A Low Cost Vehicle Monitoring System for Fixed Routes Using Global Positioning System (GPS)

Transcription

1 A Low Cost Vehicle Monitoring System for Fixed Routes Using Global Positioning System (GPS) Mark Darren Savuriar, Chandrasekharan Nataraj, Chitturi Venkatratnam, Sardar Ali School of Engineering Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), Malaysia ABSTRACT This paper presents design and development of an affordable vehicle tracking system using restricted sources. The current high cost conventional GPS tracking system is not affordable by all sectors. With a custom made software to cater to the project demand of low cost, this project is able to use a simple tracking device and plot a series of latitude, longitude, speed and time of the path of a vehicle using the personalized software within a 15 KM radius. An option of capturing the path of the vehicle can be done live or it can be stored in a data logger file and viewed at a later time. The uniqueness of this work is its affordability and ability to offer the same features of an expensive conventional GPS System at a mere RM416 as compared to RM 6500 of the existing ones. Mobile cellular with SMS technology used for obtaining standard GPS related details and C# programming with Google Map API are used in plotting the complex data numbers in order to capture the parameters such as speed and movement of a vehicle and so on. KEYWORDS GPS, tracking system, high speed internet adaptor, C# Programming, GPS tracking software. 1. INTRODUCTION Over the years one of the large cutting-edge technical progressions is the Global Positioning System. The stability of the GPS along with its comparative low cost and convenience allows us to know our actual place and allows us to get to our destination. A very common application seen these days is the automobile monitoring system which allows the proprietor to monitor and identify his/her automobile just by setting up a monitoring system in his/her automobile. A GPS monitoring system is a system that uses the GPS Technology to figure out the accurate place of a vehicle, person, or other resource to which it is linked and records the position of the resource at any particular point of time. This allows the asset's place to be shown on a map back drop either in real-time or when examining the track later, using personalize software. Evaluation of currently available technologies has found that each technology afford unique advantages for vehicle tracking applications while also facing distinctive challenges to overcome so as to satisfy the practical requirements in terms of reliable performance and cost effectiveness [1]. A GPS monitoring program can work in various ways. From a professional viewpoint, GPS gadgets are usually used to determine the location of automobiles as they make their trips. Here we develop an affordable tracking system with some extra security. The system would be able to track down a vehicle along with features like finding the position, delivering SMS, computation of synchronization of the GPS ISBN: SDIWC 97

2 tracking system and personalized program. The work is designed to develop a computerized low price GPS monitoring program using restricted resources. The expected result of this project is to apply this monitoring program onto automobiles to track activity and figure out its place. A possible execution of this computerized low price GPS monitoring program is in organizations that offer delivery services of transportation. The small tracking system can be set up quickly onto any automobile. Companies can quickly observe the place of their automobiles and in the event there are delays, immediate up-dates with new arrival time can be provided. The following are the other objective aimed to be achieved through this work. (a) To provide users with a precise location of busses by utilizing radio frequencies. The GPS receiver translates the information from at least three GPS satellites to provide the student with a two-dimensional location of latitudinal and longitudinal position on the map as to know the movements of buses. (b) The time is accurate to one hundredbillionth of a second. GPS receivers are able to perform this function because each GPS satellite includes several atomic clocks. Since the routes are fixed, the time of arrival can be updated from time to time for student preparation in waiting for the bus at the respective point. facilities. But the operation cost of most of these systems is higher which prevents from widespread use [2]. Fleet tracking systems currently are very expensive which depends purely on fund availability. Hence the reliable and affordable system is needed to adapt the current requirements of companies in order to determine the current location of their vehicles. Depending on the size of the area that requires coverage, the vehicle moves on a route that never changes. Meaning that, the distance will be constant, but the speed varies depending on traffic. The calculation of the time of arrival of the vehicles towards their destination will pose a huge calculation problem. The accuracy of the timing will be a key factor that brings the uniqueness of this system in comparison to other fleet tracking system. A conventional fleet tracking system provides information that is unnecessary and less usage by the user. The installation of a fleet tacking device on a vehicle cost a lot and involves many connectivity issues. In the current age, some companies make use of vehicle tracking devices which are being able to find out the location of a vehicle so a user can be informed about the necessaries, as well as being certain that a driver is following a specified route and 2. RESEARCH BACKGROUND A good number of tracking systems had so far been developed with a wide range of tracking Figure 1: Basic Outline of GPS Tracking System ISBN: SDIWC 98

