Adoption statistics show that adoption rates are increasing all over the world. When we see this type of rise in statistics, especially in an area that is so critical it brings several questions to mind.
Why is there such a huge increase in the numbers of children in foster care or in need of adoption? What action plan could be taken to control the rising numbers and who should be held responsible?
Lack of education – Some school programs are to vague on the issue of Sex Education and even though the topic may be discussed it is only in general and there isn’t much guidance as to abstinence. With state and federal laws putting so many restrictions on how schools are to handle sex education it is primarily up to the parent to give the education and the knowledge of how to abstain, use safe sex practices if they are active and to some, look, and listen. Stop and think about the consequences of having a child you cannot care for. Look at the number of children already in the foster care system and think about what you will be doing if you add one more child into an already over crowded system. Morals and values are extremely important and when we take the responsibility to have children it is also our responsibility to teach them to have those high morals and values, to respect themselves and others and to strive for positive results for the future.
Poor living conditions – Poverty and the economic strain that faces not just one country but the world plays a major role in the number of children facing adoption today. When the world wide economy began to falter families lost their homes, divorce cases escalated and the lack of money to care for families caused a major break up of the traditional family environment. Single parents especially fall under this category. The heartbreak of having to place your child in foster care because you cannot provide for them is terrifying. Especially if you are not sure you will “ever” be able to provide.
Child Abuse – There are over 3 million child abuse reports in the US every year. This is a major issue with children who enter the foster care programs and eventually are adopted to new families. This is just the number that are documented, there are at least 6 million reports not just actual cases.
Accidents or death in the family- Large numbers of children in foster care are not there due to lack of caring or neglect, or to the woes of our environmental and financial situations. They are there due to the loss of one or both parents. This could be from natural causes or from accidents that cause the death of one or both parents. In some cases there are other family members who can take the children but in some cases there are not. Foster care services try to keep siblings together during the adoption process but, due to the overwhelming strain on families today, sometimes they can only take one.
Lets look at the affects of adoption on children. Some children cope quite well to adoption and others do not. Grief over the loss of parents and or siblings can take hold of even the youngest of children.
Some adopted children may feel abandoned or neglected and have questions as to why they were given up or what was so wrong with them that their own parents did not want them. Please remember this is not true for everyone. Only some experience these types of issues.
Educational issues and relationship issues may arise from children who are adopted or living in foster care. They may not relate well with others due to lack of self esteem, fear of being abandoned again or anger over being in the system with no control over what happens to them or their siblings if they have them.
Knowing a child’s medical history can in some cases be paramount to helping them later in life should they become ill. If you are the adoptive parent it would be advised to find out as much as possible about the birth parents. Note: due to privacy laws this may not always be easily obtained.
The US State Department estimates that over 11,000 children from foreign countries were adopted into US families just in the year 2010 alone. The top five countries that the largest number of adoptions have been obtained are: The People’s Republic of China with an estimated 3400, Ethiopia with and estimated 2600, Russia with just over 1000, South Korea adoptions totaled 863 and the Ukraine came in at number five with 445 adoptions to the US. Please note that these statistics show a decline in adoptions to the US but not a decline in the over all world wide statistics of children waiting to be adopted.
According to the US State Department there are at least 250,000 children who enter foster care in the US alone, every year. The responsibility falls on everyone to take charge of this alarming issue and help to bring down the numbers of so many children needing love and guidance.
What can we do to help change the growing number of children in the adoption system? We can be proactive in our communities. Join Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, join your local church groups and support as many of your local organizations as possible to help in the fight against the enormous burden on our future leaders and parents. They need our support now to help them change the cycle.
2011年11月7日星期一
2011年9月15日星期四
Westfield iPhone app in privacy fiasco
The retail giant’s action follows a blog by software architect Troy Hunt who found URLs containing the number plates of all cars at Westfield’s Bondi Junction centre were publicly accessible – no hacking was required.
The app lets a shopper enter their number plate and, after choosing a photo of their car from four displayed vehicles, seeks to guide the shopper back to their parking bay.
