GPS & GIS

APPLICATION OF GIS & GPS IN TRANSPORT SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

Roads are part of the infrastructure that makes up the spinal cord of modern society. The aim of the project work is to develop a system for obtaining real time data such as velocity, location of vehicles, and travel time of vehicles etc using GPS receivers. The data from the GPS are transmitted to a base station via GSM to the system ARC GIS     (Version 9.1) and it can be displayed in map. The current technology in the field of communication is used for Real time vehicle tracking. This solution doesn’t require any intervention of user and data gets automatically transferred through service provider networks for two-way communication. The various issues involved in this task include the use of GPS receivers linked with mobile applications (GSM) to provide direct observations of the vehicle. This is coupled with a database management system using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, to provide a reliable and efficient system for online vehicle monitoring, navigation and tracking. This project presents a new approach for online-tracking of vehicles owned by our institution roaming within Coimbatore Corporation limits. Integration of GIS/GPS with modern techniques such as Web mapping will enable web based tracking of vehicles from away part of the globe. Web mapping solution plays an important role in online vehicle tracking service, based on GPS and cellular technology. The ideal solution would allow customers to access a Web-based map to track their vehicles in real-time.

INTRODUCTION

The present annual production of vehicles in India is of the order of 7.3 million. As the number of vehicles on road increases, the following problems associated with the traffic management also increases

      ▪ Violation of traffic rules       ▪ Accidents         ▪ Vehicle theft

At present there is no scientific system available to track and minimize the problems mentioned above. With the integration of GPS data, GIS database, it is possible to monitor the movements of all vehicles on road. However this involves the usage of GPS in all vehicles, which will decrease the cost of the vehicles by an amount of at least Rs.2500/- by providing an in build GPS in all vehicles. Attempt has been made to design a system to track the vehicles owned by government and private agencies such as universities, Call Taxis, corporations etc using GIS and GPS.  

GIS (Geographic Information System): GIS is a computer based system, consisting of computer hardware, software, geographic data, and personnel designed to effectively capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze and display the spatial and non-spatial data. GIS allows a user to interact with geographically referenced information. A GIS can provide a valuable tool for tracking and monitoring vehicles movements. The current location of vehicles can be viewed in a transportation network. The entire system was framed around the two major building blocks of a GIS enabled system of Spatial and Non-spatial data. This project work attempts to display the extent of existing GIS applications within road transportation network, and critically assess their appropriateness and potential for vehicle tracking. Spatial data are spatial layers that required to be incorporated into the system and Non-spatial Data are attributes that are required to be attached to the spatial data layers.

 GPS Technology (Global Positioning System):

•         A satellite based radio positioning system.

•         Three Segments

–        Space Segment - 24 satellites.

–        Control Segment.

–        User Segment.

 GPS satellite            

•         First one launched in 1978 and is controlled by the U.S Department of Defense.

•         Each satellite is built to last about 10 years. Replacements are constantly being built and launched into orbit. Signals are available to civilian users free of charge.

•         GPS satellites transmit two low power radio signals, designated L1 and L2. GPS uses the L1 frequency of 1575.42 MHz in the UHF band.        

 GPS nominal constellation

•         24 satellite in 6 orbital planes.

•         4 satellites in each plane.

•         20,200 km altitude, 55 Degree Inclination.

 Satellite Segment

•         NAVSTAR (Navigation by Satellite Timing and Ranging).

•         Satellites orbit in 6 orbital plates to provide complete coverage.  

•         Satellites orbit at 10,900 miles.

 User Segment

•         Units receive transmission from Satellites.

•         Cost between Rs10, 000 to Rs7, 00,000 /- (depends on accuracy).

•         Must be line of sight with satellites.

 Principle of GPS

•         Position of satellites is known.

–        Satellite provides an “electronic almanac” to the receiver (Sokkia).

•         The speed of the radio signal from each satellite is known.

•         Timing allows the calculation of the distance from each satellite.

