Introducing Multi-purpose, Multi-function Smart Cards to Australian Universities

Abstract

As their application area and the number of applications supported increase, the benefits of card technologies (and, in particular, of smart cards) become more widely accepted. These benefits are especially relevant to Universities - environments in which there are many uses for smart cards. Increasing numbers of universities around the world have some kind of “smart” student card, many of which are being developed to support multiple functions on a single card. As yet, no Australian universities have successfully introduced a smart card, although there are several such implementations in New Zealand, and well over a hundred such implementations world-wide. This paper describes a research project in progress which investigates the issues associated with introducing smart cards to Australian Universities - particularly the benefits and success factors associated with introducing a multi-purpose, multi-function card.