September 19, 2012 at 11:22Using your Android tablet as a personal GPS tracker
Some time ago, one of our customers was puzzled by the location of employees. For monitoring people, GPS trackers are usually used. These are miniature devices that allow you to remotely monitor the location of an object by determining geographic coordinates and sending this data via GSM channels. In most cases, trackers are also equipped with an alarm button and the ability to make calls to 1 or more programmed phone numbers. But the customer refused to equip employees with such trackers because the tracking was supposed to be carried out by sales representatives who were already equipped with tablet PCs with GPS and GSM, i.e. themselves could serve as trackers.
The only thing left is to write a program for Android OS, which could transmit programmed geo-dependent events to the server and then to the dispatcher. First of all, this is the transfer of coordinates through a time interval, the transfer of coordinates depending on the distance traveled, stops and stops, and being at objects.
And such a program was implemented for the customer’s devices - ViewSonic ViewPad 7 and Huawei MediaPad tablets. Although in the development process, much more devices were tested, among which were smartphones and tablets, which had different displays, processors, batteries and OS versions. A number of problems that I would like to talk about were associated with this diversity.
GPS The quality of GPS signal reception and satellite search was very different from model to model. The aforementioned ViewSonic and Huawei devices (and many others) did the job well, but there were models that, in principle, could not establish normal signal reception and constantly lost satellites, so navigation loss for some was 90% or more, which makes it impossible to work devices as a tracker.
OS version and device model. The program was originally developed for Android 2, in the end it worked for versions 3 and 4, but each time it required verification and, if necessary, a separate revision. In addition, it might not work on individual models with the specified version, while working on others. Therefore, I had to agree with the customer that the correct operation of the program is guaranteed on specific tablet models with a specific OS version.
Battery capacity. This is generally a mega-problem for all such devices. Modern smartphones are equipped with a 1800-2200 mAh battery, which some active users lack even for a day, despite the fact that they almost do not use GPS. Therefore, such a smartphone is practically not suitable for full-time work as a tracker for a whole day - the battery is in the GPS mode, the GPRS packets are sent every minute with coordinates and the device is actively used for its intended purpose (games, music, video, voice communication, use Wi-Fi) usually lives a maximum of 4-5 hours. But with tablets, the situation is slightly better. Their battery is more capacious. For example, ViewSonic has 3240 mAh, and Huawei has 4100 mAh. As a result, tests showed that the first one in GPS mode and sending coordinates once every 60 seconds lasted 22 hours, the second - 27.5 hours, more than a day of continuous operation. At the same time, the screen practically did not turn on, work with other programs was not carried out, and phone calls were not made. As you know, the screen is the most voracious consumer of electricity. Therefore, the same test was carried out with the screen turned on. And in this case, a good result was obtained - almost 7 hours of operation with a constantly on screen on ViewSonic and a bit more with Huawei at the maximum brightness level. This is a very good result, given that no one looks at the tablet screen for 7-8 hours in a row, playing Angry birds or watching the next series, you have to work sometime. Therefore, the same test was carried out with the screen turned on. And in this case, a good result was obtained - almost 7 hours of operation with a constantly on screen on ViewSonic and a bit more with Huawei at the maximum brightness level. This is a very good result, given that no one looks at the tablet screen for 7-8 hours in a row, playing Angry birds or watching the next series, you have to work sometime. Therefore, the same test was carried out with the screen turned on. And in this case, a good result was obtained - almost 7 hours of operation with a constantly on screen on ViewSonic and a bit more with Huawei at the maximum brightness level. This is a very good result, given that no one looks at the tablet screen for 7-8 hours in a row, playing Angry birds or watching the next series, you have to work sometime.
However, these indicators can be both improved and worsened. It also depends on programs and power management algorithms. The operating time in the same mode for different devices with the same battery capacity may differ by one and a half times. Therefore, to increase the operating time, you need to try using original or third-party power management programs and tablet power-saving modes. And finally, some devices allow you to use a high-capacity battery, a docking station, etc., which should not be neglected either.
In any case, with such developments it is best to focus on a specific model of the device or create a compatibility list, after checking the performance on specific samples.
The program Gpstracker from the point of view of the user is completely simple and not burdensome.
For the program to work, you need to specify the IP server, port and device ID. This is required to connect the device to the server. Further, the user should only enable and disable the program on his own. This cannot be done automatically because non-system services cannot access GPS activation in a smartphone, so you have to enter administrative regulations for working with the tablet. All other settings are made directly in the system administration program. Here you can configure the event parameters: distance for events, deviation from the trajectory, time interval for events, time of satellite loss, time for tracking the stop event, lower and upper speed limit.
And sending the appropriate events to the dispatcher
In this case, the phrase "to the log" means sending events via GPRS. In the absence of GPRS communication, the event is placed in a log (in the internal memory of the device), and is sent as the communication channel resumes.
Further development of the employee monitoring system is the binding of events to objects. Those. the manager or dispatcher will see at what time what objects (retail outlets) are visited, the time spent at these points and the travel time. In addition, the proposed route and places of visit can be thrown off to the employee in advance, it will also be possible to set the priority of objects (for example, some objects must be reached today, and some as possible) and time (for example, 2 objects from 5 you need to get at a certain time, the rest - during the day). This will significantly expand the capabilities and effectiveness of the system, and can be applied to a wider range of consumers (for example, for online stores where it is necessary to balance the loading of couriers and at the same time respond to customer requirements). In general, mass GPS devices have high potential for use in industry and business, and over time we will have more interesting projects using individual GPS devices. We will certainly introduce you to similar projects and solutions.
