Using a biometric system to control access and exit of vehicles at shopping malls in South Africa

The use of biometric systems has proven its worth in both commercial and non-commercial areas. A number of organizations are using biometrics for proper access control. The usage of biometric systems for controlling access and exit at South African gated shopping malls would be one way of nipping vehicle theft in the bud at shopping malls. Furthermore, if gated shopping malls were to use biometric systems, entrepreneurial business opportunities would be created for “technopreneurs” who would develop or buy off-shelf systems and then customize them for the malls. The required continuous maintenance of the proposed biometric system would ensure the sustainability of the created business opportunities for the “technopreneurs”. South Africa is faced with huge numbers of unemployment, and the creation of job opportunities from any initiatives is a welcome relief. This research paper has shown that the use of fingerprint biometric system for controlling access and exit at gated shopping malls in South Africa can yield many benefits for all concerned, with the main benefits being the curtailing of vehicle theft, cost savings and contribution to green computing. The proposed usage of a biometric system at gated shopping malls has some limitations, one of which is the approval of using such system for controlling access and exit at malls. This is a limitation because biometric systems deal with individuals´ private sensitive information which should be safely guarded.