•         Using triangulation, the position of the receiver is calculated.

TRACKING

To track where the vehicle is in the given moment of time is equally, if not even more crucial, in efficient fleet management. Tracking and monitoring of vehicle movements emerged with the advances in mobile communication (GSM) and satellite navigation (GPS). The position of a vehicle is monitored via onboard GPS, transmitted back to a base via GSM, and loaded into GIS software where it can be displayed on map. If this is applied to a fleet of call taxi the exact location of all vehicles will be known at all times to the car owners, thus improving any needed emergency response to the driver and customer response to incoming orders, ensuring that the nearest available taxi is sent to the pickup location. When a GPS is mounted on a car, it continuously relays the car’s position to a control centre. The car can easily be tracked in case it is stolen. In case of an emergency breakdown, help can reach the exact location within a short span of time.

CONCEPT OF VEHICLE TRACKING

The concept of vehicle tracking started with the First generation product of data logging systems. This had limitations as data would be logged on the device in a vehicle and could be downloaded only after the vehicle reached its destination. Then came the Second-generation product in the form of infrared towers. This too was short-lived, as it required huge investments to set up the infrared towers along the highways to track the vehicles. The Third-generation product involved GPS/GSM models with fixed software. Even this was found to be expensive, hence could not be used commercially .Now, a new range of products has emerged in the global market that is based on GPS/GSM models, but with a modular concept, offering two-way interaction between the owner and the driver all through the journey.

TYPES OF VEHICLE TRACKING       

                       

                                             Based on the way in which vehicles are tracked, the tracking system can be classified broadly into two types namely,

▪ Online vehicle tracking                  ▪ Offline vehicle tracking

In case of offline tracking the GPS is coupled to a memory unit and the data recorded in the memory unit, which can be downloaded so that the movement of vehicle, no of stops, speed violation, travels time etc can be monitored. In case of online tracking the GPS receiver mounted on the vehicles will continuously transmit signal through some means like GSM/Internet to the base station so that the exact position of the vehicles can be monitored on line.

ONLINE VEHICLE TRACKING

Online Tracking using GPS positioning has been implemented in many industries in the past few years. Online tracking enables the controller to have an idea about the relative locations of several vehicles on a computer screen so that the movements of vehicles can be monitored. This also makes two-way communication between the driver and the controller possible. This can also enable the controller to issue warning then and there whenever they violate the instructions given to them. Technology evens allows immobilization of the vehicles when theft is suspected. Online Tracking can be done using the lap top compute connected to the Internet or using mobile phone and a palm top computer.

Online Technology provides a range of equipment including the vehicle GPS/GSM tracking system. An attempt is made to replace of the offline vehicle tracking.

Routing: Routes and Directions with display of routes on map, Shift wise employee names with pickup points /time, to the find shortest path criteria.

Tracking: Dispatching, monitor remote vehicles, convenience of Internet accessible information, need email alerts, centralized data without a LAN or WAN, responsiveness to customer service issues is important. Online tracking is not completely affected by rain, ice, fog because of these conditions the degree of precision can be poor.

Mode of Operation: Real time with position updates every in minute.

Communication Method: Data is transferred from the vehicle to the computer using the gsm wireless network.

The following outputs can be viewed or generated

• Simultaneous location of all vehicles.
• Start-Stop time, total drive time, and mileage for each trip.
• Route taken, average speed, number of times the driver exceeded the speed limit.
• Location/position by approximate street address.
• Alerts for speeding, movement after hours, zone violations.
• Automatically locate closest vehicle or location to service address.
• Records data outside of coverage area and automatically updates on return.

