Project Task Description
This project will focus on the design and implementation of a GIS Track & Trace system in a Logistics company using the nowadays technologies on GPS and GPRS.
Project subject area and Angle description – The first GPS system was developed in 1994 by the U.S. militaries, the idea of it is to provide the most precise, high speed omnidirectional navigation and positioning on U.S. military affairs. The entire development was lasted for 20 years, and costed around billion. In today, it services was not only in used for the militaries and also widely commercialised to the public. This project subject area will focus on the use and implementation of this technology in a business sector, Logistics. In today Logistics, the technology on GPS can be used to improve the management or counter the problems on Physical Distribution. The system developed usually combined with the use of GPRS technology to transmit the returned vehicles position from GPS to the dispatcher’s office GIS (Geographical Information System) server. This project will focus to conduct a plan, from system architecture design to the actual implementation of a global, all-weather GPS/GPRS GIS Track and Trace system in a Logistics Company for the purpose to improve their communication, control and management on Physical Distribution.
Problem to be Solved and Worth – Before the technology on GPS commercialised to the public, in the past, Logistics Company can only used radio signal, ‘Walkie-Talkie’ or mobile phone as the equipment to communicate with their vehicle drivers. Started by the request from dispatcher’s offices to their vehicle driver. The vehicle drivers can only report their position to the dispatcher’s offices according to their judgment, especially when vehicle entered into the unfamiliar areas or travelling at night, vehicle drivers usually unable to locate correctly their position to the dispatcher’s offices, and sometime worst is to get lost in the road. Without a real-time positioning system, many logistics company found it difficulties to manage their vehicles and distribution. Also, safety was another issue. Company or customers with high value of goods transport to other location was uncomfortable since the location and status of their orders always unclear. This is worth for a Logistics Company to implement a GPS/GPRS GIS Track and Trace system to resolve the mentioned problems on Physical Distribution. With the system, the exact position of vehicles can be always transmitted to the drivers, to the dispatcher’s offices, to the GIS server, then to the customers.
Research Question – “How to implement a success GPS/GPRS system to improve the management in Logistics Physical Distribution”
Idea for action and Data Outline – The order of actions of my project will follow the model of Davenport (1993). The model identifies five stages that company must be undertaken in a BPR initiative (Robson chapter 8.5). The five stages are identify the area for innovation, identify the change levers, develop the process vision, understand the existing processes and design and prototype the new process.
In my project, according to Davenport stage one, I will identify the area for innovation by looking at the technology innovation of traditional radio navigation and the satellites navigation (GPS) within the industry. The data will be collected from the textbooks or from the Internet. In Davenport stage two, the change levers I will be provided after the study on different features on the market GPS, GPRS and GIS. The data collected I will then use to conduct my technical specification. In stage 3, the process vision will be conducted after the study of technical specification combined with the data collected from the end user survey and interview. In stage 4, a distribution flowchart in MS Visio will be conducted by study of company operation manual, quality control document…etc. Also, a problems list will be conducted by looking at the resulted flowchart or the company incident/accident report in the past. In stage 5, different features in the technical specification will be adopted to create the new system workflow in MS Visio. A DFD (Data Flow Diagram Robson 8.5.4), which maps process delineations with respect to the inputs, controls, outputs and mechanisms will be provided. Also with table listed the responsibility to different level of users. The cost and time estimation…etc.
Context: Setting, Background and Scope
This project will set it background on a Hong Kong based Third Party Logistics Company. The company, which currently providing different services in Logistics to their customers from Supply Chain Management to Inventory Management and to the Physical Distribution Management. This project will focus it scope onto the company Physical Distribution department, and attempt to improve the department by work out a success GIS Track & Trace system implementation plan using today technologies provide by GPS and GPRS. The system will focus to provide improvements to the department procedures with the functionalities such as Vehicle Monitoring, Two-way Communication, Data Storage and Analyse, Quality Tracking and Safety Control …etc. The sources of data for this system implementation will be collected from the users of the department, Internet and textbooks.
Project Strategic IT Value and Intention
The strategic IT value of this project is to indicate to the logistics company that the technologies on GPS/GPRS can help in resolve many of the existing problems on Physical Distribution. With the system, the exact position of vehicles and distribution status can be always transmitted from the drivers to the dispatcher’s offices, to the GIS server, then to the customers. With this information, the dispatch’s office can always more effectively monitor and control their vehicles on the road. This helps to prevent and reduce incidents and accidents during the distribution process. And by analyse past data stored in the GIS server, dispatcher’s office can always achieve more better planning and optimising when defining of vehicles route. In addition, customer’s satisfaction will also increase since customers can always obtain the most accurate information on their orders by looking at the system provided by the logistics company.
