A core function of the VID (Vehicle Identification Database) is to interact with all test systems in the I/M (Inspection & Maintenance) network. The transaction processor is the main application that allows communication between the VID and individual test systems.

Example VID Test Process

• When a vehicle enters the test lane, the operator enters the vehicle identification number (VIN) into the test system.
• The test system electronically transmits a request to the VID for information on this particular vehicle.
• The VID transaction processor application takes the request from the test system and performs necessary queries to determine if this vehicle has been tested in the I/M program before.
• If this vehicle has not been tested before, the VID performs a VIN decode and informs the test system to verify the decode and to collect all needed vehicle information.
• If the vehicle has been tested before, the VID sends all vehicle information on the particular vehicle to the test system.
• At the end of the test, the test system sends the inspection test results to the VID.

In the above scenario, the vehicle has to have all vehicle information data collected only once over the lifetime of the vehicle: the first time it’s tested. Every subsequent time the vehicle is tested, the information is re-verified, not re-entered. This results in tremendous savings in individual test times and an increase in testing accuracy over the lifetime of the program. Just as important, faster test periods result in lowered inspection costs and less wait time for the motorist.

Key VID Technical Advantages

We have developed the most advanced VID communications system in the I/M market:

• The interface layer is built around the HTTP Server. It is responsible for dynamically generating the XML content directly accessed by external test system applications.
• The application layer consists of modular web service components. This component architecture allows us to decompose the application’s business processes into business objects. These business objects are then abstracted from the calling process.
• The data access layer contains components used for retrieving and storing data from databases. All database interactions from the application flow through these data-access components.
• The business logic of the application is encapsulated into business objects. These business objects are abstracted from their calling processes and workflows.
• The application layer of the system uses an object-oriented approach and offers excellent code reuse. The software is built on either .NET or J2EE architectures and uses XML as a core technology.