New centralized automatic vehicle location communications software system under GIS environment

Vehicle arrival time is one of the most important factors of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Accurate transit travel information is important because it attracts additional customers and increases the satisfaction of transit users. A passenger waiting for a train or bus, a person waiting for a cab, a customer waiting for a courier to come to his/her home to pickup or deliver a package, a business office waiting for a truck for goods and a home user waiting for his/her shipment for which he/she did online shopping are a few examples of how important vehicle arrival time is in different areas of life. Most companies are investing a lot of money to improve their systems for better, faster and reliable customer service. As the cost of ITS components have decreased, the automatic vehicle location (AVL) system, which is one component of ITS, has become more widely used. Many transit agencies use an AVL system to track their vehicles in real-time. Tracking systems technology was made possible by the integration of three technologies: global positioning system (GPS), global system for mobile communication (GSM) and the geographic information system (GIS). This project shows detailed research in the area of automatic vehicle location and implements a low cost vehicle tracking system using GPS and GPRS. The system reads the current position, speed and direction using GPS, the data is sent via GPRS service from a GSM network to a server using TCP/IP protocol and the server saves this information to the database on a regular time interval. The web-based application then uses this data and calculates the approximate arrival time. The system allows a user to view the present position of the vehicle using Google Maps and calculates the arrival time. Also, bus location can be monitored in real time by route supervisors. This will allow supervisors to make better service adjustment decisions because they will be able to see how the route is operating. The test bed was a bus route running in the downtown of Toronto.

Recently, automatic vehicle location (AVL) has become more widely used, affordable and popular than ever before. AVL is used for different tracking purposes, especially for those related to tracking one vehicle or a fleet of vehicles. Tracking system technology was made possible by the integration of three new technologies: navigational technologies such as global positioning system (GPS), database technologies such as geographic information system (GIS) and communication technology such as general packet radio service (GPRS). The proposed software design ‘tracking system’ is used to pinpoint the position, ground speed and fuel level of a given vehicle. This improves fleet management by making it secure and more efficient. The system has the ability to detect the optimal path between source and destination, depending on many factors such as travel time, jam, topography and number of traffic lights. The authors applied greedy techniques (GT) such as Dijkstra's and Kruskal's algorithms to a graph weight depending on the proposed cost function (CF). The geofencing technique is applied to the system based on real coordinates and grants security and safety to the fleet of vehicles. The designed software offers more flexibility in loading digital maps. This proposed software has the ability to visualise the real position of vehicles on maps and to take decisions according to real-time information.

Integrating GIS, GPS and GSM technologies for the effective management of ambulances

To develop refined agriculture and improve Agricultural productivity, a new monitoring system has been proposed in this paper. Based on the actual situation of early agriculture and the actual national conditions of China, Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology have been combined. Based on the combination of GIS technology and GPS technology, the results show that the position of field vehicles can be displayed in the electronic MAP in real time within 5% error. On this basis, Agricultural production and cultivation can be realized, and the monitoring system can realize the real-time display of vehicle location in the field on electronic MAP to guide production and cultivation. The static test shows that the positioning accuracy of the four GPS receivers is the worst, and the positioning accuracy of MAP330 receiver and GPS25 receiver is better. However, the positioning accuracy of AGl32 receiver is the highest with the 0.37m error when compared with the error of 1.2m of other machines. Using GPS to measure the area, the error of farmland area and farmland side length is less than 5%, and the precision AGl32 receiver for precision Agricultural measurement is also improved with the proposed model.