Sydney-based Hunt was able to develop software that could inform him of when all cars arrived and left the shopping centre, and exactly where they were parked.
Hundreds of small high-resolution cameras placed about two parking bays apart snap car images and numberplate details, which are then made available to shoppers via the app when they want to relocate their car and leave.
However Hunt found that the transmissions of details within the Park Assist system were not encrypted and could be intercepted by surveillance software searching URLs in the public domain.
“Think about the potential malicious uses if you’re able to write a simple bit of software,” Hunt says on his blog.
“A stalker receives a notification when their victim enters the car park (and they’ll know exactly where the victim is parked).
“A suspicious husband tracks when his wife arrives and then leaves the car park; an aggrieved driver holding a grudge from a nearby road rage incident monitors for the arrival of the other party; a car thief with their eye on a particular vehicle could be notified once it is left unattended in the car park.”
In a statement this afternoon, Westfield said the Find My Car functionality had been pulled.
“Park Assist, which provides the camera technology to capture the number plate, yesterday advised there was an issue with the authentication of their data feed to the iPhone which resulted in number plate data being publicly accessible via the internet,” Westfield said.
“This issue has been addressed immediately by Park Assist, and the Find My Car functionality will not be available for approximately one week until the app has been modified to ensure that data cannot be accessed online.”
Westfield said it did not believe the app had breached personal privacy as number plates were not personal information.
“In terms of privacy, the application does not contravene the Privacy Act in so far as numbers plates are not ‘personal information’, and are therefore not subject to that Act,” it said.
“Having said that, the application theoretically could be used for purposes other than its original intention; however, it does not facilitate any activity that couldn’t already happen otherwise.
“For example, a member of the general public may try to use the application to find a car that is not theirs.
“On the other hand, at the request of police, the application might also be used to assist in their enquiries into a given situation.
“However, Westfield would not expect either of these situations to be typical.”
Westfield said its Find My Car app service had been developed to offer a service to the average shopper, by making it easier to find their car.
During a recent test by The Australian, the app failed to show a direct route to the car as some shopping centre infrastructure was missing from the mapping database.
Westfield management had to personally assist with relocating the car.
The app, which connects to the centre's Park Assist guidance system, also helps shoppers find a vacant car space.
It displays the number of free parking bays in the two main Westfield car parks, and allows a shopper to select from a dozen large stores and discover which parking areas offer closest access.
The Park Assist guidance system has already been rolled out at Westfield centres in Hornsby, Chatswood, Parramatta and Kotara in NSW, and in the Melbourne suburb of Doncaster. It will be available in Queensland at Westfield Chermside in Brisbane from October.
The app lets a shopper enter their number plate and, after choosing a photo of their car from four displayed vehicles, seeks to guide the shopper back to their parking bay.
Sydney-based Hunt was able to develop software that could inform him of when all cars arrived and left the shopping centre, and exactly where they were parked.
Hundreds of small high-resolution cameras placed about two parking bays apart snap car images and numberplate details, which are then made available to shoppers via the app when they want to relocate their car and leave.
However Hunt found that the transmissions of details within the Park Assist system were not encrypted and could be intercepted by surveillance software searching URLs in the public domain.
“Think about the potential malicious uses if you’re able to write a simple bit of software,” Hunt says on his blog.
“A stalker receives a notification when their victim enters the car park (and they’ll know exactly where the victim is parked).
“A suspicious husband tracks when his wife arrives and then leaves the car park; an aggrieved driver holding a grudge from a nearby road rage incident monitors for the arrival of the other party; a car thief with their eye on a particular vehicle could be notified once it is left unattended in the car park.”
In a statement this afternoon, Westfield said the Find My Car functionality had been pulled.
“Park Assist, which provides the camera technology to capture the number plate, yesterday advised there was an issue with the authentication of their data feed to the iPhone which resulted in number plate data being publicly accessible via the internet,” Westfield said.