Aim
To demonstrate, by conducting implementation plan to show Logistics Company with the implementation of technologies on GPS/GPRS can help to achieve better management on Physical Distribution.
Objectives
To state the benefits bought to the public by the technology innovation from radio navigation to satellites navigation;
To search and report the latest GPS/GPRS hardware and software information collected from different vendors;
To identify the problems and provide solution to resolve the problems within the company physical distribution area using technologies on GPR/GPRS;
To conduct system architecture design on a GIS Track and Trace system using nowadays technologies on GPS/GPRS;
To identify the resources, costs and times required during the whole system implementation process;
To design and conduct a effective physical distribution workflow to the company;
Research Design
Introductory Discussion – In today, GPS is mainly in use for vehicle and dispatch tracking. According to statistics and forecast from Toyota. The companies in Japan in use of this global satellites navigation system to develop of it company vehicle positioning and navigation system, the statistics showed from 1995-2000, there was 35 percent average increased on development each years. And with a forecast showed the investment put into the development of vehicle positioning and navigation system from the whole world will have 60.8 percent increase on each year. For this reason, vehicle positioning and navigation system in the future will definitely become one of the most popular equipments installed in the consumer’s vehicle. In today, Logistics Physical Distribution that requires high-speed, secure vehicle control also utilized this navigation technology into their business. The system usually comes up to the company with abilities on vehicle navigation and tracking, distribution route planning, order enquiry, active communication, emergency rescue. In my project design, I will focus to conduct the implementation plan on this navigation and positioning system, GIS Track and Trace, to a Hong Kong based Third Party Logistics Company.
Data and Methods – In this project, there will be a study on the technology innovation from traditional radio navigation system and the latest satellites navigation system. The type of data collect will focus on the technology features in relate to the Logistics Physical Distribution. All related data collected will use Porter’s Five Forces Model to analyse it. Next, a technical specification with business related features provide by the technology will be generated. Here, the data on the technical specification will also use to create this project survey questionnaires to the end users. In addition, this project will involve an interview to users at different levels to collect system requirements. The data obtained from the interview and survey will use to conduct the company problems list and the project visions list. The visions list will list all requirements with priority rate by different level of users.
In the project, there will be a study on the company’s physical distribution procedures to complete the company operation workflow. Here, the chosen method will be the action research. The research I will collect the data to found out what are the processes, what are the peoples involved, and time to complete on each processes. Also, there will be a study on a company operation manual and quality control documents. The workflow will be conducted in a flowchart created by MS Visio, which will show the complete cycle on physical distribution from dispatcher’s offices to the recipient, then return to the dispatcher’s offices.
Collection Protocols – In the project, the data will be collected from textbooks, Internet, survey and interview. The survey will conduct in Microsoft Word and send to the end users at the dispatcher’s offices in hard copy or by e-mail. The survey is simply a list of questions generated from the technical specification. The survey is to evaluate the significance level on each features provide by the technologies rating from very low to very high. In beside, there will be an interview to meet end users to discuss the company operation problems and to collect the system requirements. The interview will involve selected end users at the dispatcher’s offices and the department operation manager.
This project also has selected action research as the method to collect data on company’s physical distribution workflow. The action research will perform by visiting the company’s physical distribution department. All processes data will be recorded at the time. The data that will be collected in a way such as why is the process, what and who involved in the process and time required on this process…etc. Each individual piece of data collected on each process will be consolidated and become this project physical distribution workflow.
Processing and Presentation
In this project, all data that collected during the project implementation will use to conduct different reports or diagrams. The data collected from the survey and the requirements collected from the interview will use to combine with the technical specification to determinate what are the functions must be included into the project system design. The reason is that, although, the technical specification may come up with lot of features, but not all of the features are require or suitable to adopt into the future workflow, some of the features will have to exclude from the design. Also, with the combined data, the project also will indicate what requirements from the users cannot be covered. The combined data will list in a metric table in the project.
The action research will perform in the dispatcher’s offices with end users to study of the company distribution workflow. The research process will clearly study each distribution processes from goods depart from the loading bay, to the recipient then return to the company. The collected data will present in a MS Visio flowchart.
Tools and Methods
- Microsoft Visio for drawing company workflow;
- Porter’s Five Forces Model for business analysis;
- IDEF DFD (Data Flow Diagram) will be use to list process delineations;
- Davenport BPR (Business Reengineering Process) five stages will follow to conduct this project implementation plan;
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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