By using the solution, livestock inspectors are able to use their mobile phones to send reports on livestock figures from anywhere in the country directly to the Department of Agriculture and Food's computers. This makes for more immediate and efficient reporting of figures, Puca claims. Previously inspectors had to manually enter the figures when they returned to their offices. The solution by Puca, called Ewe Premium, is a customised application which features a series of drop-down menus on inspectors' mobile phones. The inspectors can enter all data relating to specific herds into the phone while out and about and send it to the department, almost like a text message. The messages pass through Puca's secure managed mobile platform and are subsequently delivered to the department's systems.
"We wanted a fast, robust and easy-to-use system which enables inspectors and management to benefit from improved information flows. With only a three-month window to complete all sheep inspections, speed and flexibility were crucial. Puca and Vodafone's expertise and resources have delivered a high quality, cost-effective WAP solution which meets our demanding requirements," said Declan O'Riordan, systems analyst, Department of Agriculture and Food.
This deal with the Department of Agriculture follows a series of moves made by Puca into the mobile e-government market recently. It has run a series of campaigns with the Department of Health, Bord Bia and the Food Safety Promotion Board in the past few months. Puca has a number of ideas for promoting the use of mobile applications and more specifically text messaging in various government departments, for example, enabling the texting of hospital appointment reminders for the Department of Health and making Central Applications Office (CAO) results available by text for the Department of Education.
"Deals like the service we are providing to the Department of Agriculture are helping to illustrate to the government how mobile applications can benefit them by increasing productivity and reducing costs in certain areas. Only when the full realisation of the benefits mobile can offer the government hits them will the mobile e-government market reach its full potential," Eamonn Hession, managing director of Puca, told ElectricNews.Net.
Autor: Deirdre McArdle
Quelle: ElectricNews.Net, 28.07.2004
