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SUNDAY, JULY 13, 1975.
TRANSPORT DEPT TO GO ELECTRONIC
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LICENSING COUNTERS AT THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT WILL GO ELECTRONIC TOWARDS THE END OF THIS YEAR TO PROVIDE SPEEDIER SERVICES TO MOTORISTS.
FINAL DETAILS ARE BEING DRAWN UP ON A COMPUTERISATION SCHEME THAT WILL PUT THE DEPARTMENT'S VEHICLE AND DRIVER LICENSING FUNCTIONS VIRTUALLY AT FINGERTIPS, A DEPARTMENT
·SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY.
HE SAID THAT 'ON-LINE' COMPUTER FACILITIES WOULD BE INSTALLED AT THE COUNTERS. THIS WOULD REDUCE WORK AT THE COUNTERS TO A SIMPLE MATTER OF TAPPING THE COMPUTER KEYBOARD AND ELIMINATE, TIME-CONSUMING PAPER WORK.
TO THE MOTORIST, HE SAID, IT WILL MEAN HAVING HIS VEHICLE OR DRIVING LICENCE APPLICATIONS PROCESSED BY COMPUTER AND THE DOCUMENTS READY WITHIN MINUTES ON THE SPOT.
'ON-LINE TERMINAL EQUIPMENT INSTALLED AT THE HONG KONG AND KOWLOON LICENSING COUNTERS WILL BE LINKED TO THE GOVERNMENT COMPUTER CENTRE WHICH KEEPS THE MASTER COMPUTER 'FILES'. THEY WILL PRODUCE OUTPUT DOCUMENTS OR INFORMATION REQUIRED AS SOON AS DATA IS FED IN.
+IT WILL BE REMINISCENT OF THE ON-LINE SYSTEM NOW USED AT COUNTERS IN SOME BANKS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
HE SAID THE ON-LINE' COMPUTER SYSTEM WOULD FORM THE SECOND PHASE OF WHAT IS KNOWN TO THE PLANNERS AS THE VALID (VEHICLE AND LICENSING DATA) SYSTEM, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO COPE WITH THE ENORMOUS WORKLOAD IN VEHICLE AND DRIVER LICENSING,
PHASE ONE INVOLVED TRANSFERRING INTO THE COMPUTER PILES OF MANNUAL RECORDS OF LICENSED DRIVERS, OF WHICH THE TOTAL NUMBER HAS NOW GONE UP TO 483,000. THIS WAS COMPLETED EARLY LAST YEAR.
WITH PHASE ONE, AND FOLLOWING LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS, THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO START ISSUING IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR THE HANDY LAMINATED TYPE OF DRIVING LICENCES WHICH ARE PRINTED BY COMPUTER.
VALID PHASE TWO, THE SPOKESMAN SAID, WILL TAKE A BIG STEP FORWARD BY ENCOMPASSING IN THE COMPUTER ALL ACTIVITIES OF VEHICLE REGISTRATION AND DRIVER LICENSING, AND HAVING THESE FUNCTIONS CARRIED OUT ON-LINE'.
APART FROM MATICULATED SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND PROGRAMMING, IMPLEMENTATION OF VALID PHASE TWO WILL BE THE RESULT OF CO-ORDINATED PLANNING BY VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS. AMONG WHICH ARE THE DATA PROCESSING DIVISION AND THE ORGANISATION AND METHODS
DIVISION.
/UNDER PHASE
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