PLANNING AND DESIGN

GIS provides a valuable tool in the process of planning and designing roads. This is closely related to the term Computer Aided Design (CAD), Modern software tends to bridge this gap between discipline-specific applications of GIS in a way that they are fully integrated. GIS can help to visualize and communicate the effects of roads on their environment. Engineering drawings and maps may evoke a vivid landscape in minds of engineers familiar with them, but to decision makers or the public in general these drawings can be quite incomprehensible. Traditionally, displaying different route options and proposals has been done in the form of 2D maps, assisted by section drawings, may be together with an aerial photo, where the road network was overlaid in the form of lines. It is simple and straightforward, but it is not conveying much information on the actual impact.

DESIGN                          

     The design process begins with an identified need and concludes with satisfactory qualification. The design flow diagram Fig 3 is the tool that approaches to move from general requirements, illustrating the processes and storage of data in the system. Data’s processed (GPS) is first identified and then the data transfer process is isolated by user interface communicated by GSM is derived, visualized in the system. The data flow is a transfer of data between two entities is denoted by arrow direction. GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is the most advanced digital cellular technology. GSM is in a good position for global roaming and many new GSM phones are called "global phones", since they are used in virtually any country. The SIM card ("Subscriber Identification Module") is also a unique and essential component of GSM phones. Technically, GSM was built based on the TDMA protocol. GSM is a digital cellular Communications system. Accuracy is 4.5m indoor and 2.5m outdoors. Providing aerial of 1m outside the car increases GPS accuracy. To be able to make use of the GSM tracking system, to achieve economy in design you require support from so-called "location-based services" by the GSM network of your choice in your region. Now days Satellite and Digital Tracking Systems is the high tech tracking equipment have accuracy data of 1m.

 The device is fitted in vehicles and as they pass by a cell phone tower, data get automatically transferred through the tower to our central computer. Using this we can provide hourly or daily reports on the vehicle to its owner, we can access it through a computer or mobile phone the details such as the location of the truck at a given point of time, number of kilometers logged, idle time and estimated time of arrival at destination. E-Logistics Company offers its patented vehicle-tracking product, costing Rs 7,500 each, based on the GSM model.

 

          

                                                       

Fig.3. INTERATIVE DEISGN PROCESS

ROUTING

Route planning is a process that helps vehicle drivers to plan a route prior or during a journey. It is widely recognized as a fundamental issue in the field of transportation. A variety of route optimization criteria or planning criteria may be used in route planning. The quality of a route depends on many factors such as distance, travel time, travel speed and number of turns. These all factors all can be referred as travel cost. Route planning is one of the most popular applications within transportation. Consequently, any business deploying vehicles is interested in determining which route is the best to follow as means to save time and essentially gain the best cost/benefit ratio. Route planning is also applied as apart of location planning, calculating overall drive times to and from site, maximizing potential customer inflow and ensuring best possible accessibility. The map used is not to scale. This is the network communication in and around Coimbatore.

Using GIS for many purposes

•         Traffic accident patterns are visualized and safety improvements are made where they are most needed.

•         By collecting significant data for the whole suitable network, repairs and works budgeting have become more reliable and calculated in advance.

•         First creating the optimal route between locations and then using GIS to decide how and where to sign, improved directions and movements in the road network and help in avoiding congestion.

Fig.4. Typical map output from route planner

This paper presents some of the applications of the GPS like improving trip reporting, travel time studies, dynamic route guidance (DRG), online vehicle navigation and tracking. In case of online tracking the routing should be updated.

NAVIGATION

Route planning in advance of a journey is one way to enhance transportation management. Using an in-car navigation system by providing base map of digital map data and navigation software released a map database providing turn-by-turn vehicle navigation. Used in conjunction with GPS this system not only is an in-car route finder, but also provides the driver with detailed instructions on where to turn in what direction. It also contains a lot of information on points of interest a driver might want to know. It can guide the driver in case of new place or route.

PRINCIPLE OF GPS NAVIGATION

Measurements of code-phase arrival times from at least four satellites are used to estimate four quantities: position in three dimensions (X, Y, Z) and GPS time (T). Assume a timing error of 1 micro second. This is the principle of GPS navigation of capturing positions of (X, Y, Z, T). Where X-latitude, Y-longitude, Z-altitude& GPS time.