“This issue has been addressed immediately by Park Assist, and the Find My Car functionality will not be available for approximately one week until the app has been modified to ensure that data cannot be accessed online.”
Westfield said it did not believe the app had breached personal privacy as number plates were not personal information.
“In terms of privacy, the application does not contravene the Privacy Act in so far as numbers plates are not ‘personal information’, and are therefore not subject to that Act,” it said.
“Having said that, the application theoretically could be used for purposes other than its original intention; however, it does not facilitate any activity that couldn’t already happen otherwise.
“For example, a member of the general public may try to use the application to find a car that is not theirs.
“On the other hand, at the request of police, the application might also be used to assist in their enquiries into a given situation.
“However, Westfield would not expect either of these situations to be typical.”
Westfield said its Find My Car app service had been developed to offer a service to the average shopper, by making it easier to find their car.
During a recent test by The Australian, the app failed to show a direct route to the car as some shopping centre infrastructure was missing from the mapping database.
Westfield management had to personally assist with relocating the car.
The app, which connects to the centre's Park Assist guidance system, also helps shoppers find a vacant car space.
It displays the number of free parking bays in the two main Westfield car parks, and allows a shopper to select from a dozen large stores and discover which parking areas offer closest access.
The Park Assist guidance system has already been rolled out at Westfield centres in Hornsby, Chatswood, Parramatta and Kotara in NSW, and in the Melbourne suburb of Doncaster. It will be available in Queensland at Westfield Chermside in Brisbane from October.
2011年5月22日星期日
Cycling booming in capital region
Little Saanich Mountain, way up by the observatory. I'm gasping and panting like a porn movie, but not actually barfing, which -and admittedly I'm no expert here -seems like a good thing.
I'm quite proud of myself, nonbarfwise. First time I rode a big hill, I ended up doubled over with my head in the bushes as my pal Kara leaned on my back with one hand and loudly pondered which part of my breakfast would come up first. She offered to take bets from the other riders.
The two-kilometre climb from West Saanich Road isn't as tough as the really steep hills -Finlayson Arm Road, Munn Road in the Highlands, Willis Point where it snakes up from the bottom of Saanich Inlet -enjoyed by hardcore cyclists, the ones with legs like pistons and butts that could crack walnuts. Still, the observatory is still a nice challenge for the recreational rider.
And lordy but there are a lot of recreational cyclists around the capital these days, as proven by the 1,100 people who have signed up for Saturday's Tour de Victoria. The sport is booming, and for reasons you might not suspect.
Twenty-five years ago, any man on a bicycle was assumed to have lost his driver's licence. Ten years ago, any man in spandex was assumed to have lost a bet. Today they're everywhere. And the man is just as likely to be a woman.
"You look at the demographic of our Tour de Victoria training clinic, it's probably 70 per cent women and no one is under 30," says Bill Fry, owner of the Trek Bicycle Store in Vic West. Don Henderson of Fort Street Cycle concurs; most of the new riders he fits to bikes are female.
Why? It helps to have good role models, and Victoria is awash in the likes of triathletes Kirsten Sweetland and Paula Findlay, Olympian road rider Erinne Willock, Xterra world champion Melanie McQuaid and three-time Canada Cup cross-country champion Mical Dyck, who led the Trek training clinic.
"As a woman, being able to get advice and guidance from another woman, that's a big deal," said Robin Farrell, astride her road bike while preparing for a series of repeats up and down the observatory hill under Dyck's direction.
The new riders aren't puppies, either. Trek's typical customer is in his or her mid-30s or 40s. Martine Norris, 45, is a good example. "My husband passed away three years ago and I needed something to keep me focused." Tall and athletic, she chose triathlon, ended up sticking with the riding and the swimming. "It is easy on the knees," she said while riding the observatory hill with son Philippe, 14. "It works for anybody."
Those knees are a reason many are turning to two wheels. "The surprising demographic is the number of older riders, and by older I mean 55 or 60-plus, who are new, or new again, to cycling," says the Russ Hays bike shop's Martin Clermont. Many are runners whose joints are tired of the pounding. "You can see it in their legs coming in from the parking lot." Lean, fit greyhairs with a bit of a limp.