A vehicle tracking system is very useful for tracking the movement of a vehicle from any location at any time. An efficient vehicle tracking system is designed and implemented for tracking the movement of any equipped vehicle from any location at any time. The proposed system made good use of popular technology that combines a smartphone with an Arduino UNO. This easy to make and inexpensive compared to others. The designed in vehicle device works using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global System for Mobile Communication(GSM) technology that is one of the most common ways for vehicle tracking. The device is embedded inside a vehicle those positions is to be determined and tracked in real time. A vehicle tracking system is an electronic device installed in a vehicle to enable the owner or a third party to track the vehicle's location. This paper proposed to design a vehicle tracking system that works using GPS and GSM technology, which would be the cheapest source of vehicle tracking and it would work as anti-theft system. It is an embedded system which is used for tracking and positioning of any vehicle by using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global system for mobile communication (GSM). An Arduino UNO is used to control the GPS receiver and GSM module. The vehicle tracking system uses the GPS module to get geographic coordinates at regular time interval. The GSM module is used to transmit and update the vehicle location to a database. This paper gives minute by minute update about vehicle location by sending SMS through GSM modem. This SMS contain latitude and longitude of the location of vehicle. Arduino UNO gets the coordinates from GPS modem and then it sends this information to user in text SMS. GSM modem is used to send this information via SMS sent to the owner of the vehicle. Location is displayed on LCD. And then Google map displays location and name of the place on cell phone. Thus, user able to continuously monitor a moving vehicle on demand using smartphone and determine the estimated distance and time for the vehicle to arrive at a given destination.

Collection of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is important in every waste management program. Communal container collection systems appear most prevalent in many developing countries. However, this collection system is associated with problems such as overflow of waste containers, ground dumping at collection sites, and open/indiscriminate dumping at unauthorized places. The spatial distribution of these activities present potential contamination challenges to water resources. Spatial information on Municipal Solid Waste Collection/Dump Sites (MSWCS) is essential for Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) decision-making, including siting and collection route planning, and dumps cleanup. Integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) present a platform to capture, map, and analyze spatial MSWM issues. This study applied GIS and GPS technologies to map MSWCS in Wa town, Ghana. Wa Municipality waste collection system efficiency was analyzed based on spatial availability of communal containers. A GIS model was developed and used to analyze proximity of MSWCS to boreholes drinking water sources. A pollution risk map was also developed to analyze the potential impact of indiscriminate dumps on hand-dug wells and surface water in Wa. The results reveal poor management in a significant number (about 67%) of MSWCS sites. Fifteen percent of mechanized boreholes failed the minimum proximity requirement (≥100 m) of the model. This study findings illustrate that MSWM in developing countries may be improved using GIS and GPS technologies. The approach used for Wa could be replicated in other towns in Ghana and other developing nations with similar MSWM problems to enhance policy and management decision-making.

Between 1967 and 1997, transit agencies in 20 cities installed automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems to improve safety, efficiency, and quality of service. The bus AVL system typically provides a means of tracking individual buses for fleet management. More recently, the AVL data have also been used to develop algorithms to predict bus arrival time, estimate link travel time, and detect incidents. Other traffic management and control applications are also being explored. Therefore, the availability of a simulation capable of mimicking a bus location system that reports vehicle location at regular, prespecified intervals is becoming increasingly important. CORSIM, an integrated freeway and surface street traffic simulation model, also simulates buses on prespecified routes and stations for given dwell time distributions and frequency of service. However, very little has been reported about CORSIM’s bus simulation module. CORSIM’s bus route simulation module and its drawbacks are examined, and the results of an effort to compare data collected from the Denver Regional Transportation District bus AVL system and the microsimulator for a test network are presented. Bus location data from the field and the simulation were collected at regular intervals under both recurring congestion and nonrecurring congestion conditions. Linear referencing in a geographic information system was used to extract bus location data for the test network from the AVL system, and external programs were written to collect the same data from the microsimulator. Based on the bus location data, space mean speeds were estimated and compared to evaluate the performance of the model. The results are encouraging. However, several obstacles remain and they are discussed in detail.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an important tool in the environmental management of protected areas, offering advanced technological methods for biodiversity protection and spatial planning.In the Divjakë-Karavasta National Park, the integration of GIS technology has significantly improved the monitoring and management of its rich ecosystems. The use of GIS in this park has enabled a detailed inventory of the health of vegetation, enabling the creation of accurate maps of the distribution of biodiversity.These maps are essential for identifying areas of special ecological importance and for determining appropriate conservation measures. GIS and RS technology provides a solid methodology used to evaluate and analyse different factors that influence a decision with regards to forest health. It helps assess risk to forest health by considering various ecological, climatic and environmental factors(temperatures, humidity, the spread of fires, air pollution etc.) affecting forest health, thus enabling improved management of the forest environment. A set of satellite images from SN32-Satellite Nusat 32 (Albania 1)/SN33-Satellite Nusat 33 (Albania 2), year 2024 are used as main data source to analyze risk factors in forest health of the park. Important indices namely Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Land Cover (LC) and Road infrastructure have been calculated in a GIS environment using ArcGIS Desktop 10.8.2/Pro 3.2. The spatial patterns that study reveal indicate that the majority of forest areas in Divjake-Karavasta National Park resides in an adequate environment under supportive health factors.Moreover, GIS enables real-time monitoring of environmental changes, such as the appearance of invasive species or habitat degradation, providing valuable data for quick and effective interventions. The integration of GIS in the management of the Divjakë-Karavasta. National Park has brought many benefits, but it has also encountered various challenges. One of the main challenges is the need for staff training in the use of advanced GIS technology and the provision of the necessary equipment. However, the benefits of this integration are obvious, including improved efficiency in natural resource management and increased capacity to respond to environmental threats.

