Chapter One: Introduction
1.1. Background
The arrival of new technologies as helped improve many aspects of life. For example, License Plate Recognition is a modern technology that has helped improve mobility and safety in transportation (Rashid, Aibinu, Rahman, Suhaimi and Yunis 93). Many car parks have resulted to the use of technology to help in the logistics of operating a car park. Rashid et al., (93) argue that automatic parking systems are progressive because in addition to improving logistics, they also increase the convenience of public parking, eliminate the hassles of fee collection and also enhance the security, especially when the car parks in question are operated by city authorities. The data capture systems and automatic identification entails the recognition of number plates. This information is then used to access control as well as prepare the bills. Al-Kharusi and Al-Bahadly (55) also report an automatic parking system that in addition to the data capture of the vehicles accessing the parking lot also scans the entire space to reveal any empty parking spaces and notifies the administrators to guide the vehicles.
1.2. Research Objectives
1.3. Problem Statement
Many industries at present are benefiting from the numerous applications of technology and information systems. For instance, the retail industry has benefited immensely from the barcode reader technology as well as the radio frequency identification devices. The new technology has rendered systems that worked efficiently several years ago almost obsolete (Darlington and Urban 90). In order to meet the business needs of the contemporary business environment. The use of automatic identification systems and data capture systems presents various benefits to the business world (Darlington and Urban 90).
The operations of car parking lots can also benefit from the use of automatic identification systems and data capture systems. As cities get more vehicle traffic, there is an increased pressure on the city authorities to ensure that city bylaws regarding the use of public car parks are enforced. Additionally, there is an additional burden on those collecting parking fees. In Abu Dhabi, Mawaqef is responsible for ensuring that the use of parking is in accordance with the city by-laws. This is achieved by giving fines to people how flout the laws relating the use of public car parks.
At present, this is done through the issuance of tickets requiring the violators to pay their fines at the customer service. This is an element of cost that is associated with this approach to issuing fines. The use of automatic identification and data capture systems will help cut the cost of administering this service because it will reduce the employees required to work the system. Additionally, there is the aspect of the environmental impact on the employees as they have to work in searing heat throughout the day. This makes it important to understand the factors that influence the uptake of this technology in the operation of car parks. This is more the case in Abu Dhabi, a city that is experiencing a rapid growth in population as well as the number of vehicles in the city.
1.4. Research Questions
The following are the research questions that guide the study.
Are the car parks in Abu Dhabi using automatic identification and data capture systems?
What are the factors that influence the acceptance of automatic identification and data capture systems by car parks in Abu Dhabi?
How important are the factors that influence the acceptance of automatic identification and data capture systems by car parks in Abu Dhabi?
What are the barriers that limit the acceptance of automatic identification and data capture systems by car parks in Abu Dhabi?
What are the challenges that the car parks that use of automatic identification and data capture systems by car parks in Abu Dhabi face?
What are the incentives for the adoption of automatic identification and data capture systems by car parks in Abu Dhabi?
How does the environment created by the United Arab Emirates’ government affect the of automatic identification and data capture systems by car parks in Abu Dhabi.
What is the most appropriate of automatic identification and data capture system for use by car parks in Abu Dhabi
1.5. Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations
1.5.1. Assumptions
The study assumes that the respondents will be truthful in their responses. The responses will be sought from normal drivers, owners of car who reside in the city and people with disabilities who own cars. The study assumes that the three cohorts will represent the views of the motorists in Abu Dhabi.
1.5.2. Limitations
The study methodology does not explore the appropriateness of the various methods available for automatic identification and data capture systems. As such, the recommendations that will be made to the Abu Dhabi Parking Authority will not be based on empirical findings.
1.5.3. Delimitations
The study will employ online questionnaires for the quantitative data and personal interviews for the qualitative data. The study will be performed in Abu Dhabi only despite the existence of other suitable locations. The participants of the study will be limited to managers of the car parks in Abu Dhabi irrespective of whether or not they use the automatic identification and data capture systems.
Chapter Two: Literature Review
2.0. Introduction
The transportation industry has benefited immensely from the advancement in technology. Over the last decade, numerous technologies that have revolutionized the operation of car parks have been invented. Abu Dhabi is a city in the United Arab Emirates. This city is frequented by many cars, many of which belong to owners who work in the city, who come in the city for business purposes, and those who come to the city for leisure purposes.
