Bizavend Municipal Vending System

Transcription

1 2013 Bizavend Municipal Vending System System Specification ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd Copyright For Information Purposes Only

2 1. The Bizavend Municipal Vending System - Contents This document serves as the Bizavend equipment and system specification and is for information purposes only. This document is NOT to be used for quoting or tendering purposes. The Bizavend Municipal Vending System has been designed to provide sophisticated, un-manned and uninterrupted (24 hour, 7 days a week) municipal vending services to all communities in both affluent and poorer areas. The system delivers unparalleled reliability at a very low cost per transaction allowing the municipality to focus on the business of running the municipality and not on keeping its vending services operational. The Bizavend vending system is a result of over 17 years of research, development and field testing in the South African pre-paid electricity industry both inside and outside of townships. 1. The Bizavend Municipal Vending System - Contents Bizavend System Overview Municipal Services Vended The Bizavend Touchcard Identification of Customer & Services Four Bizavend AVM User Configuration Options Bizavend Touchcard Support Equipment Bizavend Touchcard Programmer Bizavend Touchcard Point of Sale Reader for Existing Vending Points Bizavend Real-Time Cash Management System The Bizavend Information Technology Server Overview Bizavend Information Technology Server Server Specifications and Reports SAMPLE: AVM Banking Batch Report SAMPLE: AVM Availability Report SAMPLE: Bizavend AVM Transaction Summary Reports Bizavend AVM Specifications Bizavend References City Power The City of Johannesburg Rayton Tshwane Municipality Polokwane Municipality Rustenburg Municipality Sasolburg Metsimaholo Municipality Thabazimbi Municipality Middelburg Steve Tshwete Municipality Windhoek Municipality - Namibia Delmas Victor Khanye Municipality Page 1 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

3 12.10 Kroonstad Moqhaka Municipality Cape Agulhas Cape Agulhas Municipality Nquthu Nquthu Municipality Vryheid Abaqulusi Municipality Warmbaths Bela Bela Municipality Fort Beaufort Nkonkobe Municipality Black Rock Mine Kuruman Page 2 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

4 2. Bizavend System Overview The Bizavend Municipal Vending System comprises through wall mounted on-line Bizavend (ADO Vending Machine) AVM designed to operate 24 hours, 7 days per week. These AVM s are connected by the GPRS cellular network and the internet to the Bizavend Information Technology (IT) Server which in itself connects to the various servers that provide the Municipal services to be vended. The AVM s collects bank notes and issues prepaid electricity tokens or receipts for payment of accounts / services in the form of printed slips. The Bizavend IT Server, located at ADO s technical operations centre in Cape Town, connects via WAN (wide area network) to XMLVend-capable switches or directly to the Municipality s accounting server depending on the configuration and services provided. All transactions at the AVM are routed to the Bizavend IT Server, allowing ADO to remotely monitor the performance all AVMs and provide immediate / real-time IT and technical support. The Bizavend Municipal Vending System has the following key features: The Bizavend IT Server connects to all XMLVend on-line systems in the South African market today, including those provided by Lyandis and Gyr, Syntel, Intelligent Metering Systems, Conlog, Contour, Itron, Vending World and others. ADO is able to connect to most Municipal accounting / service delivery systems for the purpose of taking payment for accounts and other services. Customers are identified by the AVM using their old magnetic strip card or a new Bizavend Touchcard (ADO s contact-less smart card) or by entering their meter or municipal services / account number. The user interface consists of a simple and well-proven procedure: Step 1) Touch/insert card or enter meter/account number, 2) Insert notes, 3) Touch/remove card or press the hash button and 4) take printed token or receipt of payment. The AVM has the ability to display the last token vended / receipt issued if the customer performs a nilvalue transaction. A cash management system based on intelligent tags and controlled by an on-line handheld terminal, tracks and controls cashboxes and audits their contents once the money has been counted and banked. The Bizavend AVM accepts all bank notes of all South African denominations. It can also be programmed to accept notes in other currencies and can be configured to accept or reject any particular note or denomination. The Bizavend AVM issues tokens and receipts using a high speed/high volume thermal printer. All internal functions and consumable levels are monitored continuously by the Bizavend IT Server and maintenance personnel are immediately notified when alert conditions occur or persist via SMS. Page 3 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

