Software Implementation for Online Seaport Billing Generating System (A Case Study of onne Port Rivers State)

PRELIMINARY PAGES

• Title page
• Approval page
• Dedication
• Acknowledgement
• Table of Contents
• Abstract

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Background of study
• 1.3 Statement of Problem
• 1.4 Aim and Objective of Study
• 1.5 Significance of the study
• 1.6 Scope of the study
• 1.7 Limitations of the Study
• 1.8 Definition of terms

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Concept of Billing System
• 2.3 Definition is Seaport
• 2.3.1 What Are Port Facilities?
• 2.4 Organization of Port Authority
• 2.5 Types of Ports
• 2.6 Definition of Billing Software
• 2.6.1 Benefits of Billing Software
• 2.7 Seaport Equipment
• 2.7.1 Different Cargo Handling Equipment Used on Container Ships
• 2.8 Concept of User Registration
• 2.8.1 Online System User Registration
• 2.8.2 Usage of Online Registration Forms
• 2.9 Web Portal
• 2.9.1 Types of Web Portals
• 2.10 Database for Web Portals
• 2.10.1 Merits of Integrating Databases in Web Applications

CHAPTER THREE

SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

• 3.1 Methodology Adopted
• 3.1.1 Problem Identification Using SSADM
• 3.2 Analysis of the Existing System
• 3.2.1 Dataflow of the Existing System
• 3.2.2 Disadvantages Of The Existing System
• 3.2.3 Weakness of the existing System
• 3.3 Analysis of the Proposed System
• 3.3.1 Data Flow Diagram of the Proposed System
• 3.3.2 Advantages of the Proposed System
• 3.3.3 Justification of the Proposed System
• 3.4 Functional Requirements
• 3.4.1 Use Case Diagram Of The Admin / User Privileges
• 3.5 Data Requirements
• 3.6 High Level Model of the Proposed System

CHAPTER FOUR

SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

• 4.1 Objectives of the Design
• 4.2 Cohesion and Decomposition High level Model
• 4.3 Control Center / Overall Dataflow Diagram
• 4.3.1 Proposed System Operation Flowchart
• 4.4 System Specification and Design
• 4.4.1 Input and Output Specification
• 4.4.2 Database Specification and Design
• 4.4.3 Data Dictionary
• 4.5 Choice and Justification of Programming Language
• 4.6 Program Documentation
• 4.7 Implementation Techniques
• 4.8 Programming Module Specification
• 4.8.1 Installation
• 4.9 Computer Hardware Minimum Requirement
• 4.10 Software Requirement
• 4.11 Personnel / User Training

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 Summary
• 5.3 Conclusion
• 5.4 Recommendation

REFERENCES

APPENDIX A - “SOURCE CODE”

APPENDIX B - “OBJECT PROGRAM”

1.1 Introduction

Seaport Billing System is Software designed to handle time and billing tracking as well as invoicing customers for services and products as well as monitoring an individual water transportation bill. It can track the hours worked by employees as well as expenses associated with projects or clients. Most time and billing software applications also create billing cycle reports to display information such as hours worked, expenses incurred, how much to bill clients, and which clients owe money for specific projects. To ease the operation of Cargo handling in our sea ports, research took up this study by critically understanding the work, procedure involved, analyzed of the various steps and at the same time detecting problem in the present system and designing a new system that has solution to the problem of the existing system.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the aim and objectives of the study. Others are significance of the study, scope of work, limitation of the study and definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of study

Nigerian Port Authority is the agency established to oversee the affairs of seaports in Nigeria. This agency has many departments saddled with the difficult responsibility including billing. The billing system is presently handled by the marketing department of the agency. The marketing department of the port took over the function of revenue billing from the traffic department in the 80’s.

