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INFOSYS.110 BUSINESS SYSTEMS:

DELIVERABLE 2: BUSINESS SECTION
2014

Name Campbell Martin
NetID cmar921
Group Number: 241
Website Link: http://uoagroup241.blogspot.co.nz/
Tutorial Details
Tutor: Day: Time:
Kirsten Thursday 9am
Time Spent on
Assignment:
8 hours Word Count: 1769

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WATTURE
INTRODUCTION
Watture (a portmentau of water and capture) is an innovative system that creates the
ability for local New Zealand councils to monitor the water levels of storm drains, providing
them with prior warning to any storm drains that are at risk of breaking. With this
information, the Councils will be able to attend to these at risk drains, clearing them of the
cause of the blockage and prevent any major damage from flooding from occuring.
3. BUSINESS SECTION
3.1 Wattures Vision
To provide a vital IT service to local councils in New Zealand, to aid the prevention,
minimisation of major flooding in every corner of the country for the citizens of New
Zealand.
3.2 Industry Analysis: Flood prevention and minimisation.
Industry: Flood prevention and minimisation Industry.
Force: High/Low: Justification:
Buyer power: Low There is no other company that has a product
similar to ours. The council doesnt have any
other choices to select from. Once they adopt our
idea they will be quite deeply locked into it as
the investment they would need to make into
buying the sensors and other hardware would be
substantial.
Supplier power: Low There are plenty of companies who can produce
plastic casings and microchips so we would have

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no problem in negotiating a good deal with any
potential suppliers.
Threat of new entrants: Low The R&D cost of creating a product to compete
with Watture would be very high, creating a
strong price barrier to entry.
Threat of substitutes: Low The switching cost to the Councils of dropping our
technology for anothers would be astronomical.
Any substitutes would have to be vastly superior
to consider switching. As well as costing a lot to
switch, a lot of time would be consumed
removing our system and implementing any new
system.
Rivalry among existing
competitors:
Low There are no other players in flood prevention so
completition is non-existent. The only
competitor to our system would be response
crews but they can only try to minimise the
damage the flood water does.
Overall attractiveness of the industry: This market is very much open for exploitation by a
well designed and excecuted system, though there is always the risk of the council deeming
our solution unneccesary or not good enough. As properly explained later on though, we
would get the councils on our side before we seriously develop Watture.
3.3 Customers and Thei r Needs
Our customers are the New Zealand Government and Councils of New Zealand. ICNZ
Statistics show that the annual cost of flooding in New Zealand was, on average, over $30
million between the years 1976 and 2004, each year. The council needs a solution that will
reduce this on going cost and Watture provides this. After events like the Christchurch
earthquakes, councils need to show their citizens that they are actively trying to protect

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their city from further natural events and disasters. Doing so will help to inspire a sense of
security among the people of the respective council.

3.4 The Product and Service
Watture meets the councils of New Zealands needs by enabling them to deal with blocked
storm water drains before the blockage causes them to overflow, flood, and cause damage.
When a sensor in a drain becomes submerged, an alert will be sent to the council, detailing
where the block is. The council can then determine the scope of the blockage (over time the
system will recognise patterns and be able to estimate how many workers will be required
at a given storm drain) and enlist that many workers to unblock and clean out the debris
from the drain.
3.5 Suppliers and Partners
We would partner with the Government during our analysis phase as well as during the
design, development, testing, implementation and maintenance phases because we would
be relying on government grants to sustain us. During the analysis, design and development
stages we would partner with Councils, listening to their ideas to make Watture a success.
The interaction between us and the councils would also familiarise them with our product
before it is released, making implementation more seamless. Our suppliers would be the
companies we outsource our microsensor production to. One would manufacture the
microchips and another the plastic shell. Those two components would then be sent to one
to be assembled.
3.6 Strategy:
Wattures strategy is focussed low cost. Though our system would cost the government a
few million dollars a year to run, its a small proportion of their annual spending. We are
only looking to pitch our idea to the Government/Councils for flood prevention and
minimisation so our market is narrow.
3.7 Value Chain Activity: Technology development and R&D

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The most important value chain activity for Watture is technology development (and R&D)
because we are creating technology that needs to be cutting edge and relatively inexpensive
to implement (there will be thousands of microsensors so they will need to be inexpensive
to fit in with our strategy) as well as being completely reliable: a system that is relied upon
to monitor the risk of flooding needs to be throughly tested and developed so that it does
not fail in the field. Since we are a new company, we will also need to develop our business
practices and process (such as customer support and ordering, as detailed below).
3.8 Business Processes
PROCESS 1: PROVI DING CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO THE GOVERNMENT ONCE THE IT IS SET UP
(ONGOING MAINTENANCE)
PROCESS 2: MANUFACTURING/OUTSOURCING THE PRODUCTI ON OF THE MI CROSENSORS


