Evaluating vehicle telematics system by using a novel MCDM techniques with dependence and feedback

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2010.01.014Get rights and content

Abstract

As the advanced integration of communications, information and vehicle technologies, Vehicle Telematics Systems (VTS), have been initiated for satisfying consumers’ needs with respect to automobile movement. Importantly, VTS enables a vehicle to become a multifunction mobile-services platform. Cars are now designed not only for transportation, but also to provide value-added services covering navigation, safety, security, information, communications and entertainment. Drivers or passengers can contact a call center via VTS to access aspired/desired services and information online. Therefore, VTS increases both the utility/functions and the safety of driving. Developing the optimal VTS that satisfies with consumers’ needs has become the foremost concern of automobile producers. This study will attempt to identify the required VTS utilities between distinguishing characteristics/features of consumers and propose the ideal service combinations for the next e-era generation VTS. An evaluating model by six aspects to be considered/constructed, which encompasses 25 criteria, is built to identify consumers’ needs for the next e-era generation VTS. In the paper, a Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique is used to construct the network relation-map (NRM) among the criteria of each aspect. These criteria are not mutually independent; instead, they have feedback mechanisms. The Analytical Network Process (ANP) based on NRM is used to determine the relative weightings among those criteria. Moreover, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to determine and improve the gaps among the distinguishing characteristics/features of consumers’ desired utilities with respect to services/provide the decision-maker of Telemetics Service Provider (TSP) for improving existing functions or planning further utilities in the next-generation VTS. Based on above NRM those results can be served as a suggestion for the TSP to improve the existing functions or plan further utilities/functions for reducing the gaps and satisfying the users’ needs in next e-era generation VTS.

Introduction

With the extensive traffic network and the changes in lifestyles, automobile users will no longer be pleased with just a pleasant driving experience and comfortable interior. Instead, people will expect their navigational device to change from a closed system into an open intellectual communications system, in which users can communicate or transmit information to and from external systems or other people in real-time via their car’s vehicle telematics device. With the remarkable advances in consumer electronic and telecommunications technologies, development in the automobile industry has been progressed from the past era, in which driving mechanisms and comfortable equipments were emphasized to the telematics era, in which the interaction between users and various platforms is stressed. These trends not only push the automobile industry to extend its industrial value chain but also to represent the new definition of what the automobile should be.

Therefore, the development of the next-generation vehicle has extended from improving machine efficiency to providing communications and information services. In order to meet consumers’ needs when they are on the move, VTS (Vehicle Telematics Systems) should integrate existing communications, information and automobile technologies for various service utilities. VTS can change the car from a closed body into an open mobile-service platform. The car will not only be designed for transportation, but will also provide value-added services regarding navigation, safety, security, information, communications and entertainment. Drivers or passengers will be able to contact a call center via VTS to access desired services through information online. Therefore, VTS increases both the utility/function and the safety of driving. The high price of VTS hardware will be reduced with the innovation of communications technologies, information technologies and the popularization of system services by mass production, and will also enable suppliers to attain economies of scale in production and services. Once this is achieved, VTS will become standard equipment in the vehicle. Since problems of technology and costs will be resolved in the future, the biggest challenge for the development of VTS is to discover the services and applications that the consumers really want. Therefore, how to develop VTS in order to meet the user’s needs has become the main topic of automobile producers and telematics service providers (TSPs). It will influence new car sales and the scale of derived value-added service markets.

Early in 1997, European studies had proposed a solution for evaluating traffic effects of a route guidance system by dynamic simulation of an advanced transport telematics technology for easing the problems induced by traffic. They pointed out that an efficient and safe infrastructure is an essential prerequisite for European economic and social cohesion. Those situations have urged the development of telematics technologies for route guidance systems to solve those traffic problems like traffic congestion. They also predicted traffic problems with the rapid development of telematics technologies it would become possible in the near future to make real-time information for real traffic situations (Chen & Stauss, 1997). The core of VTS is communications and information services. The transmission, reception, and communication of information need to be operated via various communications and information technologies, particularly wireless technologies. Accordingly, car users can get various kinds of real-time and precise information when they have different needs such as personal e-commerce (Anker and Arnold, 1998, Golob and Regan, 2001). With the advances in telecommunications technologies, consumers can search and download video, music, and other multimedia information in real-time, via the VTS (Golob & Regan, 2001).

