Vehicle Tracking System [java / Java EE]
I am interested in building a vehicle tracking system using GPRS. However, I have some questions for those who have done this before:
- Is GPRS the best technology to use? Any problems people are aware of?
- I am planning on using Java / Java EE - are there any better technologies?
- If anyone has built this before - do you have any examples of what to see for system requirements?
- What good web resources have you found working on this?
- Is there a step-by-step guide to get started?
You can use your phone with a GPS receiver (internal or otherwise). External receivers are easier to use because they are addressed to the older Java JSR ( http://www.jsr82.com/ ) and are thus better supported in Java ME.
On the client (phone) side, you can write midlets in Java (see JaveME) to access the GPS location of the device and then use a phone data connection (GPRS or 3G) to make an HTTP request to the server, which will track the location of the device. The only alternative I see in GPRS / 3G is SMS, but that complicates things on the server side (you'll need access to an SMS gateway with a GSM operator).
For the APIs needed to build Java MIDlets, sign up with Nokia - they have a developer site that offers all the information you need. Of course, if you're using a different type of phone, then Nokia doesn't help much.
There are some existing client side solutions - google for TrekBuddy - that can probably be used for a proof of concept.
On the server side, you can write a servlet that tracks the device by device ID and records the coordinates sent by the phone.
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If anyone has created this before - do you have any examples of what to see for system requirements?
Some of the questions are too general to answer, but to specifically answer this question. Here's one example.
Typically, the software components (and hardware component) that you need are as follows:
- GPS tracking device . Ability to report location via the Internet (or SMS). XeXun TK102 compatible devices are common in the under $ 100 category, but there are many other options.
- Server and Database - for storing location / history. Java EE stack is a good choice here.
- Application for creating reports based on maps . To view and analyze location data. This is usually a desktop, mobile, or web application.
Here is one simple open source vehicle based Java EE / Spring server, database and mobile map web application (2-3 above). It uses TK102 compatible GPS / GPRS tracker (1):
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