CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
As children
playing hide and seek, there seemed to be so many places where we could hide
and never be found. With the world be-coming ever smaller through technology,
hiding is increasingly difficult. Cameras peer down on us at red lights, in our
workplace, in stores and even at home. Now, those cameras are being augmented
by new technologies that track our cars, cell phones and possibly any product
we buy. This location-tracking technology also is being used to streamline
supply chains for corporations, seeking to move products to the market faster,
and to monitor assets and prevent inventory loss. In view of the phenomenal
growth in transportation industry and the trend of information technology in
delivery first class service to the customer with minimal cost. This project
aim to develop online and real-time transit parcel monitoring system to the NIPOST
clients. Existing system is the way the
system is being operated, that is the manual way of monitoring client parcel or
freight. Since the existing system is done manually, it is imperative that we
consider critically its mode of operation and analyse them. In monitoring the
movement of freight and the ship or any carrier that carried it, the use of
paper form was introduced which include the bill of laden form. The bill of
laden form is the most important of all the forms required. The shipper sends
the bill of laden in advance of the ship to the importer. The importer takes
the bill of laden to the NPA (Nigerian Port Authority) central office for
details about the ship and her located berth. The importer or its agent
completes the bill of laden, cross checked and compared with the ship’s
manifest. After certifying the correctness of consignee documents, a blank form
called the delivery order is then issued out to the importer. The consignee or
its agent complete the delivery order for and returns it to the shipping
company, and then the delivery order is sent to the marketing department of the
Nigeria Port Authority. After, the marketing department then raises all
necessary bills according to the port regulation and their payment term,
customer proceeds to the bank for payment; the documents are subsequently
transferred to the transit shed or delivery point, the consignee then proceed
to the appropriate shed or delivery point. After loading, cargo pass is issued
to the consignee or his agent who then proceed to Nigeria Port Authority gate
for security checks and final exit. In the old system of NIPOST company
service, once a parcel or freight has been sent by the client, there is no way
the client will know the position of that parcel until it get to the
destination and acknowledgment message is sent from the receiver of the parcel
that it has been delivered. This method poses a lot of problem to both the NIPOST
clients and the company herself. Even the company wishes to feed the client
back but since there is no means of doing such, both are incapacitated and
everything is at the risk of the owner of parcel.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Location-tracking
technology also is being used to streamline supply chains for corporations,
seeking to move products to the market faster, and to monitor assets and
prevent inventory loss. NIPOST’s online tracking is the fastest way to find out
where your shipment is. No need to call customer service when we can offer you
real-time details of your shipment’s progress as it speeds through the NIPOST Network
on the way to its destination. Soon, companies also will be able to track your
location. Imagine walking through your local supermarkets, and as you pass
through the aisle, an electronic coupon for your favourite cereal is beamed to
your phone.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Today’s rate at which clients do
call the tracking agents and also the rate at which clients visit the NIPOST
office to confirm the status of the parcel they sent through the NIPOST service
channel is too high . At times, the NIPOST agent may not be able to say
precisely whether the parcel has been delivered or not due to inadequate means
of communication to the company while on journey and secondly, it is more prone
to error due to data lost. The data entry and validation aspect of the old
system are done manually, the system use the data entered as the basis for the
tutorials schedule while all documents given to the clients are generated from
the data collected and result of processed data for use. This process is often
associated with high-levels of manual processing, limited tracking visibility
and poor customer service (at least perceived). An efficient chain-of-custody
proof-of-delivery (POD) solution becomes more and more important to day-to-day
operations.
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE
STUDY
1.3.1 AIM
In view of the
phenomenal growth in transportation industry and the trend of information
technology in delivery first class service to the customer with minimal cost.
This project aim to develop online and real-time transit parcel monitoring
system to the NIPOST clients. Following
objectives:
1.3.2 OBJECTIVES
1.
To provide fastest and most reliable
service to the client at all time, all days through mobile technology
2.
To prove self-monitoring environment for
the client’s parcel or freight on transit.
3.
To ensure proper processing and dissemination
of key shipping information for quick vessel turnaround.
4.
To provide self-management and the
unbending security in monitoring client’s parcels on transit
5.
To ensure efficient management of port
operations, optimal allocation and use of resources.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
STUDY
In implementing the objectives of this
study, the advantages of an E-tracking system over the existing system, i.e.
the manual way of registering and monitoring the movement of freight or any
parcel. Users will be able to tracking / access resource digitally without carrying
books, journals, magazines etc which could result in rapid wear and tear of the
paper documents. Besides, it will afford users the opportunity to see the
current status and position of their goods or parcel. The proposed system will
provide security to help track the movement of each ship and parcel carrier on
transit. The system will also eliminate some of the routine manual work
prevalent in the manual system of tracking.
1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of
this research work will be limited to the provision of tracking information
provided by the NIPOST for tracking of client’s freight and parcels on transit
as provided by the NIPOST agents.
1.6 LIMITATION OF STUDY
Some problems were encountered during
the course of writing this project. These problems include:
1. Difficulties
incurred while gathering all necessary information.
2.
Financial problem was also one of the
major problems encountered. For every material needed require money e.g.
browsing so as to source for information.
3.
Erratic power supply both in school and
at home also hindered this project work in various ways.
4.
The non-availability of a mail server
also hindered the response management system as it was only simulated in this
project work.
5.
Also, the time allotted for the
completion of the project wasn’t sufficient as it requires time to learn the
programming tool used for the project.
6.
In spite of all these constraints, the
designing and writing of a well-documented project was achieved.
1.7 GLOSSARY OF TERMS
1.
Tracking: Tracking is the process of
automatically locating a point or series of points from frame to frame in a
sequence.
2.
Cargo: Goods carried on a ship or
aircraft.
3.
Information: This is a collection of
facts or data.
4.
Parcel: Goods etc. wrapped up in a
package for posting or carrying.
5.
E-Tracking: Tracking is the process of
automatically locating a point or series of points from frame to frame in a
sequence Online.
6.
Transit: Going, conveying, or being
conveyed, esp. over a distance.
7.
POD: Proof of delivery.
8.
NIPOST: NIPOST.
9.
TDX:
Tracking Dog Excellent.
10. P.S.F.C: Parcel sent from client.
11. P.U.S: Parcel update
status.
12. P.C: Parcel cleared to be dispatched.
13. P.R.S: Parcel report
status.
14. T.R.F.C: Track request from client.
15. P.E.R.F. NIPOST: Parcel entry registration from NIPOST.
16. P.U.F.DISP: Parecl update from dispatcher.
