“Kreen” an Electronic Platform for Towing Service as an Alternative Solution for Writing on Walls Phenomenon in Iraq

Abstract

Over the last fifteen years, ”Writing on walls” has been dramatically used by kreen (tow truck) owners to distribute their contact information (phone numbers) in all cities around Iraq. This phenomenon has severely distorted cities and badly affected the environment, especially in Baghdad. This paper presents design, development, and implementation of Kreen, a special e-service platform for towing service in Iraq delivered through a smart mobile application with online database. Kreen provides solution for the aforementioned problem as an alternative way for the towing service providers (kreen owners) who are individuals or small groups having tow trucks. Kreen owners can create accounts within Kreen by providing their contact information which will be delivered to customers as a sorted list according to the nearest kreen to the current location of broken car depending on Global Positioning System (GPS). The application was developed using Android Studio IDE from Google and Java programming language. All the functionalities of the application and its database were extensively tested on many Android platforms with version from (KitKat 4.4 to Android 11), then it was published on Google Play Store. The results showed that the platform performed accurately in all locations and modes.