Public Parking in Abu Dhabi
Overview of Parking in Abu Dhabi
The Park Inspectors have a mandate to ensure that the parking regulations and guideline are followed. To deliver this mandate, they offer consultancy services to the users to ensure that they use the parking spaces in a manner that is consistent with the regulations (Department of Transport, n.d.). In addition, the Parking Inspectors also enforce these regulations by applying appropriate measures whenever violations in the use of parking spaces are indicated. Some of these measures include the issuance of Parking Violation Tickets as well as towing the car (Department of Transport, n.d.).
Payment of Parking in Abu Dhabi
There are three main methods through which users in Abu Dhabi pay for their parking.
Prepaid Cards
The use of prepaid cards is one of the payment options that users in Abu Dhabi can explore when paying for their parking fees. These are disposable cards that are loaded with money at the point of purchase (Department of Transport, n.d.). The prepaid cards can be bought from the customer service centers operated by MAWAQIF. These cards are an alternative to using coins in pay-by-foot machines to pay for paring. The cards can be loaded with 50 dirham or 100 dirham. When the balance is depleted, the card is disposed and the user can purchase another (Department of Transport, n.d.).
Cash Payment
Cash payment relates to the use of coins or notes in pay-on-foot machines. After parking the car and before leaving, the user uses the pay-on-foot machines which are conveniently located to pay for the duration for which the car will be parked in a given parking area. The user is then issued with a receipt that is displayed on the dashboard of the vehicle for the Parking Inspectors to see during their rounds (Department of Transport, n.d.).
Mobile Payments
In this approach, stored value accounts are created for motorists with the MAWAQIF. The accounts are then linked to the registered mobile phone number of the motorist. This enables the motorist to top-up the account using on-line card payment options. The money toped-up can then be used with the m-MAWAQIF service to pay for parking fees (Department of Transport, n.d.).
Types of Parking Spaces
The types of parking spaces in Abu Dhabi are indicated by different tariffs. There are two tariffs that designate the different parking spaces. These are the premium parking and standard parking (Department of Transport, n.d.).
Premium Parking
Premium parking spaces are charged on an hourly basis. For every hour that a user parks in premium parking spaces, he is charged 3 AED. There is a control on the amount of time that one can park in these spaces. The maximum duration for which one can park is four hours. These parking spaces are free of charge during public holidays and on Fridays. One can tell these parking spaces apart from the standard parking spaces by the color of the curb stone. In premium parking spaces, the curb stone is marked with white and turquoise (Department of Transport, n.d.).
Standard Parking
Standard parking spaces do not have a regulation on the amount of time in a day for which one can park. However, one cannot park there beyond 24 hours. For this reason, they can be charged for anywhere between one hour and 24 hours. The hourly rate is 2 AED. One is charged 15 AED for a parking ticket of 24 hours. The parking spaces are also free of charge during public holidays and on Fridays. The curb stone in standard parking spaces is marked with black and turquoise (Department of Transport, n.d.).
Automatic Identification
While this is a concept that is applicable in many industries, the more precise term in the transportation industry is the automatic vehicle identification. Automatic vehicle identification describes a system that is used in identifying a vehicle before it can be allowed entry and exit into and from a parking lot respectively. There are several systems that used in the automatic identification of vehicles.
Radio Frequency Identification Technology
Radio frequency identification technology is another technology that has revolutionized park management systems. In this technology, radio frequency tags are used in the identification vehicles. This is because the technology exploits the Unique Identification Number in every tag (Housing & Development Board, 2016). This technology is especially effective for holders of seasonal parking tickets which are a common thing for people who access the city on a daily business and need to use public or private car parks (Housing & Development Board, 2016). Upon the application of a season parking ticket, the user is issued with a radio frequency identification tag which is displayed prominently on the vehicle to enable detection from the scanners. The same tag is retained when the user comes to new the seasonal parking ticket (Housing & Development Board, 2016).
