The industries and uses discussed in this report suggest that 2D barcode technology can be used in a wide range of scenarios. However, it is apparent that the most natural use would be in business-to-consumer transactions.
Such technology is extremely useful for marketers and creates a bridge between the physical and online worlds that they can exploit to their benefit.
This does not however limit or constrain the technhology's potential. The scenarios presented within this report for other transaction types (B2B, C2B, C2C and eGov) highlight that the flexibility, size, data capacity and ease of adoption can prove to be useful outside of B2C transactions.
It is envisaged that the increasing influence of user generated content and convergence of the physical and virtual domains will only create more opportunities for 2D barcodes to be deployed in innovative ways.
The number of camera equipped mobile phones in-use today has created a market waiting to be tapped. 2D barcodes could prove to be one way to unlock this market's potential.
Showing posts with label eGov. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eGov. Show all posts
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Form Processing Efficiency
Data standardisation has long been targeted by Government agencies to facilitate the flow of information between separate departments.
Example:
When applying for a new passport in New Zealana, a citizen passes an application to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). As part of the passport processing, the DIA passport officer needs to request checks from at least:
The adoption of 2D barcodes would assist this scenario by encoding key citizen data used by the associated stakeholders in the passport issuance process. This information could be stored as an XML structure in a 2D barcode that would allow an automatic interface to be coded rather than relying on current OCR technologies. This would enable faster seraches to occur and minimise the human interactions required.
Example:
When applying for a new passport in New Zealana, a citizen passes an application to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). As part of the passport processing, the DIA passport officer needs to request checks from at least:
- Births, Deaths and Marriages section within DIA
- Department of Labour for immigration and residency status
- Ministry of Justice for any criminal convictions
- Department of Corrections for any information on community service or parole conditions
The adoption of 2D barcodes would assist this scenario by encoding key citizen data used by the associated stakeholders in the passport issuance process. This information could be stored as an XML structure in a 2D barcode that would allow an automatic interface to be coded rather than relying on current OCR technologies. This would enable faster seraches to occur and minimise the human interactions required.
eGov
The opportunity for 2D barcodes to penetrate Government organisations as viable solutions is currently limited by the technology. Specifically, concerns over security and the strict structure and organisation of Government institutions. However, there are some examples of how 2D barcodes can be integrated into paper intensive transactions.
Tax Returns
The equivalent departments to New Zealand's IRD in the US and Taiwan have been experimenting with 2D barcode representation of tax return information.
The key value driver is to move away from hand writing recognition expenses and to reduce the overall cost of optical character recoginition (OCR) software. The combination of compact size and high capacity of 2D barcode formats, such as PDF417 and QR Code, allow more data elements to be included in a form to further increase processing efficiency.
Current OCR solutions are limited by the capacity of a linear barcode. Information from this barcode tends to be limited to form or personal identifier that helps the person processing the form to the right area for data entry.
The increased capacity offered by 2D barcodes enables the actual tax return data to be encoded by the person filing the claim.
On receipt in the tax department, all information can be captured in a single scan and inserted into the IRD database as part of the OCR process.
This is possible given the given the flexibility of 2D barcodes, the image above shows XML data being stored in PDF417 format. This allows an automated interface to a transaction processing system to insert the data record from the 2D barcode.
This increases overall processing efficiency and reduces errors that can be introduced through manual intervention.
The example form shown below was proposed by the IRS in 2004 as a means of increasing overall efficiency in tax filing.
Tax Returns
The equivalent departments to New Zealand's IRD in the US and Taiwan have been experimenting with 2D barcode representation of tax return information.
The key value driver is to move away from hand writing recognition expenses and to reduce the overall cost of optical character recoginition (OCR) software. The combination of compact size and high capacity of 2D barcode formats, such as PDF417 and QR Code, allow more data elements to be included in a form to further increase processing efficiency.
Current OCR solutions are limited by the capacity of a linear barcode. Information from this barcode tends to be limited to form or personal identifier that helps the person processing the form to the right area for data entry.
The increased capacity offered by 2D barcodes enables the actual tax return data to be encoded by the person filing the claim.
On receipt in the tax department, all information can be captured in a single scan and inserted into the IRD database as part of the OCR process.
This is possible given the given the flexibility of 2D barcodes, the image above shows XML data being stored in PDF417 format. This allows an automated interface to a transaction processing system to insert the data record from the 2D barcode.
This increases overall processing efficiency and reduces errors that can be introduced through manual intervention.
The example form shown below was proposed by the IRS in 2004 as a means of increasing overall efficiency in tax filing.
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