GPS object tracker using SMS for transmission
Abstract
An object tracking system using GPS, SMS, and a mapping software was designed and implemented. The Arduino board, an open-source single-board microcontroller, was used as the processing unit of the tracking system. The tracking system logs real-time GPS location and sends the coordinates to a remote computer with a USB Modem using SMS. The receiving computer plots the locations of the tracker unit on Google Maps. The performance of the system was evaluated in terms of its accuracy, transmission rate of SMS, power consumption and reliability. Tests done showed that the GPS readings of the tracking unit were precise up to 1.96 meters and 2.19 meters for latitude and longitude, respectively which provided better performance than the commercially available Locosys GT-31 GPS Reader. The study also showed that the GPS location of the tracker can be updated in real-time every 10 seconds and operate for 10 hours without battery recharge.