Radio frequency identification technology can also be used by city authorities to streamline the use of public car parks in the city. This technology provides smart parking solutions for city authorities. This is of particular interest to MAWAQIF, the authority concerned with public car parks in Abu Dhabi. This technology can enable the parking fees to be remitted automatically. The users are required to register with the authority after which they will be issued with radio frequency identification tags. These tags can be linked to an account where the user credits money. This money is then debited automatically to pay for parking access.
This technology can also be used to spot and punish the abuse of parking bays that are reserved for disabled drivers. The drivers with disabilities would also need to register to be issued with tags that identify them as such and thereby allow them to use benefit from these parking bays (Smart Parking, 2015). This system is also effective in cities where the parking bays transform in terms of use during certain times. For instance, parking spaces between nine o’clock in the evening to seven o’clock the following morning are reserved for residents of the city. Guests found violating these provisions can be fined by linking the fine to the user’s account (Smart Parking, 2015). The same can be done for drivers who violate the parking bays reserved for drivers with disabilities. In this way, radio frequency identification technology is used as an enforcement aid for MAWAQIF authorities in the fight against misuse of parking spaces.
Proximity Cards
Proximity cards exploit the smart card technology. Smart cards are issued to users of certain parking lots. These parking lots are fitted with card readers for the users to swipe in order to gain access into the parking lot. This technology can be integrated so that it does not only offer access control but also revenue collection facilities (National Research Council (U.S.)., Airport Cooperative Research Program., United States., & Jacobs Consultancy, 2009). Alternatively, the smart cards can be configured so that the users do not need to swipe. When they are in proximity of the scanners, the identification of the card allows the user access to the parking lot. The International Parking Institute (2013) argues that the cards can be configured to use a declining balance approach. This would require the users to load their cards with money that is deducted for every time they access the parking lots. The amount deducted from the cards is dependent on rates and deduction modalities of the city authorities.
License Plate Recognition Technology
This is one of the alternatives for automatic vehicle identification that car park management systems can employ. This technology exploits the fact that license plate numbers are unique for each car (Lum, Merola, Willis & Cave, 2010). The license plate recognition scanners read the license plate of a vehicle and scan the alphanumeric patter that forms the plate number. The license plate recognition technology can be used to control the access of parking lot or to monitor the vehicles that are parked (Lum, Merola, Willis & Cave, 2010).
This is because it can be used for vehicles moving towards the entry of parking lot or the vehicles already parked. The scanned plate number is then stored in the database to be used in processing fees and to allow exit authorization of the vehicle (Lum, Merola, Willis & Cave, 2010). The popularity of this technology in car parks is its efficiency. Lum, Merola, Willis & Cave (2010) argues that efficiency relates to the speed at which the license plate recognition technology identifies the system and relays the information in the database as well as retrieval for any further processing. Efficiency is an important factor in parking lots because of the high use periods such as in the morning when people are reporting to work.
Access Control
Access control is a concepts relating to limiting the use of a certain facility. This is appropriate in car parks, especially where certain car parks are reserved for certain users. For instance, the city authorities in Abu Dhabi might reserve a certain parking lot for workers of the city authorities for its proximity to the city hall building. The city authorities would be interested in ensuring that only authorized employees access the park. The use of technology has enabled a more streamlined control of the access of such facilities. The employees who are authorized to use the parking lot are issued with identification cards or other credentials which they must use to gain access of the parking lot. For instance, automatic identification technologies such as license plate recognition can be used allow the users entry into the parking lot (Al-Kharusi & Al-Bahadly, 2014).
Access and Revenue Control
In addition to access control, the use of automatic identification and data capture technologies is also used effectively by operators of car parks for revenue control. The parking lots provided privately or by the city authorities levy a charge for customers using the parking lot. The use of technologies improves greatly on the erstwhile approaches where the users lined up to pay their charges to cashiers. The logistics involved were tasking and time consuming. These approaches were also susceptible to losses in revenue for the city authorities and private entities that operate the car parks. The use of automatic identification and data capture enables revenue control in car parks. These technologies allow the car park management to collect revenue from the users without the need for human personnel (International Parking Institute, 2013). The car park management can also conduct audits to determine revenue collection.
