Android Based GPS Tracking Application Development Incorporating GPS, Geo-coding, and Google Map API

Undergraduate #56
Discipline: Computer Sciences and Information Management
Subcategory: Computer Science & Information Systems
Session: 3
Room: Hoover

Ananya Gupta - Claflin University
Co-Author(s): Dr. Kuhanandha Mahalingam, Claflin University, Orangeburg, SC

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Public transportation is the main form of transportation utilized in rural Nepalese communities for both local and long-distance commutes. Most people plan commutes based on posted bus schedules. There is a lack of real-time monitoring of buses. This results in people missing busses and waiting for extended periods of time. To address these issues, an android based GPS tracking mobile app was developed to monitor public transportation vehicles in real-time using GPS, Geo-coding, and Google map Application Program Interface (API). These were incorporated into an Android Studio Graphical User Interface (GUI), utilizing Java and XML as programming languages. We were able to successfully develop a two-view app that allows real-time transportation monitoring. The driver-focused view is continuously updating the database with the latitude and longitude coordinates of the current location of the buses. The commuter-focused view receives the location coordinates from the driver app and relays it to the commuter?s app which can be downloaded to android phones, allowing them to keep track of the current movement of public buses. This software provides an alternative to other GPS tracking systems since it does not rely on Arduino, GPS receiver, and Wi-Fi shield to be installed in the vehicles. Instead, the application connects to the cell phones of bus drivers reducing the extra cost of device installation. It is anticipated that this system could be used as a model to address similar issues in other communities that lack advanced technological infrastructure.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of Claflin University

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kuhanandha Mahalingam, kuha@claflin.edu

Role: I conceptualized the research project and started from scratch to develop the GPS tracking mobile application. I used Android Studio as a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and Java and XML as programming languages. Since I did not have much experience using Java and XML, I first had to learn how to do Object-Oriented Programming in Java for BackEnd development and XML for FrontEnd development. I also programmed in Google Firebase to add the information of buses like their unique id number, latitude, longitude, and phone number of bus drivers. Later, I connected the app with the database to show the current location of buses on the commuter-focused view of the app. I conducted most of the research work independently.