Service provider

About: Service provider is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 55107 publications have been published within this topic receiving 894381 citations. The topic is also known as: external service provider & internal service provider.

Stochastic Dynamic Pricing for EV Charging Stations With Renewable Integration and Energy Storage

Abstract: This paper studies the problem of stochastic dynamic pricing and energy management policy for electric vehicle (EV) charging service providers. In the presence of renewable energy integration and energy storage system, EV charging service providers must deal with multiple uncertainties—charging demand volatility, inherent intermittency of renewable energy generation, and wholesale electricity price fluctuation. The motivation behind our work is to offer guidelines for charging service providers to determine proper charging prices and manage electricity to balance the competing objectives of improving profitability, enhancing customer satisfaction, and reducing impact on power grid in spite of these uncertainties. We propose a new metric to assess the impact on power grid without solving complete power flow equations. To protect service providers from severe financial losses, a safeguard of profit is incorporated in the model. Two algorithms—stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) algorithm and greedy algorithm (benchmark algorithm)—are applied to derive the pricing and electricity procurement policy. A Pareto front of the multi-objective optimization is derived. Simulation results show that using SDP algorithm can achieve up to 7% profit gain over using greedy algorithm. Additionally, we observe that the charging service provider is able to reshape spatial-temporal charging demands to reduce the impact on power grid via pricing signals.

txteagle: Mobile Crowdsourcing

Abstract: We present txteagle, a system that enables people to earn small amounts of money by completing simple tasks on their mobile phone for corporations who pay them in either airtime or MPESA (mobile money). The system is currently being launched in Kenya and Rwanda in collaboration with the mobile phone service providers Safaricom and MTN Rwanda. Tasks include translation, transcription, and surveys. User studies in Nairobi involving high school students, taxi drivers, and local security guards have been completed and the service has recently launched in Kenya nationwide.

The Internal Service Encounter

Abstract: An internal customer′s (i.e. employee′s) satisfaction with a service firm can be significantly influenced by service encounters experienced with internal service providers. For example, a loan officer′s satisfaction with the bank he/she works for may well be influenced by internal services provided by the data processing group. Introduces the concept of the “internal service encounter” and presents the results of an initial study of internal service encounter satisfaction. The empirical study builds on previous research in using the critical incident methodology to examine internal services in a large US bank. Indicates that internal customers are similar to external customers in that, with a few interesting differences, the same types of events and behaviours distinguish satisfactory and dissatisfactory incidents in both internal and external encounters. Implications for managers and suggestions for future research are also presented.

Bidding method for internet/wireless advertising and priority ranking in search results

Abstract: The present invention concerns a bidding method used to prioritize advertising and search result listings delivered to users of the Internet and Internet related devices and services. Listing entities such as advertisers bid on lower level target points (key words) at a list service provider. The list service provider defines a set of upper level target points available for correlation to the lower level target points that are the subject of the listing entity's bid. The target points when combined with a value of a bid comprise a handle. When correlated to upper level target points, the value of the combined handles of the lower level target points form the value for the handles of the upper level target points. In this manner, the present invention creates additional meaning and context to a given bid. A listing entity need not discover or select every term that may be useful—the list service provider performs all or some of this correlating service. The listing entity is enabled to leverage the value of bids by passively bidding on further correlated target points.

Providing computing service to users in a heterogeneous distributed computing environment

Abstract: For providing a service-centric approach to allocating computing service power to users in a heterogeneous distributed computing environment such as a grid, a grid service broker comprises a central service broker and distributed service brokers. Service power is measured in resource-independent service units defined and used by the service broker. The central service broker uses meta-scheduling for distributing service requests to the distributed service brokers, based on projected service units needed to process the service requests.