Automated License Plate Recognition using Existing University Infrastructure and Different Camera Angles

Number or license plate recognition has become an essential technology for traffic and security applications. Providing access control at any organization or academic institution improves the level of security. However, providing security personnel to manually control the access of vehicles at an academic institution is costly, time-consuming, and to a limited extent, error prone. This study investigated the use of an automated vehicle tracking system, incorporating experimental computer vision techniques for license plate recognition that runs in real-time to provide access control for vehicles and provide increased security for an academic institution. A vehicle monitoring framework was designed by using various technologies and experimenting with different camera angles. In addition, the effect of environmental changes on the accuracy of the optical character recognition application was assessed. The Design Science Research methodology was followed to develop the vehicle monitoring framework artifact. Image enhancement algorithms were tested, and the most viable options were evaluated and implemented. Optimal operating criteria that were established for the vehicle monitoring framework achieved a 96% success rate. The results indicate that a cost-effective solution could be provided by using an existing camera infrastructure at an academic institution and suitable license plate recognition software technologies, algorithms, and different camera angles

A Comprehensive, Competency-Based Education Framework Using Medium-Sized ERP Systems

Graduates with industry-relevant ERP competencies are highly sought after. This requirement is due to a dominance of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and the positive affect which good quality ERP specialists have on the success rate of ERP system implementation projects. Universities are therefore increasingly pressurised to supply graduates with the appropriate competencies and as a result have adopted a hands-on approach to teaching ERP systems in Information Systems (IS) degree programmes. Whilst several frameworks for ERP education have been proposed, they are not comprehensive and do not link the competencies required for ERP specialists with an appropriate approach to ERP adoption in the IS curriculum. A comprehensive, competency-based education framework for ERP education is proposed and implemented at a South African university. Analysis of the results reveals that the students enjoyed the hands-on use of the ERP system and that there was a positive improvement in self-efficacy and the competencies of the students

An Adapted Framework for Environmental Sustainability Reporting using Mobile Technologies

Corporate governance is the process by which organisations are directed and controlled. King IV is regarded as the cornerstone of corporate governance for businesses and emphasises the importance of sustainability reporting in South Africa. Sustainability reporting guidelines inform organisations how to disclose their most critical affects on the environment, society and the economy. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 sustainability reporting framework recommends the Standard Disclosures that all organisations should use to report their sustainability impacts and performance. Sustainability reporting frameworks proposed for the Higher Education sector require reporting principles specific to the needs of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The purpose of this study is to adapt a framework that includes environmental data to generate a GRI compliant sustainability report for a HEI. In South Africa, HEIs generally only report on financial and social aspects of sustainability reporting and exclude the environmental aspects. An environmental database capturing electricity, water and waste data was developed for the Nelson Mandela University. A review of existing sustainability reporting frameworks identified a lack of mobile technologies being used in the reporting process. In the adapted framework, financial, people (social) and environmental related data are gathered using Business Intelligence tools and mobile technologies

Creating Environmental Awareness using an Eco-Feedback Application at a Higher Education Institution

Providing environmental education and creating environmental awareness assists future generations to conserve, preserve and sustain the environment. Organisations are supporting environmental awareness education efforts and universities are increasingly being required to exercise sound environmental behaviour and educate all stakeholders on their responsibility of being aware of their environmental impact. Gamification and eco-feedback applications in previous studies have been used to provide feedback on an individual’sbehaviour with the goal of creating environmental awareness. Students are generally not provided with environmental information regarding their use of electricity, water and waste management whilst on campus. In this exploratory study, an eco-feedback application was developed and used to create environmental awareness amongst postgraduate students at the Nelson Mandela University and the functionality of the eco-feedback application was evaluated. The results indicated that participants became more aware of their environmental impact after being exposed to an eco-feedback application. The functionality provided by the eco-feedback application, to assist in creating environmental awareness within an academic institution, proved to be useful

Promoting ICT Careers Using a South African ICT Career Portal

South Africa is experiencing an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills shortage and a limited number of scholars and students are pursuing ICT careers. The provision of a web-based ICT career information platform as an effective solution to the growing demand for skilled ICT employees is the focus of this study. The study is grounded in the network theory of social capital. The aim of the development of an ICT career portal was to provide ICT career information to scholars, students and the ICT industry. Scholars can obtain information about ICT career opportunities and determine if they qualify for specific degree/diploma programs. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected from students as well as Grade 9 – Grade 11 scholars from schools in the Port Elizabeth area. The results indicate that scholars became more aware of ICT careers and tertiary qualifications and students reported an increase in awareness of the number of careers and job opportunities in the ICT industry

A Context-Aware Model to Improve Usability of Information Display on Smartphone Apps for Emerging Users

Smartphones have become a reliable technology for accessing information and services in rural communities. Mobile applications, such as social media and news apps running on smartphones, are no longer exclusively utilised by users in developed communities. Mobile applications are accessed in highly contextualised environments. This paper discusses a context-aware model that was implemented to improve the usability of information presented on smartphone applications for emerging users. User evaluation was conducted within a remote area in South Africa with a sample of users, most of whom did not have prior experience in using computer applications. The results of the evaluation present empirical evidence that the model can improve the usefulness of mobile applications and their adoption in rural areas by emerging users who primarily rely on smartphones for accessing a variety of information sources and services. The findings can be utilised as a blueprint for implementing sustainable mobile interventions for emerging users