3 is traveling at an appropriate speed. While this application has benefits, it also puts the driver of the vehicle on an alert mode of following timing and increase in efficiency. 3. SYSTEM OVERVIEW 3.1 System Flow The program process flow shown in figure 2 gives a summary of the program. The program gadgets involve a GPS TK102 tracking program, high-speed internet dongle key, cell phone and laptop which connect to a Global Network for Cellular Communication (GSM) system in wireless connection. GPS tracking program will be placed at the dashboard of the automobile to get satellite connection. GPS tracking program is designed to deliver short service message (SMS) in a selected time interval. Once the GPS tracking program received 3 to 4 satellite TV alerts, it will deliver the current place (longitude and latitude), time, date and speed via SMS information. If the GPS tracking program is still searching for satellite TV signal, previous place information taken by the GPS tracking program is being sent. Cellular High-speed internet adaptor is to receive the SMS information on computer and plot out the multi-points place on the Google map quickly. There are 2 types of safety measures in the GPS tracker: activity protection and Geo-fence. Although both safety measures are called geo-fencing, there are different in their performance. Only one protection can be set in either Movement Aware or Geo-fence Aware [3]. Security feature will be set on the GPS tracking device using SMS from a mobile phone. Once the GPS tracking program in the automobile leaves the pre-specified square parameter, it will deliver out an SMS to the user indicating is has passed the specified travelling route. 3.2 Graphical User Interface The Graphical User Interface to the GPS system monitoring program shows in the figure 3. It is very easy to handle the system with navigation information as well as command switches. FIGURE 3: Graphical User Interface FIGURE 2: Flow of Components Customers can receive both GPS navigation live information as well as GPS navigation ISBN: SDIWC 99

4 history information to toggle involving that GPS navigation information is required. Once the navigation monitoring process is powered on, the system produces text information connected with recent location connected with the bus throughout one instant period. As soon as GPS navigation live information is chosen, Read Data selection and the date will be displayed on the Grid View. Start Device search Satellite signal Device Connects with Satellite Device sends previously saved location while connected No Broadband saves SMS in computer User access data from SMS End Yes Device sends SMS alerts at given time intervals FIGURE 4: Flowchart of GPS Device View Map selection will report this journeyed way within the road on Google maps. Reset selection will eliminate many GPS navigation. Live information from the C Drive generates as well as restarts this Mobile Relate software program. Exit selection will close this GPS navigation monitoring program. 4. SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION The primary GPS Tracking System category is used to initialize command from the computer through the Graphical User interface (GUI) way of the GPS monitoring System program. All the features are displayed. There are total of 5 different segments such as Browse feature, Type method, Radio buttons, Option Management, Management Button and Individual Described Functions. Inside each of the component, it contains different features which will be further intricate in the following areas as the list of key features in the software design: (a) History Data Extraction (b) Live Date Extraction (c) Read Data on Grid View (d) Google Map Viewing 4.1 Radio Button for History Data This function will perform a cleaning of File name search bar and grid view table, Total GPS Information and turn on GPS History Information option while the GPS Live data option is switched off. 4.2 Radio Button for Live Data When it is chosen, it will convert from GPS History Information stations option, clear the ISBN: SDIWC 100