Automated Pay Stations
As highlighted above, the use of automatic identification and data capture technologies has enabled a change in the payment of parking fees. Current technologies have integrated with different modes of payments. For instance, International Parking Institute, (2013) argues that car park management systems allow users to pay using Visa and MasterCard. The use of these technologies also allows automated processing of parking tickets in central cashiering facilities within the car park. Alternatively, pay stations can be located at various locations within the parking lot so that they are accessible to the users before the exit the parking facility. This provides an alternative for the pay-in-lane machines thereby increase the rate at which the vehicles exit the facility (International Parking Institute, 2013).
Benefits of Automatic Identification and Data Capture Systems
The use of data capture and automatic vehicle identification systems presents various benefits for city authorities who operate public car parks. The following are some of the benefits of these systems.
Convenience
These systems bring convenience in the management of car parks. Different systems offer various levels of convenience to the user. For instance, the installation of radio frequency identification technology allows the users to park their vehicles and go. The system deducts their parking fees automatically. This system can also be configured to lead the vehicles to the appropriate parking spaces based on type.
Efficiency
The use of data capture and automatic identification systems take over from the use of human personnel in manning car parks. Access controls is streamlined through the use of these systems. They replace erstwhile approaches where the credentials for access were checked manually by human personnel. Among other things, this reduces the time taken to check the credentials of a vehicle to user certain parking bays. Additionally, these systems enhance consistency in the checking of credentials.
Revenue Collection
Data capture and automatic vehicle identification systems can be configured to not only control access but also collect parking fees. The use of radio frequency identification has been illustrated as a very efficient and effective method of revenue collections. These systems also enable the performance of audits to determine the revenue collection.
Access control
Some parking spaces are reserved for certain types of users. For instance residential parking is reserved for residents of such facilities. The use of the data capture and automatic identification systems enables the enforcement of these controls in the access to parking areas. The systems can also be used in the enforcement of by-laws against misuse by city authorities. This is because most of these systems have unique identification that is linked to a particular user.
Acceptance and Utilization Factors
Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
This is theory that explains the factor that influence people to accept and use technology. The theory explains the intentions that people have when using an information system. The theory also explains the usage behavior of people. In advancing this theory, Venkatesh et al., explored four constructs as the conditions that facilitate the acceptance and utilization of technology (Venkatesh, Thong and Xu 160). These factors include performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and effort expectancy. The social influence, effort expectancy and performance expectancy are postulated as the direct factors that determine the intention it using technology (Venkatesh, Thong and Xu 160). The facilitating conditions are direct factors that influence the use behavior. These are important factors in the proposed introduction of automatic identification. This is because they can influence the approaches used by Mawaqif in introducing the proposed idea.
Additional Acceptance and Utilization Factors
In addition to the four constructs highlighted above, there are other factors that moderate the acceptance and utilization of technology. These factors include the voluntariness of the utilization of technology, gender, the experience with the use of the proposed or related technology and the age of the users (Venkatesh, Thong and Xu 160). These factors are not among the four constructs highlighted above. However, these factors are still as significant in predicting the uptake and utilization of technology (Venkatesh, Thong and Xu 160). For instance, younger people may be more predisposed to taking up the new technology compared to older people. People with experience in using such technology are also more predisposed compared to people who are new to the technology (Venkatesh, Thong and Xu 160).
The Proposed Model
There are many approaches through which the use of automatic identification and data capture systems can be used in managing public car space. The proposed model for the city of Abu Dhabi involves the use of radio frequency identification. This entails the issuance of all vehicles with radio frequency identification tags that will aid in the automatic identification and data capture. In addition to the radio frequency identification tags, the owner of the car will also be given an account. The owner will then charge the assigned account with money. This is the money to be used for paying parking fees. Upon parking in one of the designated areas, the driver will scan a card linked with the radio frequency identification tag in conveniently placed facilities to pay for the parking. The money is automatically deducted from the users account.
In addition to the use for collection of parking fees, the system will also be used in the enforcement of the by-laws relating to the use of public parking spaces. Some of the parking slots are held in reserve for people with disabilities. Any people founding violating this provision will be fined. Using their radio frequency identification tags, the violators will be identified accurately and the fine will be charged to their account. It is easier to follow up in case they fail to pay the fine because the data capture system can accurately identify them. Additionally, parking spaces between nine o’clock in the evening to seven o’clock the following morning are reserved for residents of the city. Guests found violating these provisions will be fined in the same way.