A Mobile Augmented Reality Emulator for Android

Augmented Reality (AR) provides a fusion of the real and virtual worlds by superimposing virtual objects on real world scenery. The implementation of AR on mobile devices is known as Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR). MAR is in its infancy and MAR development software is in the process of maturing. Dating back to the origin of Computer Science as an independent field, software development tools have been an integral part of the process of software creation. MAR, being a relatively new technology, is still lacking such related software development tools. With the rapid progression of mobile devices, the development of MAR applications fusing advanced Computer Vision techniques with mobile device sensors have become increasingly feasible. However, testing and debugging of MAR applications present a new challenge in that they require the developer be at the location that is being augmented at some point during the development process. In this research study, a MAR recorder application was developed as well as emulation class libraries for Android devices that allows the recording and off-site playback of video, location and motion sensor data. The research objective was to provide a software emulator which provides debugging, testing and prototyping capabilities for a MAR application including the ability to emulate the combination of computer vision with locational and motion sensors using previously recorded data. The emulator was evaluated using different mobile technologies. The results indicate that this research could assist developers of MAR applications to implement applications more rapidly, without being at the location

Happiness among South African private sector physiotherapists

Background: Happiness of people can affect their daily functioning and work performance. There is limited research assessing the happiness levels of various disciplines within the health care industry. This article is the first attempt to evaluate the happiness levels of private sector physiotherapists in South Africa. Objectives: Research in happiness and physiotherapy studies are two research areas that are not associated with one another in a global perspective. The objective of this study was to assess the happiness levels of private sector physiotherapists in South Africa. Methods: A hypothesised model was statistically tested using a quantitative questionnaire, which was completed online. The target population of this study were all private sector physiotherapists who are members of the South African Society of Physiotherapy. A total of 395 respondents participated in the study. Results: This study confirmed that factors such as influence, social relations, life balance, optimism, work and leisure are all positively associated with the happiness levels of private sector physiotherapists in South Africa. These variables are recommended as key focus areas for physiotherapy practice owners to address, in order to positively affect the happiness levels of all people in their workplace. Conclusion: The study concludes the following: if happiness becomes a priority, then owners of physiotherapy practices need to generate a workforce who are more productive, demonstrate greater collaboration with colleagues and patients, are more positively energised, are less absent and are more loyal to the practice. Clinical Implications: The contribution of this study is that it highlights the importance of managing staff in private physiotherapy practices in a holistic manner

Synchronous gesture manipulation for collaboration and coordination of co-located Business Process Modelling

The purpose of this study was to investigate approaches (techniques and technologies) for the coordination of collaborative tasks using synchronous gesture manipulation. Business Process Modelling (BPM) tasks are often performed in teams of modellers who need to collaborate with each other in order to coordinate and integrate their individual contributions into the various process models in a co-located environment. These collaborative BPM tasks were used as a case study in order to develop the artifact (the BPM-Touch approach) as a proof of concept. The BPM-Touch approach allows for the coordination and collaboration of BPM tasks in co-located modelling teams using synchronous gesture manipulation approaches. The Design Science Research (DSR) methodology was used and several cycles of developing and evaluating the artifact took place. This paper reports on the last cycle and set of evaluations. The proposed approach was implemented in a BPM software package in order to provide empirical validation. Usability evaluations of the software were undertaken with both students and BPM professionals as participants. The empirical results of the evaluations revealed that the participants found the approach to be effective and rated the usability and satisfaction of the collaboration and gesture manipulation aspects of the software positively

The future African workplace: The use of collaborative robots in manufacturing

Orientation: Industry 4.0 promotes technological innovations and human–robot collaboration (HRC). Human–robot interaction (HRI) and HRC on the manufacturing assembly line have been implemented in numerous advanced production environments worldwide. Collaborative robots (Cobots) are increasingly being used as collaborators with humans in factory production and assembly environments. Research purpose: The purpose of the research is to investigate the current use and future implementation of Cobots worldwide and its specific impact on the African workforce. Motivation for the study: Exploring the gap that exists between the international implementation of Cobots and the potential implementation and impact on the African manufacturing and assembly environment and specifically on the African workforce. Research design, approach and method: The study features a qualitative research design. An open-ended question survey was conducted amongst leading manufacturing companies in South Africa in order to determine the status and future implementation of Cobot practices. Thematic analysis and content analysis were conducted using AtlasTi. Main findings: The findings indicate that the African businesses were aware of the international business trends, regarding Cobot implementation, and the possible impact of Cobots on the African work force. Factors specifically highlighted in this study are fear of retrenchment, human–Cobot trust and the African culture. Practical implications and value-add: This study provides valuable background on the international status of Cobot implementation and the possible impact on the African workforce. The study highlights the importance of building employee trust, providing the relevant training and addressing the fear of retrenchment amongst employees