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Start
Continue with
ongoing monitoring
Does one of the
councils have a
problem?
No
Direct them
(Council) to the
internet help
webpage
Has the problem
been solved?
Yes
Contact the call
centre to help with
the issue
Has the problem
been solved?
No No
End
- (3. 8. 1. CUSTOMER SERVI CE PROCESS)

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Start
Receive request
from the council for
micro sensor order
Was the request
correct?
Confirm the correct
request was
received from
council
No
Send order to the
manufacturers
yes
The assembled
micro sensors are
sent to councils
Was the order
correct?
No
Return the
incorrect order
to the
manufacturer
Yes
End
- (3. 8. 2. MI CRO SENSOR ORDERDING PROCESS)

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3.8.1. CUSTOMER SERVICE PROCESS Associated with the customer relationship
management system. Providing the council with personalised and round-the-clock
assistance is essential, making such a process to facilitate this of huge importance. There are
two stages of help in this process the council can refer to our internet webpage that
contains information on easily solved problems. If they still have a problem, they can
contact our call centre (part of our customer service department) for more personalised and
extensive support.
3.8.2. MI CRO SENSOR ORDERDING PROCESS A process that works under a transaction
processing system. Without a planned process in place for ordering the micro sensors, we
would have frustrations with procuring the micro sensors. Without them, Watture has very
little practical use. We collect the order from the councils, confirming it is correct before
sending the order request to the manufacturers of the plastic shell, the chip and the
company that assembles the micro sensors. The assembled micro sensors will then be sent
to the councils and provided what they received is what they ordered, the process ends.
Otherwise, the incorrect order is sent back to the assembler and the order is corrected. This
process would be handled by the operations management department.


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3.9 Functionalities

3.9.1. PROVI DING CUSTOMER SERVI CE TO THE COUNCI LS OF NEW ZEALAND
Using the internets functionality of webpages to set up one that details
frequently asked questions for the council
Using a cellphones calling functionality to follow up on a query from the
council that was left as a voicemail.
3.9.2. OUTSOURCING MANUFACTURING OF SENSORS
Using the internet to email the manufacturing company to request an update
on our order
Using a cell phones calling functionality to contact the manager about the
colour of the shell surrounding the sensors.

3.10 Systems

3.10. 1. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHI P MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CRM) We would need a
customer service & operational CRM system. This system would encompass two
technologies: a call centre and an internet self-service system. Watture would require this
system to allow the councils to enquire about any problems they are experiencing with the
system, and to ensure that these enquires are dealt with efficentl to keep the system
running. It allows us to create highly personalised assistance because we will be able to
collate data and recognise common problems. We would be better equipped to anticipate
what the problem will be. If one council has a problem, it is likely most councils will
enocunter it, too.
3.10. 2. MICROSENSOR ALERT AND PATTERN SYSTEM - The crux of Watture are the
microsensors. In order to take advantage of the microsensors that we had maufactured and
to be able to provide meaningful customer service, we need to understand the
microsensors. This system would be able to recognise when the microsensors have been
submerged in water and it would collect the data, turning it into information over time as
more data is collected in order to track which microsensors have been submerged the most.
This information would provide the council with knowledge on which stormdrains are most

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likely to flood, and when. If there was no such system, then the council would never be
notified when the stormdrains were in risk of flooding and the customer service
functionalities would be nullified; there would be no prodcut to provide service on.
3.10. 3. MICROSENSOR ORDERING SYSTEM -
The number of microsensors that would need to be ordered would be in the thousands but
not at once. Its more likely that the councils would gradually implement, starting with the
stormdrains on the main streets and suburbs, then elsewhere. As a consequence, a system
that recognised when the request for more microsensors will be useful because it supports
the functionalities of outsourcing the microsensors. It will enable us to have a legitimate
reason to contact the council over their microsensor requirements.

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3.11. Summary Table: Value Chain to Systems

Value Chain
Activity
Processes Functionalities Specific Information System Broad Information System

Research
and
development

1. Customer
service
1. Using internet to create a webpage

1. Using a cell phone for calling

Call centre
Consumer relationship
management

2. Micro sensor
ordering
2. Using internet to send emails

3. Usiing a cellphone for calling
Ordering system


Transaction processing
system

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CONCLUSION
Watture is a system that will drastically reduce the expense created by water damag, from
flooding for the government by using innovative IT software and hardware to create a
system that will communicate with the local councils of New Zealand to minimise and
prevent flooding.
REFERENCES

1. Baltzan, P., Lynch, K. & Blakey, P. (2013) Business driven information systems.
Published by McGraw-Hill.

2. ICNZ (2013) cost of disaster events in New Zealand. Retrieved from
http://icnz.org.nz/statistics-data/the-cost-of-disaster-events/
3. Te Ara (2014) Story: floods. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/floods
4. The New Zealand Herald (2014) Once-in-a-century storm finally eases. Retrieved from
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11214174

5. Ministry for the Environment (2014) Preparing for future flooding: a guide for local
government. Retrieved from https://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/climate/preparing-
for-future-flooding-guide-for-local-govt/page2.html