Architecture based in open source hardware and software for designing a real time vehicle tracking device

Abstract

The usage of real-time tracking systems for vehicles has demonstrated to be a viable and economical option, entailing in more control and management of the fleet, plus the reduction of the logistics costs of companies using them. Since 2006 in Cuba, there is a fleet control and management system employed by almost all the companies, which hire a variant of the service in a differed manner; i.e., the data are not processed in real-time. In this research paper, we propose the design of a device based only on open source hardware/software components allowing the real-time vehicle tracking. Our proposal is suitable for the conditions of the country where it was developed (Cuba), presenting high functionality than other proposals. For the design, we employed an Arduino UNO controller board, an Adafruit FONA808 GPS/GSM module, and other accessories. As per the performed experiments, the proposed hardware/software architecture complies with the operation, configuration, and security requirements to achieve a viable product from the economical and environmental approaches.