"The baby-boom generation is coming through," Fort Street's Henderson says. They have a few bucks to spend and like the social aspect of group riding. "Cycling is the new golf." Except their workout is over in two hours, not six, and they don't spend the last hour drinking in the 19th hole.
Farrell, known to radio listeners as half of KOOL FM's Robin and Brian morning team, agrees that it's not all about exercise. "It's the social thing. Don't get me wrong, I love the physical aspect, but I love the camaraderie. Cycling seems to attract fun people."
It hasn't always been that way. For a long time the sport had the reputation of being dominated by -jeez, how to put this nicely? -über-serious scowling dickheads. The only thing geekier than a grown man in spandex is a grown man in spandex who takes himself waaaay too seriously.
Happily, there's been an attitude shift. "A lot of the pretense of cycling has diminished," Clermont says. "It's much more inclusive." Cyclists need not speak Bike Nerd, rhyming off gear ratios like some Lycra-bound Rain Man. It's no longer a capital offence to wear a visored helmet or mountain bike shorts while riding a road bike.
Why? Ironically, Clermont looks to the example set by cycling's hard-eyed superstar. Once Lance Armstrong flipped up his shifters and traded his de rigueur short white socks for long black ones a few years ago, it was OK to break the unwritten rules. He also dragged riding out of the margins. "Lance brought cycling to the mainstream," Fry says. "Suddenly you're seeing cycling on Nike commercials and Michelob commercials."
It helps to have personable local heroes, too. Victoria riders like Ryder Hesjedal, Simon Whitfield and Jasper Blake might ride their bikes like they're stolen, but amble through life with smiles on their faces. "Every time Simon is on TV, or winning an Olympic medal, we sell more bikes," Henderson says.
Hesjedal, voted Canada's cyclist of the decade, has had that effect nationally, says Rob Jones, the Ontario-based editor of Canadian Cycling Magazine and the market research director for the Independent Bicycle Trade Association of Canada. "Ryder Hesjedal doing so well in the Tour de France has certainly got cycling on the map." Jones sees the same surge of young riders as when Steve Bauer won an Olympic medal for Canada in 1984. The core market, though, is people in their thirties and forties who see cycling as their main source of fitness and recreation. "Cycling is a low-impact activity. You can do it your entire life."
What's particularly interesting, both locally and nationally, are the types of bicycles being purchased. Mountain bikes have been the biggest sellers for the past 15 years are so, and still hold a dominant, but shrinking, share of the market. The real growth is in fast, light (and relatively pricey) road bikes, the ones with the curved handlebars and tires as skinny as a runway model. The number of road bikes sold in Canada jumped 17 per cent in 2010. Sales of youth and hybrid bicycles also grew, but the 26-inch wheel category -cruisers and mountain bikes -fell 13 per cent. "A lot of people are realizing that for the riding they do, they don't need a full-fledged mountain bike," Jones says.
The rise of the roadie can be tied, in part, to the advent of events that give cyclists the same semi-competitive opportunities and goals as 10Ks and marathons give runners. The 1,000-kilometre Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock piqued Islanders' interest in cycling, then other, shorter charity events gave them the opportunity to ride. Triathlons are a big driver, too. Now we have the long-distance gran fondos, as they are known, such as the Tour de Victoria, the GranFondo Whistler and this July's brand new Axel Merckx event in the Okanagan. "They're popping up all over the place," Jones says.
It also helps that commuter cyclists are being accommodated. "More cities are making it easier and safer to cycle," Jones says.
Alas, that isn't necessarily true of the capital region, where the roads frequently funnel riders and drivers into sphincter-tightening danger zones. Victoria, with its 2,317 municipalities, might like to think of itself as cycling-friendly, but has nothing like the co-ordinated commuter networks seen in cities like Edmonton and Ottawa. Thank goodness for the likes of the Galloping Goose, Lochside and, soon, E&N trails. "Having the trail system has allowed Victoria to be a better cycling place than it was built to be," Clermont says. (He also says the trails have helped tourism; the rental business in Russ Hays' Sidney store has taken off. "People get off the boat and want to get on a bike and ride.")