Based on above literature reviews and expert discussions of our research group, this study would like to identify the required VTS utilities according to distinguishing characteristics of consumers and propose the most appropriate service combination for the next e-era generation VTS. These following six aspects (i.e. navigational and location services, safety and security services, communications and information services, audio–video and entertainment services, fee rate and payment methods, product image), encompassing 25 criteria, are constructed to identify and evaluate consumers’ needs for the next e-era generation VTS. We propose a novel MCDM model which combines DEMATEL with ANP and TOPSIS. It is generally introduced and applied with real products to illustrate the VTS innovation/creation. VTSs are applied to four regions (i.e. North America, Western Europe, Japan and Taiwan) for empirical analyses. The DEMATEL technique is used to build the NRM among criteria of each aspect. Then, the ANP method is used to determine the relative weightings among those evaluation criteria based on NRM. Finally, the TOPSIS is used to determine and improve the gaps between consumers’ negative (the worst levels) and positive ideal solutions (aspired/desired levels) among utilities of the existing VTSs and preferences of various consumers for improving the gaps in each criterion based on whole systems of NRM (Chen and Tzeng, 2004, Kuo et al., 2007, Opricovic and Tzeng, 2004, Shih et al., 2007, Tzeng et al., 2002). The gaps between the consumers’ most appropriate and most inappropriate service of the existing/developing VTS in each criterion are analyzed to achieve the aspired/desired level for satisfying the customers’ needs. Those conclusions will serve/provide the decision-maker of TSP for improving existing gaps of functions or planning further utilities/functions for the next e-era generation VTS. Commercial VTSs of four regions (i.e. North America, Western Europe, Japan and Taiwan) are illustrated to use as empirical analyses. The result shows that user ages will influence the preference of desired utilities of VTS. Those comments can help automobile manufacturers develop new e-era generation VTS, modulize the service functions and satisfy target consumers’ requirements for customized purposes. This paper recommends that TSPs improve the current utilities or initiate new utilities/functions on the basis of Japan’s or Taiwan’s existing VTSs in order to shorten the time to market.

The rest of this paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, telematics system markets based on consumers’ requirements/needs of VTS are discussed. In Section 3, the evaluation model of the best VTS market for the next e-era generation VTS is proposed by combined the DEMATEL technique with ANP and TOPSIS methods. In Section 4, an empirical analysis of evaluation model of VTS market is proposed to apply to four empirical cases. Finally, conclusions and further planning strategies for the next e-era generation VTS are proposed in Section 5.

Section snippets

The development of vehicles telematics markets based on consumers’ needs

The development experiences of VTSs in countries with advanced automobile industries (i.e. North America, Western Europe, and Japan) can be benchmarked by Taiwan’s TSPs. In Europe, the United States and other advanced countries, car users care about and focus on the security and safety functions of automobiles. The law of strict/severe rules is also legislated regarding car safety. Accordingly, emergency services, automatic notification, stolen vehicle location assistance, security protection,

Building an evaluation model for the best vehicle telematics system

In this Section the general concept of evaluation model is proposed to build a best vehicle telematics system model using MCDM techniques for evaluating and improving the existing vehicle-telematic products. The study is divided into four Subsections. Section 3.1 deals with the survey of VTS functions and consumers’ preference. In Section 3.2, the DEMATEL method is used to build the value-created and influence network system. In Section 3.3, the ANP method will be introduced based on influence

The empirical analysis of evaluation model for VTS market

In this Section, the study is divided into five subsections. Section 4.1 deals with the survey of consumer preference for VTS functions. Section 4.2 uses the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method for analysis of empirical cases. Section 4.3 uses the analytic network process (ANP) method for analysis of empirical cases. Section 4.4 uses the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method for analysis of empirical cases. Section 4.5 is the

Conclusions

The VTS industry consists of hardware suppliers, software suppliers; telematics service providers, content suppliers and telecommunications suppliers. TSP integrates the system and provides kinds of services via telecommunications networks, playing the key role. Referring to successful cases of foreign VTSs regarding services and utilities, TSPs who will succeed or fail in the market depend on the achievement of a degree of satisfaction of consumers’ needs. US and European TSPs focus on safety

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