5 file name search bar, clear grid view and Gradually, GPS Live data stations option will be switched on. FIGURE 5: Flowchart of History Data Extraction (left) and Live Data Extraction (right) 4.3 Display Data on Grid View This operates opens up the grid view table with complete GPS information. If the GPS Live Information stations option is chosen, it will fix the data file name to C:\Program Files\Mobile Partner\userdata\SMS.DTC and display the information shown at the lines grid views one by one. Otherwise it will collect information from the GPS history data. 4.4 Google Map Viewing FIGURE 6: Flowchart of Displaying Data on Grid Generally, this operation allows the individual to determine the journeyed path of the automobile plotted on Google map. If the grid view table has no information, it will do nothing. If the GPS live data option is chosen, it will fill the live information in web for Search engines map in API formatted data file in place FIGURE 7: Flowchart of Google Map Viewing ISBN: SDIWC 101

6 C:\\GPSTrackerLive.html. Otherwise it will fill the information web for Search engines Map API from data file place C:\\GPSTrackerHis.html. 5. RESULTS The various tests were carried out on different routes and amazing results were obtained for each monitored route. Special features of the system allow end-users to use a mobile phone to carry out control activities isolatedly by sending codes from their mobile phone to the GPS device or using the software created to prompt a location from the GPS device. In order to evaluate the performance of the design, the Asia pacific university (APU) has taken as an example for testing purpose. The ides was verified by taking the route starting from the university APU to the residential apartment named as Vistakomanwel and Bukitjalil LRT station. The table 1 & 2 shows the grid view after extraction from SMS Storage file in C-drive and the figure 8 & 9 shows the GPS tracking in the Google map. FIGURE 8: Google Mapping of Vehicle Route from TPM to Vista Komanwel Test 2 Technology Park Malaysia to Bukit Jalil LRT TABLE 2: Data compiled on Grid View after extraction from SMS Storage File in C drive Test 1 Technology Park Malaysia to VistaKomanwel TABLE 1: Data compiled on Grid View after extraction from SMS Storage File in C drive. FIGURE 9: Google Mapping of Vehicle Route from TPM to LRT Bukitjalil ISBN: SDIWC 102

7 6. DISCUSSION There are many expensive GPS tracking systems are available in the market. However, this venture has shown that cheap conventional GPS tracking System may be efficient in its implementation. Complete price for this affordable system is MYR The developed system software is able to monitor the vehicle, transmit its location via SMS and is viewed through the designed software. With the SMS feature and remote operation of the vehicle, crucial data, such as time, speed and location is all the users can be generated easily when testing of the vehicles activity. This work serves those needs in a much affordable means. It also helps end users of the respective transportation can known where their vehicles are and plan for their waiting time. After troubleshooting and assessment, the GPS tracking program has satisfy all precision specifications of the place being plotted on search engines map. Even though the performance of the system is satisfactory, there is room for upgrades on the venture, which could be further action by the next phase of this work. i.e., a low cost and it can work upto 15 km radial distance. REFERENCES [1] Mishra.D, Vasal.A, Tandon.P, A Novel and Cost Effective Approach to Public Vehicle Tracking System, International Journal of UbiComp (IJU), Vol.3, No. 1, [2] Bharthepudi.S, Dr.Umar.S, Sanakkayala.S, Nidamanuri.S, Review of Low Cost Object Tracking System, IJCSET, Vol.3, Issue 11, , [3] Sudharsan.D, Kayya.S, IVTrace: A Cost-Effective Vehicle Tracking System-A Prototype. International Journal of Engineering and Technology. Vol.2, No.7, [4] Sanket.K.B, Pangaonkar. S.A, Design and Development of Low Cost Automotive Vehicular Communication System Based on ARM. International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT), Vol.3, Issue 5, [5] Hasan.K.S, Rahman.M, Haque.A.L, Cost Effective GPS-GPRS Based Object Tracking System. International Conference of Engineers and Computer Scientists Vol CONCLUSION The design and development of a low priced vehicle monitoring system using GPS is designed and discussed. This allows knowing the exact location of the vehicle through a GPSenabled tracking system along with a cell phone, a special high speed internet adaptor, a laptop and a program using C# development language. Other features like submitting SMS and calculating the coordinates is also possible. The total cost incurred in this work is RM416, ISBN: SDIWC 103