Force Field Analysis

Cost

For some uses, it is desirable for the user to browse content online through their mobile internet connection. For the majority of mobile phone price plans in New Zealand, this kind of data access is expensive.

However, if the mobile phone operators positioned themselves in the value chain, through partnering with content providers, network economics dictates that mobile internet becomes a viable revenue model then this could change in the customer's favour.

Security

The ease of generation and copy of 2D barcodes could be a concern. When used for vouchers careful consideration for control is essential to prevent fraudulent use. Some of these issues have already been resolved for the use of PDF417 standards for the airline industry. The lessons learned in this industry could be applied to other industries to mitigate the security risk.

Equity

To make the optimal use of the benefits offered by 2D barcodes, mobile phones need to be of a reasonable specification. A minimum requirements is a camera, but GPRS or a similar mobile internet technology is desirable. Such "smartphones" are still relatively expensive in New Zealand which could constrain the size of the market.

Usability

2D barcodes are intended to be an efficient and effective presentation mechanism on a mobile device. The adoption would be limited if the content being shown is not visible and usable on the handset.

To address this, content publishers need to create websites that are consistent with the dot.mobi domain standards. Further enhancement could be delivered using the principles adopted by the reader selection site. This website automatically detects the phone you are using in order to recommend a barcode reader. This same process could be used to filter the capabilities of the handset and present appropriate content.

A second consideration for usability is installing the reader onto the mobile phone. The process is relatively simple and not very technical. However, some users could struggle. If large scale adoption of 2D barcodes started to occur then mobile operators could offer an installation service for users who would otherwise struggle to install the reader themselves.

Issues and Barriers

As with any new technology comes issues and barriers that have to be addresses. This section discusses some of the potential issues and barriers to the entry of 2D barcodes in New Zealand.

• Usability
• Equity
• Security
• Cost
  

Introduction

This online report discusses the potential use of 2-Dimensional (2D) Barcodes within New Zealand.  This is an applied use of a common piece of technology, the mobile phone camera, that takes data in the form of a binary image and turns it into information.

One version of this application has been in active use in Japan sunce 1995 and has evolved from a way of tracking car parts to mobile tagging where information is now quickly and easily retrieved by most current Japanese mobile phone (Appendix A).

The report will outline the basic characteristics of this evolution of tradtional barcodes, the types of industries and ways that these industries could use 2D barcodes and finally any issues and barriers to the form adoption of this technology.

The barcode has evolved from the one dimensional form widely adopted in the retail industry since the 1950's to the current forms of 2D barcodes now in circulation and being applied to diverse industries outside of retail.  This evolution has resulted in higher data capacity and greater flexibility of use, all in a smaller presentation area.

Why use 2D Barcodes?