Message link for dog catchers

By ADAM GIFFORD

Rodney District Council dog inspectors can now use mobile phone text messaging to check whether the dog they have just grabbed is good, bad or just plain lost.

The council says it has made savings and improved service since investing in a Fenestrae Mobile Data Server, which allows the inspectors to use text messaging to query the council's dog registration database.

Previously, inspectors had to ring the office and get staff to look up the information. After hours they relied on an 800-page register of the region's 12,000 dogs. A fresh copy had to be printed out each week.

"Now they just send a simple SMS [short message service] command with 'D' followed by the tag number," said Bill Westphal, Rodney information services manager.

The message goes to another cellphone connected by serial cable to the council computer system.

"It then sends back another SMS message with the name of the dog, its breed so identity can be confirmed, the name and address of the owner and indications whether it is a good or bad dog.

"If it's a bad dog, they can send another message for more details - whether it has a history of being impounded or biting."

Westphal said the council had equipped dog inspectors with laptop computers and cellular modems, but found that system did not suit conditions in the field and the equipment was expensive to buy and maintain.

"We were approached by other vendors with more proprietary solutions involving transmitters, but they cost $50,000 and above."

The Fenestrae solution recently won the Association of Local Government Information Management's innovation award.

Westphal said the council was now looking at other uses for the Fenestrae servers, including giving water meter readers access to records on meter location and giving building inspectors quick access to consent data.

He said some council officers were already using the gateway to get emails, contacts and calendars from the office through Wap (wireless application protocol) phones.

Steve MacMillan, director of distributor MPA New Zealand, said the starting price for the MDS module was about $15,000, with $4000 to $5000 more for connectors to specific ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems and databases.