Their main function is to raise customer’s bills of all statutory charges against port users for the services rendered to them. These services includes Rental period at the number of days the consignment in within the port vicinity, NPA shore handling, transfer service, documentation, terminal delivery value added tax (VAT) and miscellaneous. The role at which the bills are prepared with the increasing number of customer is insignificant. There are procedural ways in which these bills are being prepared. They are the provisional bills of vessels, the final bills of vessels and the miscellaneous bills. A staff has to raise as many bills as the number of the customer increases: more importantly, delays bring extra cost on the importer, and this makes the importer feel disappointed when they come to collect their raised bills.

Investigation by this study reveals that the billing system in Nigeria Port Authority has been plagues by several factors based on the current manual process by the use of the Draft import Debit and import Debit. These factors includes: Fills and records are not properly kept, Errors are easily made and hardly detected, A lot of time is wasted to prepare bills, Information is not well documented and Security of files or document is not granted.

It is based on this background that the study was initiated with the rear of designing a computer based seaport billing system that will help solve some of the identified challenges.

1.3 Statement of Problem

Investigation by this study reveals the following challenges:

1. Fills and records are not properly kept.
2. Errors are easily made and hardly detected
3. A lot of time is wasted to prepare bills
4. Information is not well documented and Security of files or document is not granted.

1.4 Aim and Objective of Study

The aim of this study is to develop a computer-based seaport billing system that will handle the bills raised for various customers. In achieving this aim, a system will accomplish the following objectives;

1. To provide proper customer fills and records.
2. To totally eliminate the errors associated in customer bills.
3. To reduce the amount of time required to prepare a bill by developing an ease and efficient automated system.
4. To properly document customer records and security features to safeguard files or document.

1.5 Significance of the study

This system when completed and implemented it will help reduce the amount of time required to prepare a bill by developing an ease and efficient automated system. This project will be beneficial to individuals using the seaport transport system. Besides, the study will serve as reference material for subsequent researcher in the field or related topics.

1.6 Scope of the study

This research work will concentrate on computer based seaport billing system using onne port, river state as a case study. The proposed system developed will only provide information for billing like customer information, report and record of individual’s records, advice and disclaimer alert for customers as well as seaport billing system officials.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.

1.8 Definition of terms

Consignee: consignee is the entity who is financially responsible (the buyer) for the receipt of a shipment. Generally, but not always, the consignee is the same as the receiver.

Consignment: This is the act of consigning, the act of giving over to another person or agent's charge, custody or care any material or goods but retaining legal ownership until the material or goods are sold.

Groupage: When two or more importers come together to improve one or more containers.

Harbour: This is a safe place where ships can be to load or unload.

Hardware: Is all the physical devices around the computer.

Interactive Processing: A process whereby the users communicates directly with the computer.

Port: It means the commercial area of the harbor at the part of the harbor used for loading and in loading of goods.

Quats: A stone or metal plate form in a harbor where boats/ships come in to load.

Software: All the programs in the computer.

System Flowchart: This is a diagrammatic representation of logical flow of development of a system through different stages or processes around the computer and its various task.

System: This is a set of interrelated elements working together to form a unit to get some output.

Tariff: Tax on a particular class of imported goods.

Transfer Charge: The money paid for the services rendered by N.P.A in transferring the consignment from the ship to the port.

Value Added Tax (VAT): Value Added Tax (VAT) is a consumption tax placed on a product whenever value is added at each stage of the supply chain, from production to the point of sale. The amount of VAT that the user pays is on the cost of the product, less any of the costs of materials used in the product that have already been taxed.

Account Details - For USSD / POS Transfer

Account Name: Sparklyn Services Account No: 1222599051 Account Type: Current Bank Name: Zenith Bank PLC

Proposal Writing Format under Computer Science

Online Seaport Billing Generating System is a proposal topic for final year research work, which comprises the major and elective project proposal writing sections for Online Seaport Billing Generating System (A Case Study of onne Port Rivers State) research work.

Major Sections

• Motivation for Embarking on the Project

• Brief Background of Study

• Statement of Problems

• Aim of the Study

• Specific Objectives of the Study

• Significance of the Study (Who benefits from the project and how?)

Elective Sections

• Methodology and Reason for Using It (such as; models, SSADM, or OOADM)

• Tools (programming languages and software used)