within the premises covered by this system (Cegielski 2010). Special conditions can be awarded to these partners through the discount incentives. Management of the online payment system is also supplemented by the administration of all reservation data and the reservations existing in the system. Allotment can be controlled at the site so that the difference counting computed in the system is regularly considered along with the reservations left in the system. This can be done through the dynamic parking lot control system. Contingency control makes it possible to determine how many parking lots shall be reserved for future reservations. This way limited temporary campaign to utilize free capacities can be planned and carried out through the discount incentive. Structure of contextual report This report uses a descriptive format of the proposed project. Background information relevant to the project has been expounded on giving details of why this project would be a necessity. Data collection method will be done by filling a questionnaire with responses from randomly selected users (Global 2010). The data shall be used to form the basis for developing the online booking system for parking since the critical needs shall be identified. The implementation of the project is expected to be within 3 months. Activities during the project are expected to run concurrently where possible reduce the time between when the project is effected and when users start benefiting from the ideas of the project. Section 2: Literature Review Recently there have been tremendous developments in technology and sophistication of even the most basic gadgets. This means that a majority of the population are able to access online information and even apply if on their daily activities. With this kind of developments of an online booking system for parking would enhance service delivery by the companies offering parking services (Cegielski 2010). Online communication has further been enhanced by the development of better communication networks service provider such that it is possible to access internet wirelessly and with better resolution. The field of online booking has been gaining preference to many users and service institution. For instance most airports and travel agents have provided online booking system for delivering their services to their clients. Most airports have also implemented online booking for parking for their users (Whapples 2005). This way the user can select a parking space that is most convenient for them and since the can use the online map to locate the exact space making it easier to navigate even the most sophisticated setups. Most companies have organised parking for their employees and customers at locations near the premises (Global 2010). This way the employees can make arrangement for either long term or medium term for their parking needs. This makes it easier for them to access their place of work. The customer especially those who may need to park at the company premises for some time Compared to paper based, online booking procedure provides better efficiency in locating parking space and paying for it. Discounts are offered along with online booking system therefore making the online a bit cheaper than manual. Online booking is also much faster, easier and reaches a wider user base. The time take to serve a client is significantly reduced since even the payment is done online (Whapples 2005). The map provide online indicating the layout on the ground enables the user to select their preferred parking space and while there they can do the parking at self direction with out necessarily waiting for guidance. Users who are visiting the area for the first time also get the opportunity to select their parking space when they are visiting the various places. It is with ease that they are able to navigate through the premises without appearing stranded and having to keep enquiring from strangers. The capacity served by online booking would be wider as compared to manual paper based method. Data collected on online booking is easily stored in a manageable format. This makes it possible for proper analysis to be conducted from time to time. This would lead to service quality improvement since any gaps are identified in a more efficient way and therefore corrected in time (Cegielski 2010). Online data can be used in the comparison of results with other companies in the same field .Idea trading is therefore possible and done in a swift way without much interruption of service delivery to the users. Online booking is highly flexible giving the user an opportunity to book their booking space in advance and at their comfort. The provision of an online map helps the user to familiarise with the site before hand. Market research (questionnaire) The users involved on the survey for this survey would be expected to fill the following questionnaire Date..................... time........................................... Gender: Male.................. Female.................... Age................................................................. Estate of residence.......................................... Have you ever parked in this parking lot before? Yes................ NO............. How frequently do you park in this parking lot? Daily............... Twice in a week.............. Twice in a month............. First time visitor............................. How did you locate a parking space today? Driving around.......................... Walking around.......................... Direction by the attendant in charge..................... Prior booking.............................. How long does it take to locate a parking space in any parking lot in town? Less than 5 minutes.................. 5-10 minutes................................ More than 10 minutes.................. How long do you intend to leave your vehicle parked in this parking lot? Less than 30min........................ 30min-1hour....................... More than an hour..................... Is the parking space you have used the convenient for your needs? Yes......... no........... On a scale of 1-5 how secure is the parking lot? 1/5...... 2/5.... 