Chapter Three: Research Methodology
3.1. Research Type and Data Collection
3.1.1. Qualitative Analysis
The researcher will collect qualitative data and also perform a qualitative analysis of the data. The qualitative analysis will enable the researcher generate new theories regarding the relationship between the variables of study. The qualitative analysis is influential in this study because it helps enhance the understanding as well as explain the context upon which the quantitative data should be understood (Bamberger 112).
3.1.2. Quantitative Analysis
The researcher will collect quantitative data for the purposes of this study. Quantitative data is important in testing the hypothesis regarding the factors influencing the uptake of automatic identification as well as data capture systems by the study population. The quantitative analysis of the data will also enable the researcher to establish the association between various variables so as to base the recommendations on empirical data (Bamberger 112).
3.2. Research Scope
3.2.1. Data Collection Timeframe
The current study us a cross-sectional study. This implies that the researcher will only collect the data from the respondents at one point in time (Brannon and Jess 26). Unlike longitudinal studies, the researcher will not follow the respondents after the data collection exercise (Brannon and Jess 26). While the timeframe does not allow the researcher to identify trends, it allows him to describe the perceptions of the respondents regarding the topic of study.
3.2.2. Population
The population for which this study is designed comprises of the users of vehicles in Abu Dhabi. These are the people who use the parking spaces within the city. Of note is that this population is comprises of people with disabilities, people who reside in the city, and the people who access the city for various purposes.
3.2.3. Sample
The researcher will use the stratified random sampling method in order to generate a sample that is representative of the study population. The researcher will prepare a sampling frame that consists of all three cohorts of people. The first cohort will comprise of normal car drivers. This cohort is operationally defined as the people who access the city for various purposes such as business and leisure among others, and do not fit into the other two groups. The second cohort will comprise of people who reside in the city and need to access the car parks at during the designated periods for residential parking. The third cohort will comprise of people with disabilities who have reserved parking spaces within the city. A sample of 1% of the study population for each of the two segments (residents and normal cars) will be used in the data collection process. However, the need to highlight the perceptions of the drivers with disabilities will require a higher percentage of respondents from their segment. In this regard, the researcher will use 2% of the population in this segment. This will be the sample size for the quantitative questionnaire. The researcher will use ten respondents from each of the three segments for the personal interviews.
3.3. Data Collection Method
The data collection method to be used by the researcher is a questionnaire. A questionnaire is appropriate for this study because it allows the researcher to collect large amounts of information regarding the study topic from the client. The questionnaire will also enable the client to perform quantitative data (David and Carole 159). The researcher will also use personal interviews in order to collect in-depth data from the respondents. Personal interviews are appropriate for collecting qualitative data because they allow the researcher to probe further for in-depth information (Smith 271).
3.3.1. Secondary Data
This study will employ secondary data in a bid to understand the factors that influence the uptake of automatic identification as well as data collection systems. The secondary data involves the findings of other similar studies, theories that explain the adoption of technology, and the recommendations made by other scholars. The secondary data will be used in the formulation of the study hypothesis and building a context for the study.
3.3.2. Primary Data
The arguments that arose from the secondary data and the study hypothesis will be tested using the primary data collected by the researcher. The primary data comprises of the responses from participants regarding the various variables of study. The researcher will manipulate the primary data in order to draw meaning from it.
3.4. Survey Design and Distribution
The researcher will use an online survey design. The hosting platform will be SurveyMonkey. The data collection instrument will be availed through this online platform. The selected respondents will be given a link that takes them to the web page where they can find the questionnaire. The link will be distributed to the all the participants selected for the study.
3.5. Validity and Reliability
The quality of the information derived through research is dependent on the reliability and validity of the data collection instruments (Monette, Thomas and Cornell 125). To establish and improve the reliability of the data collection instrument, the researcher will perform three steps. The first step will involve the pilot test reliability. The researcher will conduct a pilot study prior to the data collection exercise on people with similar characteristics with the study population.