5 4. Municipal Services Vended Originally the Bizavend AVM was designed to vend pre-paid electricity in harsh environments, taking payment in the form of cash 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With this operational base, the Bizavend system has been expanded to handle vending of virtually any service as well as taking payments for accounts. The simplicity of the user interface, combined with the advanced cash handling facilities, the Bizavend IT Server and the reliability of the Bizavend Municipal Vending System makes this the ideal solution to a total Municipal Vending System. Any service currently delivered by a municipality to its customers can be vended through the Bizavend Municipal Vending System. To do this requires only two things; The first that the service and customer can be identified with a unique account, vehicle registration or ID number and the second being that the municipal Server on which the account / service information is stored can be made accessible to the Bizavend IT Server. Accounts and services that can be vended through the Bizavend System include: Pre-paid Electricity Payment of Rates accounts Payment of Traffic Fines issued This can be linked to the Quickpark Parking Management System currently in use in Johannesburg and elsewhere. Payment of monthly parking permits Payment of Water accounts Payment for other services provided by the municipality A typical AVM installation is shown below where the machine has been mounted through the wall of a rates office. The AVM is, however, able to be mounted in virtually any configuration including through the sides of containers for placement in and around townships. The AVM is designed to withstand high levels of vandalism and will continue to work in the harshest of environments. Page 4 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

6 5. The Bizavend Touchcard Identification of Customer & Services Key to the success of the Bizavend AVM is the simple and reliable manner in which a customer identifies themselves to the machine. ADO uses a contactless smart card called the Bizavend Touchcard, which provides 100% reading reliability and has an expected life in excess of 10 years. The customer s electricity meter number is stored on the Touchcard and is instantly read when the card is touched onto the reader below the AVM s display. Where the AVM is configured with a keypad, any other services or accounts the customer wishes to make payment for can be linked to their Touchcard. The customer simply enters the service or account number into the AVM using the Keypad User Interface and from then on the system identifies that account/service number with that Touchcard. The next time the customer uses their Touchcard at any AVM, they will be presented with a choice of electricity, account or service in the form of a selection menu for example 1 Electricity, 2 Rates or 3 Traffic Fine (based on a fine number or their registration number stored on the Touchcard) etc. Once selection has been made the customer simply makes payment, and then concludes the transaction by touching the card on the reader and then taking the token or receipt. The Bizavend Touchcard is shown below, ADO offers customization of the back of the card for the Municipality. Page 5 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

7 6. Four Bizavend AVM User Configuration Options 1) HIGH SPEED, HIGH VOLUME PRE-PAID ELECTRICITY VENDING ONLY USING THE BIZAVEND TOUCHCARD This Bizavend AVM configuration where only pre-paid electricity is sold using the Touchcard for meter identification is designed for delivering a high volume of transactions within a very short period of time. A transaction is typically completed in less than 30 seconds allowing approximately 120 customers to be serviced per hour. The customer simply 1) touches their Touchcard onto the reader to identify their meter number, 2) inserts the amount of money (in the form of notes) which they would like to purchase electricity with, 3) touches their Touchcard to the reader a second time and then 4) removes the printed pre-paid electricity token. There is no room for keyboard entry mistakes or miss reads of traditional magnetic stripe cards as the Touchcard identification system is 100% reliable. 2) SUPPORT FOR THE OLD MAGNETIC STRIP CARDS USING TOUCHCARD AND MAG STRIPE CARD This Bizavend AVM configuration is for vending prepaid electricity only, but it allows for the use of the older insertion mag stripe card as well as the Touchcard. This configuration provides backward compatibility, however, the transaction time on the mag stripe card is 2 to 3 times as long as that of the Touchcard. This has the effect of reducing transaction count to less than 50 customers per hour. To use the mag stripe card the customer simply 1) Inserts the card into the mag stripe reader, 2) inserts the amount of money (in the form of notes) which they would like to purchase electricity with, 3) removes their card and then 4) removes the printed pre-paid electricity token. Where mag stripe cards have damaged magnetic strips the customer may have to reinsert their card into the reader several times before the card is read correctly and this slows down the transaction time and reduces the read reliability dramatically. It is recommended that as customers replace their old mag stripe cards over time they are issued with new Bizavend Touchcards to improve the reliability of the Municipal Vending System. Page 6 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