3/5....... 4/5............ 5/5............................... On a scale of 1-5 how do you rate the services offered by the parking services company 1/5.......... 2/5.......... 3/5.................... 4/5.................... 5/5........... Have you ever used an online booking service for parking: Yes.......... No..... How did you book for the parking space? Calling in........... Through a friend........... Bought ticket through the website.......................... How long did it take to locate the parking space at the site? Less than 5min....... 5-10 min.............. More than 10 min............... .Would the installation of an online booking system for parking reduces the time taken to locate a parking space? Yes................. No.................... Suggest any other change you would like to see implemented in the service delivery by the parking lot......................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Signature of the interviewed user.............................. Name of the surveyor................................................ Signature of the surveyor........................................... Section 3: Project plan (Gant Chart) Step/ activity Prerequisite step Optimistic duration Pessimistic duration Average duration Start :data collection None 5 days 10 days 7 days Data analysis Data collection 3 days 7 days 5 days Renovation and improvement of the parking lot Data collection and analysis 14 days 28 days 21 days Development of online booking system Data analysis to integrate all the require information in the system software 14 days 28 days 21 days Piloting the online booking system Development of system management and installation 10 days 20 days 15 days Finish: implementation of the online booking system Feedback from the pilot stage and improvement based on the feed back 2 month 3 months 2 months 2 weeks The tasks involved in the project are expected to follow the following: the project is therefore expected to take a time of 2-4 months before completion. This would only occur if all factors remain constant and there are no interruptions on the project progress. Section 4: Planning your artifact Requirements Cables for connection of the appliances within the covered are: Server requirement: operating systems :there is some management software in the market and the company can either choose to acquire one from the market or to have a unique tailor-made program developed by the companies IT department or from the already existing software developers (Global 2010). A server is able to load at the running time of the system. The server should be effective enough for proper uninterrupted communication with users within the system. Computers and other monitoring gadgets for use in the strategic offices within the area are covered by the system. These would include the entire requirement for booking and payment for the service and means of verifying the information. Monitoring gadgets place at strategic location within the premises for surveillance such as CCTV cameras would also be required. Renovation materials: marker paint and reflectors. Bitumen to repair the pavement within the parking lot Design The software for the project can either be obtained online from established software developing companies or be internally developed by the company IT department (Whapples 2005). The design should provide the user with the layout of the parking lot as is on the ground. This enables the user to visualize the site appearance and therefore select a parking space that is most convenient for them. The user should also be in a position to specify the period of parking and select the one that best fits their needs .They can also compare the various tariffs on offer so that they benefit from the discount provisions. The period would include the time they expect to get to the parking lot and time of departure. The design should give the user the freedom to select a means of payment for their services. This ensures easier management of the process if the user can pay for service at the comfort of their home or office (Cegielski 2010). The payment method should however be closely monitored to eliminate the chance of frauds occurrences. Personal information belonging to either the user or the company should remain confidential for security purposes. Testing strategy, and Evaluation strategy Data collected of the traffic observed on a daily basis shall be stored in digital form and used to evaluate performance of the online booking system (Cegielski 2010). This would help in establishing trends such as peak and off peak periods. The revenue collected should also be evaluated to cater for the maintenance of the system and improvement on service delivery. This kind of information would lead to feedback on any loopholes that need to be sealed within the system. Evaluation on progress can be done quarter annually or even twice per year. The company needs to ensure that they keep up with the trends in the market to redesign their service delivery (Global 2010). There is always an improved version of the program in the market and if the company lags behind they might become obsolete. In order to serve the dynamic client base that keeps expanding frequent evaluation is necessary. A strategic plan is therefore an essential tool to lay down the plan for evaluation and improvement. References Piller F.T, Tseng M.M, 2010. Handbook of Research in Mass Customization and Personalization, Volume 1. World Scientific Chids M.C, 1999. Parking spaces: a design, implementation, and use manual for architects, planners, and engineers. McGraw-Hill Whapples et.al, 2005. Car Park Designers' Handbook. Thomas Telford Cegielski C, Rainer K, 2010. Introduction to Information Systems: Enabling and Transforming Business. John Wiley & Sons Mahmassani H, 2005. Transportation and traffic theory: flow, dynamics and human interaction: proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Transportation and Traffic Theory, Maryland, 19-21 July 2005. Emerald Group Publishing Global, Igi, 2010. Enterprise Information Systems: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications (3 Volumes). Idea Group Inc Read More