Nigerian Communications Satellite

As a result of the technology transfer acquired during the assembly and launch of NigComSat-1, NIGCOMSAT engineers have been able to write programmes, design and fabricate several useful products.

The success or failure of most organizations often depends on the effectiveness of staff management and administration. To this end, most companies usually spend some fortune in acquiring effective management tools which often translate to increased productivity. One such management tool is the e- Staff Management System.

Staff Management Systems are often used in most organizations to monitor staff attendance electronically. They are usually microprocessor/microcontroller based systems. They could employ varieties of input technologies such as:

1.      Smart cards,

2.    Proximity cards,

3.    i-buttons, and

4.    Biometric systems.

HARDWARE SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

The developed system is an online multi-purpose clocking machine.  The system is designed to monitor staff attendance electronically through the use of smart cards (EEPROM card). It is a client-server based system and runs different categories of software which were all developed in-house. Various categories of authentication schemes were considered before the smart card was adopted. Smart cards are more appropriate to use whenever data security is a concern and it is difficult to interfere with or intercept smart card based system. In an environment replete with several RF transmissions, smart card access system is simply the best choice.

The staff management system is comprised of the following components:

1.      Clocking machine,

2.    Card programming machine,

3.    Server PC,

4.    Client PC(s), and

5.    Security watch cameras.

CLOCKING MACHINE

The clocking machine is used for registering staff attendance electronically and should be located appropriately at the office entrance area. On insertion of a smart card into the card slot reader by a staff, the card is first authenticated and then recorded to the system database on successful confirmation.

Clocking Machine

CARD PROGRAMMING MACHINE

This machine is to be used for programming new cards and will be kept in the HR office. The cards are programmed by use of a front-end software and a card reader/writer. An RS232 communication cable is used to connect the programming machine to a PC via its serial (COM) port.

Card programming machine

RS-232 Communication Cable

SERVER MACHINE

The web server and database server reside in the server machine. It contains an easily retrievable database used to store staff data including their entry and departure times.