I'm quite proud of myself, nonbarfwise. First time I rode a big hill, I ended up doubled over with my head in the bushes as my pal Kara leaned on my back with one hand and loudly pondered which part of my breakfast would come up first. She offered to take bets from the other riders.
The two-kilometre climb from West Saanich Road isn't as tough as the really steep hills -Finlayson Arm Road, Munn Road in the Highlands, Willis Point where it snakes up from the bottom of Saanich Inlet -enjoyed by hardcore cyclists, the ones with legs like pistons and butts that could crack walnuts. Still, the observatory is still a nice challenge for the recreational rider.
And lordy but there are a lot of recreational cyclists around the capital these days, as proven by the 1,100 people who have signed up for Saturday's Tour de Victoria. The sport is booming, and for reasons you might not suspect.
Twenty-five years ago, any man on a bicycle was assumed to have lost his driver's licence. Ten years ago, any man in spandex was assumed to have lost a bet. Today they're everywhere. And the man is just as likely to be a woman.
"You look at the demographic of our Tour de Victoria training clinic, it's probably 70 per cent women and no one is under 30," says Bill Fry, owner of the Trek Bicycle Store in Vic West. Don Henderson of Fort Street Cycle concurs; most of the new riders he fits to bikes are female.
Why? It helps to have good role models, and Victoria is awash in the likes of triathletes Kirsten Sweetland and Paula Findlay, Olympian road rider Erinne Willock, Xterra world champion Melanie McQuaid and three-time Canada Cup cross-country champion Mical Dyck, who led the Trek training clinic.
"As a woman, being able to get advice and guidance from another woman, that's a big deal," said Robin Farrell, astride her road bike while preparing for a series of repeats up and down the observatory hill under Dyck's direction.
The new riders aren't puppies, either. Trek's typical customer is in his or her mid-30s or 40s. Martine Norris, 45, is a good example. "My husband passed away three years ago and I needed something to keep me focused." Tall and athletic, she chose triathlon, ended up sticking with the riding and the swimming. "It is easy on the knees," she said while riding the observatory hill with son Philippe, 14. "It works for anybody."
Those knees are a reason many are turning to two wheels. "The surprising demographic is the number of older riders, and by older I mean 55 or 60-plus, who are new, or new again, to cycling," says the Russ Hays bike shop's Martin Clermont. Many are runners whose joints are tired of the pounding. "You can see it in their legs coming in from the parking lot." Lean, fit greyhairs with a bit of a limp.
"The baby-boom generation is coming through," Fort Street's Henderson says. They have a few bucks to spend and like the social aspect of group riding. "Cycling is the new golf." Except their workout is over in two hours, not six, and they don't spend the last hour drinking in the 19th hole.
Farrell, known to radio listeners as half of KOOL FM's Robin and Brian morning team, agrees that it's not all about exercise. "It's the social thing. Don't get me wrong, I love the physical aspect, but I love the camaraderie. Cycling seems to attract fun people."
It hasn't always been that way. For a long time the sport had the reputation of being dominated by -jeez, how to put this nicely? -über-serious scowling dickheads. The only thing geekier than a grown man in spandex is a grown man in spandex who takes himself waaaay too seriously.
Happily, there's been an attitude shift. "A lot of the pretense of cycling has diminished," Clermont says. "It's much more inclusive." Cyclists need not speak Bike Nerd, rhyming off gear ratios like some Lycra-bound Rain Man. It's no longer a capital offence to wear a visored helmet or mountain bike shorts while riding a road bike.
Why? Ironically, Clermont looks to the example set by cycling's hard-eyed superstar. Once Lance Armstrong flipped up his shifters and traded his de rigueur short white socks for long black ones a few years ago, it was OK to break the unwritten rules. He also dragged riding out of the margins. "Lance brought cycling to the mainstream," Fry says. "Suddenly you're seeing cycling on Nike commercials and Michelob commercials."