Throughout the course of human history, significant pressures have been in place to develop the coastline. Whether these pressures are a result of commercial and industrial needs or recreational preference, humans have always tended to settle at or near the waterfront. While obvious benefits can be reaped from this anthropogenic pattern, it also results in significant portions of the world's population subject to flood hazards. With the potential for these hazards to increase due to climate change, coastal zone managers and planners require tools to mitigate the risk to this population. One such tool is Geographic Information Systems (GIS). With GIS technology being at the forefront of Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Map Modernization efforts, it has proven to be an effective tool in coastal hazard mitigation. The GIS technology is extensively used to evaluate land use and population change in the coastal areas which ultimately drives the coastal hazard mapping. The identification of risk requires analyzing large GIS data sets including topographic data (e.g. TIN {triangular irregular network} and GRID), orthophotography, land use data, and census population data. The GIS technology can effectively analyze these large data sets using the calculation algorithms built in to the GIS software such ArcGIS and present information that will guide decision makers. The 3D rendering capability of GIS software can be used to visualize various scenarios which aid in effective hazard identification and mitigation. The 3D GIS mapping and animation tools can also be applied to simulate various disaster scenarios that can ultimately aid planners in prevention of human and property loss during coastal disasters. In FEMA Region I, CDM, a FEMA study contractor and its partner OCC have been involved in numerous coastal hazard studies across New England. Together CDM and OCC have scoped total of six counties and have been involved in coastal engineering and mapping activities in more than 10 counties across New England. This paper will present methodologies to analyze various data sources and identify coastal flooding risks.

Automatic Vehicle Location and Computer-Aided Dispatch Systems: Design and Application Considerations

Rustling is an age-old practice that was widespread in Italy until the first half of the 20th century. Today, incidents of cattle rustling are again being reported. However, the problem is not only found in Italy. It is also becoming a plague for ranchers in the US and is still rampant in East Africa. In Italy, the cattle rustling phenomena have usually been limited through the direct control of the herdsmen. Global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) combined technologies are increasingly applied for tracking and monitoring livestock with greater spatial and temporal resolution. However, so far, no case studies of the use of GPS technology to combat cattle rustling have been reported in the literature. The aim of this research was to develop a GPS/GSM (global system for mobile communication) collar, using commercial hardware and implementing a specific software [ARVAshepherd 1.0; ARVAtec Srl, Rescaldina (MI), Italy] to track animals’ movements outside their grazing area and to signal when animals are straying outside virtual perimeters. A phase I study was conducted from January to June 2011 to build the GPS/GSM collar and to assess its performances in terms of GPS accuracy and precision, while a phase II study was conducted in July 2011 to test the GPS collar under real-life operating conditions. The static GPS positioning error achieved a circular error probable (50%) and horizontal 95% accuracy of 1.462 m and 4.501 m, respectively. This is comparable with values obtained by other authors in static tests of a commercial GPS collar for grazing studies. In field tests, the system was able to identify the incorrect position of the cattle and the warning messages were sent promptly to the farmer, continuing until the animals had been repositioned inside the fence, thus highlighting the potential of the GPS/GSM collar as an anti-theft system.

