Parking Management System Moves to PeopleSoft
Parking Management went to its' first computerized system in 1990 on the IBM mainframe. This system maintained information on long-term decals and citations for employees, students and University vendors. Over the years, the needs of Parking Management evolved but the system remained static and peripheral information was maintained off-line.
As the University turned to PeopleSoft as an enterprise-wide solution, Parking Management was maintained on the IBM using interfaces between the systems. Attempts were made to obtain third-party software to replace the old system but time was running short with the contract for the mainframe due to expire. What to do?
In August 2004, a decision was made to design a replacement of the existing IBM system. A design team of representatives from the Parking and Mass Transit Office and University Applications Development was created to design a new system. A thorough investigation determined the needs for a web-based system and a timeline established for implementation. The design team worked diligently to sort out the myriad of issues involved with conversion.
On March 19, 2005, the team implemented Parking Management on PeopleSoft on time and into one cohesive package. In the first two months of using the system, four major citation billings have been completed resulting in improved collections for outstanding parking fines compared to the same period last year. Six decal renewal notice mailings have been sent in a proactive approach to reaching the students and staff before they disperse for the summer which results in a reduction in mailing costs. New reports include the ability to notify next year's sophomores about the parking rules and regulations pertaining to having a vehicle on campus.
The new system interfaces with the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles to identify vehicles that were heretofore unidentified with someone on campus. The NYS Department of Motor Vehicles anticipated bringing up a new web-based system of their own in mid-February. As of this writing, they are still developing their system and have asked Parking and Mass Transit Services to use their expertise to serve as a pilot for the new DMV system.
