Exploring the Business Model Aspects of Transportation Information Systems

Establishing a smart business model is one the most important success factors of any business. Freight transportation is an important system which has undergone many changes through the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). ICTs have been exploited in transportation sector for various purposes such as picking and transporting, physical automation, requests management, and tracking. This paper applies the business model ontology to Transportation Information Systems (TIS). The paper also maps the building blocks of the business model ontology onto the properties and characteristics of TIS. This paper employs an interpretivist research epistemology. As for the research methodology, a case study of a transportation information system in a developing country has been used. Defining and designing a general business model and its conformity with TIS is an outcome of this study which can be seen as an important result. The need for this study with increased use of ICT and its adaptation has been felt. Our deep knowledge of various components of TIS and their relationship has helped us define a business model for TIS and map the various building blocks of the business model ontology to the TIS components and characteristics.