This paper presents a study of bus services operational performance through the analysis at a stop level of Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) data, using the capability of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze spatial and temporal patterns of change. In particular, the analysis is focused on the study of the reliability of public transport services that connect the most important urban centers and the airport of a low density region. The intention is to suggest transport demand management policies aimed at shifting the modal split towards public transport modes as sustainable forms of mobility, encouraging intermodality. In order to determine average travel times and the standard deviation of travel times a specific statistical analysis has been carried out. The results of this analysis have been imported into a GIS package for a further investigation of the services reliability to highlight some critical aspects and adopt specific policies and opportune solutions.

HUD Community Planning Software (HUDCPS), also referred to as HUD 2020 (coproduced by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD, Washington, DC) and Caliper Corporation (Newton, MA), telephone 800-998-9999 (request product sales), website (http://www.caliper.com/gishud.htm or http://www.hud.gov/cpd/2020soft.html) is a full-featured desktop GIS software program based on Caliper's Maptitude version 3.0 GIS software with a customized user interface and automated thematic mapping using data from HUD. HUDCPS runs under Windows 3.11, Windows 95, and Windows NT 3.5 and 4.0. HUDCPS requires an 80486 or Pentium-based computer equipped with a minimum of 12MB of RAM and a CD-ROM drive. Price is $249 with choice of HUD data from one of four (eastern, southern, central, and western) regions of the United States or $299 for HUD data from all four U.S. Census regions. It includes U.S. national TIGER/Line data sets (census tracts and block groups, streets, highways, landmarks, water areas) and attribute data (housing and population data from the 1990 U.S. Census).

To meet the requirements of some intelligent vehicle monitoring system, the software integrates Global Position System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) in the whole. The structure, network topology, functions, main technical features and their implementation principles of the system are introduced. Then hardware design of the vehicle terminal is given in short. Communication process and data transmission between the server and the client (relay server) and client through TCP/IP and UDP protocol are discussed in detail in this paper. Testing result using LoadRunner software is also analyzed. Practice shows the robustness of the software and feasibility of object-oriented programming.

Principles of stereoscopic vision have long been used in geographic data processing and visualization, e.g. Laussedat created what he called metrophotography in 1895 [2][3] and a stereoautograph for plotting from terrestrial photographs was produced in 1911 [2]. Today, a common and established use of stereoscopy in geographic domain is three-dimensional (3D) modeling of terrains and cities based on aerial, satellite and/or terrestrial imagery with photogrammetric techniques. In these systems, commonly, stereoscopic imagery is used as an input and a vector 3D representation of the terrain or city is obtained as an output. Stereoscopy has also been used for close-range photogrammetry, however within the scope of this paper the focus is on the cartographic use of stereoscopic visualizations. In recent years, a number of mainstream digital devices with stereoscopic capabilities are marketed (e.g. [4], [5], [6]), which indicates that we can expect to see more stereoscopic content in the near future [1]. In anticipation of such a development, it is also plausible to expect that stereoscopic geo-data will become more available for everyday use. It is, therefore, interesting to document which stereoscopic visualization features are supported by mainstream geographic information systems (GIS) software and whether these features can be improved. This work presents a survey on current stereoscopic visualization support in geographic information (GI) systems. The underlying objective is to outline future research needs by examining current stereoscopic 3D visualization techniques and tools in current GISs. This paper focuses on visualization modules of GIS software, and tries to answer the question “How commonly is stereoscopic visualization supported in GIS?" To achieve this, first whether such support exits or not in GIS software is documented, then supported types of stereoscopic operations and viewing methods are reported. Motivated by improving efficiency of stereoscopic visualizations in cartographic domain, within this survey, it is also examined whether these software offer level of detail (LOD) management support for stereoscopic datasets. Findings from the study are meant as a guide to researchers and practitioners to assess the current state of True 3D support in widely used GIS software.