1.1 Introduction
Real-time mail tracking system has becomes important when staff are difficult to handle and manage parcel. This system is based on simply GPS is a device that is capable of receiving information from GPS satellites and then to calculate the device's geographical position. Using suitable software, the device may display the position on a map, and it may offer directions. With the world becoming 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.
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, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Mail Location-tracking technology 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.
Since the existing system is done manually, it is imperative that to consider critically its mode of operation and analyze 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.
The challenges encountered that led to the execution of the research work is that, 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 Statement of Problem
Investigation revealed that the whole mailing process is managed manually by staffs. This caused a problem and time-consuming in manipulating the data (Patel et al., 2018). They need to manually recheck the received of mail or parcel then students have to regularly check whether they have any mail at their Residential area (Amannah, 2018).
Besides that, this currently process creates a problem of missing or misplaced (Ramani et al., 2013). In addition, there is no notification system to notify students of their mail or parcel (Ahmed et al., 2015). Hence, it is more effective and efficient to have a mail and parcel management and tracking system that records mail or parcel as well as a notifications mechanism to alert students of their mail or parcel.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to design and implement an Online Real-Time Mail Tracking System using NIPOST as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to develop an application software that will:
- Ensure proper processing and dissemination of key shipping information for quick vessel turnaround;
- Prove self-monitoring environment for the client’s parcel or mail on transit;
- Provide self-management and the unbending security in monitoring client’s parcels on transit;
- Ensure efficient management of port operations, optimal allocation and use of resources; and
- Provide fastest and most reliable service to the client at all time, all days through online technology.
1.5 Significance of Study
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.
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 mail 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.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Design and Implementation of an Online Real-Time Mail Tracking System using NIPOST as a case 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 mail or parcels on transit as provided by the NIPOST agents.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- 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.
- 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.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
1.8 Definition of Terms
Tracking: Tracking is the process of automatically locating a point or series of points from frame to frame in a sequence.
Cargo: Goods carried on a ship or aircraft.
Parcel: Goods etc. wrapped up in a package for posting or carrying.
E-Tracking: Tracking is the process of automatically locating a point or series of points from frame to frame in a sequence Online.
Registration: This means to keep records received from the management for reference purposes.
Management: It is the co-ordination of all the resources of an Organization through the process of planning, Organization, directing and controlling.
