Tag: qr codes

For people who wonder what types of trees surround them in these green spaces, quick response codes will help.

In Murrysville, Pennsylvania, it’s becoming easier to get to know the types of trees that share their clean air, shade and gorgeous green color, as QR codes are being added to these green spaces to identify the various species.

Nature enthusiasts carrying smartphones will be able to scan the quick response codes for more information.

The QR codes are being added to the signage by the Friends of Murrysville Parks. The barcode tags have been placed onto park signs so that visitors to the area can use their smartphones to scan the codes and inform themselves about the types of trees that can be found throughout the green spaces. A scan automatically directs a user to one of the webpages hosted by the municipality and that have been created to provide information about the different types of trees that can be found throughout the parks.

At the start of the project, there are four QR codes being added to Duff Park, and five going into Townsend Park.

This, however, will be only the start of the program. With the initial launch, the nine codes in the two parks will get things started. However, it looks as though this will be expanded into more codes and additional parks over time.

Originally, the intention had been to build a gazebo with the municipality’s funds for Duff Park. However, the Friends of Murrysville Parks decided that it would be more appealing to launch a project that would provide tree identification.

A couple of local students were brought in by the Friends as interns and they studied the existing signage. They researched the trees and decided that adding QRcode tags would be the easiest way to update the black locust wood sign posts that are already there, hardy and rot-resistant, but that would now be able to provide far more information when scanned by smartphones.

The Friends are expecting that these QR codes will be receiving a considerable amount of use, particularly considering that Duff Park is likely the busiest of Murrysville’s eleven parks.

Mobile commerce could eventually replace conventional forms of commerce

Mobile payments may actually do away with cash in the relatively near future. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has released a new report that highlights security issues in the mobile commerce space. The report does show that security issues are quite serious, but the mobile commerce space may overcome these issues to outpace traditional forms of commerce and become favored among consumers. IEEE surveyed 2,000 technology enthusiasts for the report.

Consumers remain concerned about security risks that exist in the mobile space

According to the report, 70% of those that the company surveyed believe that mobile payments will be secure enough to replace cash by 2030. Many consumers are already interested in new payment services, but they rarely use these services due to concerns regarding their security. Consumers believe that their personal information could be at risk of exploitation if they use their mobile devices to make purchases. These are not unfounded worries, as mobile payments services have been targeted by malicious groups in the past.

Consumers are worried about unauthorized purchases and malicious QR codes

Of those surveyed, 46% said they were worried that their payment information would be stolen. Another 33% claimed that they were worried that unauthorized payments would be made through mobile services. Approximately 13% were worried that they would accidentally make a payment through an NFC sticker or QR code. Consumers are also concerned that their mobile devices may be infected by scanning a malicious QR code. These concerns have come together to discourage consumers from participating in mobile commerce.

Companies are beginning to aggressively address security issues in order to make mobile commerce safer

While consumers are worried about their financial information, companies in the mobile commerce space are beginning to address these concerns. Several have begun using biometric technology to protect their mobile payments services. Tokenization is also becoming popular in the mobile commerce space. This involves replacing consumer information with digital tokens, which can be used to authenticate mobile transactions.