The software extends the functionality of APTRA, which uses the Windows NT platform and provides Web-based capabilities.
-We started prior to the Olympics, and it was designed to accommodate a sitiuation where you might like to deliver to the ATM the last 20 seconds of the 100m just after it was shot," Ron De Pasquale, Financial Solutions Division NCR Australia told ZDNet Australia. -It allows you to get current information to the ATM."
However, at the Olympics, the software was used to run an ad campaign for Visa International. The company claimed it was the first implementation of ATMs doing full motion video and shockwave animation anywhere in the world.
There are currently 50 customers worldwide using APTRA, and De Pasquale believes this situation has helped the image of Australian software developers.
-There's a bit of kudos," he said. -There isn't a lot of direct financial revenue back to NCR Australia as a result, but a there is a better chance of more research funding for future developments."
Most Australian banks will begin migrating from the outdated OS2 operating system within 12 months, most likely to a Windows XP platform. De Pasquale and his colleagues are updating the software to run on the new platform, which will be competed within four months. The migration is likely to fit into the normal ATM lifecycle, being done when ATMs are upgraded, and is likely to take about five years.