8 3) HIGH VOLUME PRE_PAID ELECTRICITY WITH ACCOUNTS PAYMENT AND OTHER SERVICES USING TOUCHCARD AND KEYBOARD USER INTERFACE This Bizavend AVM configuration combines the speed of customer identification with the flexibility of multiple account or service selection. In this configuration where the AVM has a Keypad User Interface, other services or accounts can be made available for selection by the customer. By combining the Touchcard reader and the Keypad, allows the customer to simply enter their service or account number into the AVM once and thereafter using it will always be associated with that Touchcard. The next time the customer uses their Touchcard at any AVM, they will be presented with a choice of electricity, account or service in the form of a selection menu for example 1 Electricity, 2 Rates or 3 Traffic Fine (based on a fine number or their registration number stored on the Touchcard) etc. Once selection has been made the customer simply makes payment, and then concludes the transaction by touching the card on the reader and then taking the token or receipt. If a customer does not have a Touchcard, they can make purchases of electricity and pay for services and accounts by simply entering the correct service or account number, inserting the notes to the value of the purchase, and then ending the transaction by pressing the hash # key on the bottom left of the keypad. 4) BIZAVEND AVM WITH ALL THREE USER INTERFACE OPTIONS In this Bizavend AVM configuration the customer has the choice of using a Touchcard, a mag stripe card or simply using the Keypad user interface. Instructions for this AVM configuration are shown below : Page 7 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

9 7. Bizavend Touchcard Support Equipment 7.1. Bizavend Touchcard Programmer The Bizavend Touchcard programmer interfaces directly to a standard PC computer via a serial or USB port. Touchcards are programmed with meter numbers using our standard Card Programmer software. In addition the unit incorporates a swipe reader, allowing for the transfer of card data from a magnetic stripe card to a Bizavend Touchcard. The programmer is battery operated and can be used in the field in remote locations allowing for ease of deployment of the Touchcard option. The Touchcard programmer can also be used as a standard reader for both the Touchcard and the older magnetic stripe card at over-the-counter vending points of sale. Bizavend Touchcard Programmer 7.2 Bizavend Touchcard Point of Sale Reader for Existing Vending Points The Bizavend Touchcard point of sale reader is an over-the-counter reader for accepting the Bizavend Touchcard as a customer ID card. It connects to an existing PS2 or USB keyboard and operates under any software that is currently used to read a standard magnetic stripe card. These readers are used at standard POS terminals once the municipality has started to issue Touchcards to its customers. Bizavend Touchcard Point of Sale Reader Page 8 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

10 8. Bizavend Real-Time Cash Management System The Cash Management System has been designed to monitor and thereby provide control over all the Bizavend AVM intelligent cashboxes. The system tracks the cashbox from the moment it is removed from the AVM until it reaches the bank / cash collection facility. Once at the bank / cash collection facility, the cash is removed, counted and then the box has to be electronically cleared before it can be used in another AVM. Page 9 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

11 Tracking of the individual cashboxes is achieved through the use of a unique security tag on each box, coupled with a cellular GPRS link from each vending point. A secure handheld on-line device is used at the bank / cash collection facility to read the cashbox audit data, track and control the cashboxes. When a cashbox is removed from an AVM, the shift is automatically ended and relayed directly to the Bizavend IT Server. Included in this information is the cashbox ID as well as the amount of cash that it contains and the individual denominations of notes. A shift report is immediately generated and sent to authorised users via and/or SMS. Once the money in the box has been counted and deposited, the bank deposit slip/certificate is checked against the shift report. At this point the cashbox must be cleared with a Bizavend handheld terminal before it can return to circulation. The terminal obtains a list of authorised cashboxes from the Bizavend IT Server before proceeding. It also logs the user clearing the box, the ID of the box, the time and date of the event and the station ID that was used to clear it. If, at any time, a cashbox is placed into any other AVM before it is cleared, an alert will be generated, SMS ed to the correct personnel and the vending machine will cease to operate until a valid cashbox is inserted. The following Events are logged by the Bizavend IT Server are SMS ed and / or ed to authorised users immediately: The date and time that a cashbox was removed from an AVM The amount of money in the removed cashbox The date and time that the cashbox was cleared The date and time a cashbox is re-inserted The date and time the machine is powered down/up Further reports are generated based on pre-defined criteria and an example of this is where a cashbox is removed but has not been docked and cleared within a specified time frame. In summary, any cash handling system must have the correct controls in place in order to safe guard the monies that are collected. This system provides the Municipality with a window into the status of all cash collection through the ability to track all cashboxes. This system ensures that the entire cash collection process can be tracked and audited thereby ensuring that no theft, internal or external, can take place without being uncovered. Page 10 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

