Connecting the Dots: RTO Case study

India has more than 1,000 regional transport offices (RTOs) across the country. The offices undertake vehicle inspections, issue plate numbers and registration tags, provide driving licenses, and collect vehicle taxes and traffic fines. Maintaining databases for large amount of information was a usual exercise for the RTOs as all the RTOs worked in silos. Each one maintained its own database containing details of all vehicles and registered drivers in its area. Certainly, the classical exercise restricted the offices to sync and map information country-wide. Without a system in place that connected all RTOs, it was difficult to track stolen vehicles, persecute offenders, and much more.

Centralization of RTO Records

In 2011, the Government of India decided to centralize their records and asked NIC to oversee the project.

NIC selected Oracle Data Integrator to feed all drivers and vehicle records in RTO databases into state based databases (state registers), then into a single national database (national register). "Maintaining information in small databases held by each RTO was simply not an efficient way of operating," says Dr Mahesh Chandra, deputy director general, National Informatics Center. "After reviewing a range of options, we decided to use Oracle Data Integrator as the solution had the robustness and scalability to support the large-scale nature of the project."

Implementation Process

NIC took advantage of Oracle Data Integrator's built-in knowledge modules to help streamline the task of centralizing data from a range of smaller databases, including Oracle Database and Microsoft SQL.

"The new system enabled us to pull vehicle, driver, and license details from many different places into state based registers," adds Chandra.

"From there, the data was fed into a single national database. The result is a much more effective system that can better support government, law enforcement, and citizens."

NIC worked with Oracle Consulting during the Oracle rollout. The knowledge module was customized before the data was transferred into state registers and the national PostgreSQL database.

 

"We realized we had a complex task on our hands with a very large number of records stored in multiple types of databases across more than 1,000 locations," says Chandra. "However through the use of new system, we were able to centralize this data and provide faster, more efficient access to driver and vehicle information. The solution has made a significant, positive difference to government and law enforcement processes."

Having centralized all records, they can now be accessed in real time, compared to days previously, improving the quality of service to citizens, law enforcement agencies, businesses, and other government agencies.

NIC also boasts to have reduced the total cost of database ownership by improving data back up and introducing new information services for enforcement staff and citizens, which has increased revenue by up to 50%.