This will enable the researcher to make corrections on the data collection instrument in readiness for the study (Monette, Thomas and Cornell 125). After the pilot test reliability has been performed and the corrections made on the data collection instruments, the researcher will then run alpha revisions (Radhakrishna 1TOT2). The typical range of the alpha reliability coefficient is between zero and one. Coefficients tending towards zero represent a data collection instruments laden with errors while coefficients tending towards one represent data collection instruments without error (Radhakrishna 1TOT2). The ideal alpha coefficient for the data collection instruments that indicates its reliability will be 0.70. It is only after the data collection instrument has attained an alpha coefficient of 0.7 that it will be ready for distribution for data collection.
The validity of the data collection instrument will be improved through five steps. The first step will involve the use of a panel of experts. This panel will be drawn from relevant people in the field of research (Radhakrishna 1TOT2). They will be tasked with discussing the data collection instrument to determine its validity. Their recommendations and corrections will be used to revise the instrument in readiness for the next step (Radhakrishna 1TOT2). The second step is the readability test using the Flesch-Kinkaid Readability Formula. The third step will entail the approval of the institutional review board to pave way for the field test using subjects with similar characteristics as the study sample. These subjects will not constitute the final study sample. Following the field tests, the researcher will then make corrections to the data collection instrument in readiness for the pilot study (Radhakrishna 1TOT2).
3.6. Pilot Study
Prior to the data collection exercise, the researcher will test the data collection instrument. The pilot test is a miniature scale trial where the researcher tests the mechanics of the data collection instruments, determines whether there are problems with the framing of the questions, and to also establish that the questions are framed in a way that they are understood as intended (Taylor, Gautam and Taposh 99). The researcher will then use the information from pilot study to improve the data collection instrument. The researcher will select the participants of the pilot study from the study population. However, the people who take part in the pilot study will not be included in the actual study (Taylor, Gautam and Taposh 99).
3.7. Research Ethics
The researcher will guarantee the confidentiality of the respondents. In this respect, the respondents will be required to sign an informed consent form before participating in the study. The informed consent form is an indication that their participation is voluntary and is based on their understanding of their role in the study. The respondents will be informed that they can withdraw from the study at any time. The information collected will not be divulged to people outside the study team.
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Appendices
Appendix I: Questionnaire
Please indicate your response to the following questions
How old are you?
Below 25 years
Between 25 years and 50 years
Above fifty years
What is you sex?
Male
Female
How often do you come to the city in a week?
Daily
Alternate Days
Weekends
For what reason do you come to town?
Work
Leisure and recreation
Shopping
Other (specify) _____________________________________________________
For how long do you require parking?
For less than an hour
Between an hour and two hours
Between two and eight hours
More than eight hours
How do you pay for parking?
Using coins and notes
Using SMS
I don’t pay for parking
Do you find paying for parking convenient for you?
Yes
No
If no, what do you find challenging?
Takes too long
The meters run out of change
The meters are placed far away
Other (Specify) ____________________________________________________
How do you choose where to park?
Free parking
Easy parking
Proximity to work place
Access to other modes of public transport
Availability of parking space
Other (Specify) ____________________________________________________
Indicate the extent to which you perceive the following parking issues to be concerning
Would you support a change in the mode of payment for parking and fines?
Yes
No
Do you know what radio frequency identification is?
Yes
No
Would you support the use of automatic identification through radio frequency identification in paying for parking and processing of fines?
Yes
No
Would you register for an account with Mawaqef and install the radio frequency identification chip visibly in your car?
Yes
No
Do you think the proposed system would improve the convenience of paying parking fees and fines?
Yes
No
What other systems and changes would you recommend?
Interview Schedule
How convenient do you find it to pay for parking and fines?
What are some of the challenges that you face with the current parking system around the city?
What recommendations would you make towards resolving these challenges?
What do you think of the proposal to introduce automatic detection and data capture systems to help manage public car parks in Abu Dhabi?
What are some of the challenges that would impede the implementation of this proposal?
What are some of the benefits of the implementation of this proposal?
The proposal involves all the cars to be fitted with radio frequency identification tags and the owners to register accounts with Mawaqif. What are some of the barriers that would meet the implementation of these elements?
What are the concerns with the use of automatic identification and data capture systems.