12 9. The Bizavend Information Technology Server 9.1 Overview Bizavend Information Technology Server The Bizavend Municipal Vending System runs on the back of a very sophisticated Information Technology Server. The system hardware is based on several DELL server processors and the software runs on Microsoft Server and SQL platforms. The Information Technology Server is the core of the Bizavend Municipal Vending System. All the data collected and transactions processed in the field by AVMs is received, stored and switched by this server, making the data available for use, as well as communicating with all other accounting and service delivery servers in real-time. The Server is housed securely in an air-conditioned room with restricted access (an inspection of the server room can be arranged if required). A live offsite backup server is hosted at the data center of one of the National Cell Phone Network carriers. The Server is supplied power through UPS (uninterruptable power supplies) and the entire IT system has a backup diesel generator that can keep the system running indefinitely in the event of a local power failure. The Server is connected to the WEB through a series of firewalls and security devices with encrypted protocols. This network is not open to the internet and access to the servers can only be done through the Bizavend VPN (Virtual Private Network). Page 11 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

13 9.2 Server Specifications and Reports The Bizavend Information Technology Server hardware platform consists of 6 individual servers:- Two Dell R710 servers running Microsoft Server 2008 and SQL 2008, each having an Intel Xeon X5660 Processor running at 2.40GHz, 16GB of Memory and 2 x 300Gb Hot Plug Hard Drives as shown in the picture below: Four Dell R310 servers running Microsoft Server 2008, each having an Intel Xeon X3470 Processor running at 2.93GHz, 8GB of Memory and 2x 500GB Hot Plug Hard Drives, as shown in the picture below: The following is a sample list of the type of reports that the Bizavend IT Server generates on a daily, weekly and monthly basis: Page 12 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

14 9.3 SAMPLE: AVM Banking Batch Report Every time a cashbox is removed from a Bizavend AVM a banking batch report, as shown below, is generated and ed to specific addresses. This ensures that cash boxes cannot be removed from an AVM without a record being generated of that event, along with the value and denomination of the cash held in the cashbox. 9.4 SAMPLE: AVM Availability Report Each month a report showing the available vending time on every AVM in a site is ed. Each cell in the spreadsheet represents a period of 30min, if the cell is green then the AVM was on-line and functioning. Other events such as cashbox full or paper low are shown in different colours for the time that the condition persisted. Page 13 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

15 9.5 SAMPLE: Bizavend AVM Transaction Summary Reports This report is automatically generated at the end of every month and ed to the Municipal Financial Management. Shown on this report in chronological order are the number of transactions processed each day through all Bizavend AVMs in the site along with the amount of money received from those AVMs. The Bizavend IT Server can generate this type of report at any time for any period and for any single AVM or group thereof. In addition, similar reports showing individual transactions, including Meter number and time of vend, can be generated by the Bizavend IT Server. An example of this report type is shown below: Page 14 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

16 10. Bizavend AVM Specifications The mechanical and electrical specifications of the Bizavend AVM are as follows: Page 15 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd

17 11. Bizavend References The Bizavend Municipal Vending System is currently being used in the following sites: For references, ADO can be contacted directly at for customer contact details City Power The City of Johannesburg 12.2 Rayton Tshwane Municipality 12.3 Polokwane Municipality 12.4 Rustenburg Municipality 12.5 Sasolburg Metsimaholo Municipality 12.6 Thabazimbi Municipality 12.7 Middelburg Steve Tshwete Municipality 12.8 Windhoek Municipality - Namibia 12.9 Delmas Victor Khanye Municipality Kroonstad Moqhaka Municipality Cape Agulhas Cape Agulhas Municipality Nquthu Nquthu Municipality Vryheid Abaqulusi Municipality Warmbaths Bela Bela Municipality Fort Beaufort Nkonkobe Municipality Black Rock Mine Kuruman Page 16 of 16 Copyright ADO Research Labs (Pty) Ltd