The only thing left is to write a program for Android OS, which could transmit programmed geo-dependent events to the server and then to the dispatcher. First of all, this is the transfer of coordinates through a time interval, the transfer of coordinates depending on the distance traveled, stops and stops, and being at objects.
And such a program was implemented for the customer’s devices - ViewSonic ViewPad 7 and Huawei MediaPad tablets. Although in the development process, much more devices were tested, among which were smartphones and tablets, which had different displays, processors, batteries and OS versions. A number of problems that I would like to talk about were associated with this diversity.
GPS The quality of GPS signal reception and satellite search was very different from model to model. The aforementioned ViewSonic and Huawei devices (and many others) did the job well, but there were models that, in principle, could not establish normal signal reception and constantly lost satellites, so navigation loss for some was 90% or more, which makes it impossible to work devices as a tracker.
OS version and device model. The program was originally developed for Android 2, in the end it worked for versions 3 and 4, but each time it required verification and, if necessary, a separate revision. In addition, it might not work on individual models with the specified version, while working on others. Therefore, I had to agree with the customer that the correct operation of the program is guaranteed on specific tablet models with a specific OS version.
Battery capacity. This is generally a mega-problem for all such devices. Modern smartphones are equipped with a 1800-2200 mAh battery, which some active users lack even for a day, despite the fact that they almost do not use GPS. Therefore, such a smartphone is practically not suitable for full-time work as a tracker for a whole day - the battery is in the GPS mode, the GPRS packets are sent every minute with coordinates and the device is actively used for its intended purpose (games, music, video, voice communication, use Wi-Fi) usually lives a maximum of 4-5 hours. But with tablets, the situation is slightly better. Their battery is more capacious. For example, ViewSonic has 3240 mAh, and Huawei has 4100 mAh. As a result, tests showed that the first one in GPS mode and sending coordinates once every 60 seconds lasted 22 hours, the second - 27.5 hours, more than a day of continuous operation. At the same time, the screen practically did not turn on, work with other programs was not carried out, and phone calls were not made. As you know, the screen is the most voracious consumer of electricity. Therefore, the same test was carried out with the screen turned on. And in this case, a good result was obtained - almost 7 hours of operation with a constantly on screen on ViewSonic and a bit more with Huawei at the maximum brightness level. This is a very good result, given that no one looks at the tablet screen for 7-8 hours in a row, playing Angry birds or watching the next series, you have to work sometime. Therefore, the same test was carried out with the screen turned on. And in this case, a good result was obtained - almost 7 hours of operation with a constantly on screen on ViewSonic and a bit more with Huawei at the maximum brightness level. This is a very good result, given that no one looks at the tablet screen for 7-8 hours in a row, playing Angry birds or watching the next series, you have to work sometime. Therefore, the same test was carried out with the screen turned on. And in this case, a good result was obtained - almost 7 hours of operation with a constantly on screen on ViewSonic and a bit more with Huawei at the maximum brightness level. This is a very good result, given that no one looks at the tablet screen for 7-8 hours in a row, playing Angry birds or watching the next series, you have to work sometime.
However, these indicators can be both improved and worsened. It also depends on programs and power management algorithms. The operating time in the same mode for different devices with the same battery capacity may differ by one and a half times. Therefore, to increase the operating time, you need to try using original or third-party power management programs and tablet power-saving modes. And finally, some devices allow you to use a high-capacity battery, a docking station, etc., which should not be neglected either.
In any case, with such developments it is best to focus on a specific model of the device or create a compatibility list, after checking the performance on specific samples.
The program Gpstracker from the point of view of the user is completely simple and not burdensome.
For the program to work, you need to specify the IP server, port and device ID. This is required to connect the device to the server. Further, the user should only enable and disable the program on his own. This cannot be done automatically because non-system services cannot access GPS activation in a smartphone, so you have to enter administrative regulations for working with the tablet. All other settings are made directly in the system administration program. Here you can configure the event parameters: distance for events, deviation from the trajectory, time interval for events, time of satellite loss, time for tracking the stop event, lower and upper speed limit.
And sending the appropriate events to the dispatcher
In this case, the phrase "to the log" means sending events via GPRS. In the absence of GPRS communication, the event is placed in a log (in the internal memory of the device), and is sent as the communication channel resumes.
Further development of the employee monitoring system is the binding of events to objects. Those. the manager or dispatcher will see at what time what objects (retail outlets) are visited, the time spent at these points and the travel time. In addition, the proposed route and places of visit can be thrown off to the employee in advance, it will also be possible to set the priority of objects (for example, some objects must be reached today, and some as possible) and time (for example, 2 objects from 5 you need to get at a certain time, the rest - during the day). This will significantly expand the capabilities and effectiveness of the system, and can be applied to a wider range of consumers (for example, for online stores where it is necessary to balance the loading of couriers and at the same time respond to customer requirements). In general, mass GPS devices have high potential for use in industry and business, and over time we will have more interesting projects using individual GPS devices. We will certainly introduce you to similar projects and solutions.