It helps to have personable local heroes, too. Victoria riders like Ryder Hesjedal, Simon Whitfield and Jasper Blake might ride their bikes like they're stolen, but amble through life with smiles on their faces. "Every time Simon is on TV, or winning an Olympic medal, we sell more bikes," Henderson says.
Hesjedal, voted Canada's cyclist of the decade, has had that effect nationally, says Rob Jones, the Ontario-based editor of Canadian Cycling Magazine and the market research director for the Independent Bicycle Trade Association of Canada. "Ryder Hesjedal doing so well in the Tour de France has certainly got cycling on the map." Jones sees the same surge of young riders as when Steve Bauer won an Olympic medal for Canada in 1984. The core market, though, is people in their thirties and forties who see cycling as their main source of fitness and recreation. "Cycling is a low-impact activity. You can do it your entire life."
What's particularly interesting, both locally and nationally, are the types of bicycles being purchased. Mountain bikes have been the biggest sellers for the past 15 years are so, and still hold a dominant, but shrinking, share of the market. The real growth is in fast, light (and relatively pricey) road bikes, the ones with the curved handlebars and tires as skinny as a runway model. The number of road bikes sold in Canada jumped 17 per cent in 2010. Sales of youth and hybrid bicycles also grew, but the 26-inch wheel category -cruisers and mountain bikes -fell 13 per cent. "A lot of people are realizing that for the riding they do, they don't need a full-fledged mountain bike," Jones says.
The rise of the roadie can be tied, in part, to the advent of events that give cyclists the same semi-competitive opportunities and goals as 10Ks and marathons give runners. The 1,000-kilometre Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock piqued Islanders' interest in cycling, then other, shorter charity events gave them the opportunity to ride. Triathlons are a big driver, too. Now we have the long-distance gran fondos, as they are known, such as the Tour de Victoria, the GranFondo Whistler and this July's brand new Axel Merckx event in the Okanagan. "They're popping up all over the place," Jones says.
It also helps that commuter cyclists are being accommodated. "More cities are making it easier and safer to cycle," Jones says.
Alas, that isn't necessarily true of the capital region, where the roads frequently funnel riders and drivers into sphincter-tightening danger zones. Victoria, with its 2,317 municipalities, might like to think of itself as cycling-friendly, but has nothing like the co-ordinated commuter networks seen in cities like Edmonton and Ottawa. Thank goodness for the likes of the Galloping Goose, Lochside and, soon, E&N trails. "Having the trail system has allowed Victoria to be a better cycling place than it was built to be," Clermont says. (He also says the trails have helped tourism; the rental business in Russ Hays' Sidney store has taken off. "People get off the boat and want to get on a bike and ride.")
2011年3月3日星期四
Top tech company in Burnaby continues to grow
Burnaby-based Digital Payment Technologies has had a good start to the year.
The pay-parking system manufacturer was named one of the top 25 B.C. information and communication technology companies in the Ready to Rocket category by Rocket Builders.
"We are honored to be recognized as one of the rising private sector stars in the B.C. technology market," said Andrew Scott, CEO of Digital Payment Technologies, in a press release. "With the powerful combination of our talented team and a flexible technology platform that helps municipalities, universities and private parking operators implement innovative and efficient solutions that increase consumer satisfaction and drive revenues, we intend to significantly expand our customer base and distribution network in 2011."
Rocket Builders is a management-consulting firm for the technology industry. This is its ninth year of compiling the Ready to Rocket list of B.C. tech companies that have seen high growth rates.
"Each year when we choose the Ready to Rocket companies, we are looking for those companies that have best matched technical innovation with market opportunity," said Reg Nordman, managing partner for Rocket Builders. "Digital Payment Technologies is an excellent example of the right technology for the right customers at the right time."
The list was released at the end of January.
Since then, Digital Payment Technologies has gone on to form a partnership with a parking solution management company based in California.
The partnership was announced Monday.
The two companies will share and integrate data so that clients using Digital Payment Technologies' pay stations and Streetline Form Partnership's parking guidance smart phone application can find parking spaces faster.
Streetline's Parker app allows drivers to find unoccupied parking spaces, and once parked, the customer can pay at a Digital Parking Technologies pay station or over the phone.
Parking can be extended at any pay station, or by phone.
Last fall, Digital Payment Technologies launched a new license plate activated payment system, so parking enforcement officers can electronically scan license plates in order to ticket those who have not paid for parking.
With the license plate as the means of identifying payment, municipalities could get rid of marked street spaces and make more money within existing curb space, according to a press release from the company.
The system includes hand-held and vehicle-mounted license plate scanners that match scanned plates to a database of plate numbers with paid parking sessions. If a scanned plate is not found in the database, the system automatically generates a citation.
Parking-enforcement productivity could improve because the system would allow for increasing the coverage area of enforcement personnel, which would reduce costs and increase revenues, the release said.
The system would make it impossible for drivers to pass on unexpired permits to someone else, or to pass on unused time on a meter.
Parking operators could also use the system to offer services such as license plate-enabled valet parking, gateless parking, loyalty programs and reserved parking based on the license plate.
Most of Digital Payment Technologies' existing pay stations could be upgraded to the system with a keypad and software update, according to the release.
Drivers wouldn't need to remember a space number or return to their cars to place a receipt, because they would enter their license plate number at the pay station.
The pay-parking system manufacturer was named one of the top 25 B.C. information and communication technology companies in the Ready to Rocket category by Rocket Builders.
"We are honored to be recognized as one of the rising private sector stars in the B.C. technology market," said Andrew Scott, CEO of Digital Payment Technologies, in a press release. "With the powerful combination of our talented team and a flexible technology platform that helps municipalities, universities and private parking operators implement innovative and efficient solutions that increase consumer satisfaction and drive revenues, we intend to significantly expand our customer base and distribution network in 2011."
Rocket Builders is a management-consulting firm for the technology industry. This is its ninth year of compiling the Ready to Rocket list of B.C. tech companies that have seen high growth rates.
"Each year when we choose the Ready to Rocket companies, we are looking for those companies that have best matched technical innovation with market opportunity," said Reg Nordman, managing partner for Rocket Builders. "Digital Payment Technologies is an excellent example of the right technology for the right customers at the right time."
The list was released at the end of January.
Since then, Digital Payment Technologies has gone on to form a partnership with a parking solution management company based in California.
The partnership was announced Monday.
The two companies will share and integrate data so that clients using Digital Payment Technologies' pay stations and Streetline Form Partnership's parking guidance smart phone application can find parking spaces faster.
Streetline's Parker app allows drivers to find unoccupied parking spaces, and once parked, the customer can pay at a Digital Parking Technologies pay station or over the phone.
Parking can be extended at any pay station, or by phone.
Last fall, Digital Payment Technologies launched a new license plate activated payment system, so parking enforcement officers can electronically scan license plates in order to ticket those who have not paid for parking.
With the license plate as the means of identifying payment, municipalities could get rid of marked street spaces and make more money within existing curb space, according to a press release from the company.
The system includes hand-held and vehicle-mounted license plate scanners that match scanned plates to a database of plate numbers with paid parking sessions. If a scanned plate is not found in the database, the system automatically generates a citation.
Parking-enforcement productivity could improve because the system would allow for increasing the coverage area of enforcement personnel, which would reduce costs and increase revenues, the release said.
The system would make it impossible for drivers to pass on unexpired permits to someone else, or to pass on unused time on a meter.
Parking operators could also use the system to offer services such as license plate-enabled valet parking, gateless parking, loyalty programs and reserved parking based on the license plate.
Most of Digital Payment Technologies' existing pay stations could be upgraded to the system with a keypad and software update, according to the release.
Drivers wouldn't need to remember a space number or return to their cars to place a receipt, because they would enter their license plate number at the pay station.
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