 

Time error calculated

Speed of light in a vacuum –186,000miles/sec                                                              186,000 miles/sec ´ sec/1,000,000 =0.186 miles ´5280 ft/mile =982ft.

DATA PROCESSING

Prepare GIS base map (raster images) of Coimbatore are imported to AutoCAD 2002 environment for on-screen vectorization or digitizing. Digitizing is a process of encoding geographic features in digital form as x, y coordinates. The drawings were edited and then exported to ARC GIS Version 9.1environment. After uploading convert the drawing files (*.dwg)      to shape files like line,  polygon, point. Shape files don’t usually contain information as to where the area represented on the map fits on the surface of the earth. The process of assigning a geographic location (e.g. latitude and longitude) to a geographic feature is known as Georeferencing by spatial adjustment of the data. The latitude and longitude of the control points must be accurately determined so that the Georeferencing shall be accurate.  Then the active GPS data is connected by UPS port then the point is displayed in the map. Arc View provides the tools we need to query, analyze the data and present results as presentation-quality maps.

Geo Referenced Map of Coimbatore with Road Networks using ARC GIS Version 9.1

 

SHORTEST PATH

Computing shortest paths over a network is an important task in many networks of transportation related analyses. Some drivers may prefer the shortest path based on distance and travel time. This conventional method formed the basis of known as graph theory, and paved the way for path finding algorithms that are applied in GIS in the solution of routes in transportation networks. Hence, in GIS route planning is often referred to as network analysis. The route selection criteria can be either fixed by a design or implemented via a selectable user interface. In the current project route selection is via user interface. In the optimization of the travel distance (road segment length), distance is stored in database and the route-planning algorithm is used. In the optimization of travel time, road segment length and speed limit on that road are stored in database and travel time is calculated (distance/speed limit). By Cost and benefits Analysis the user can able to asset a reliable cost. The calculated travel time was used as travel cost in the performance of path optimization. As increased prices of petroleum products, we can find the shortest path criteria using applications of GIS & GPS/GSM and save fuel.

Shortest path with user given origin and user given destination

• Create a topology map and click on ‘Utility Network analyst’ in the sub menu or button.

• Select origin, destination points by clicking any point on road network.

• Click ‘Analysis’ button and select travel cost (line length or drive time)

Shortest path will be displayed in green colour on the map and directions from origin to

Destination will be displayed in ‘shortest path’ dialog.

  TRAFFIC CONTROL

Many other countries monitor ongoing traffic at critical points in the road network round-the-clock, counting devices or other means of traffic data gathering, and then relaying this information to the public using it for analytical purposes. Traffic control systems are the most demanding of the Intelligent Transportation Systems. They may have to cover large geographical areas and interface with a large number of devices, thus managing data available from a variety of disparate sources. They can control high-speed road accidents, which cannot be controlled even by the speed breakers and the timings of the vehicles can, maintained. The average number of accidents in a year is 3.5 percent of the total for in any country but these can be reduced by the implementation of these techniques. In this paper, relevant up-to-date traffic, travel information for public and private transport users is posted electronically on touch screen displays at main places and also on the Internet.

To control the traffic the data’s should be updated for the present condition. If there is any accident we can use the alternate routes as guide of your GPS. The car was fitted with GPS and satellite communication technology along with a     Web-based interface/ GSM that allows you to locate your vehicles and communicate with your drivers anywhere you can access the Internet/ Gsm.

EVALUATION

Using GIS aiding road design has proved itself as useful, especially when visualizing impact on the environment is concerned. Using GIS for 3D visualization may also help is solving already in use for planes and ships, something that could turn out to be especially helpful for emergency vehicle drivers when they are still new to an area. In all the mentioned applications GIS is a tool for visualizing and analyzing data. Looking at future prospects, the potential range of such applications, combined with 3D visualization, is virtually unlimited. Route planners are very useful tools in general, but they have limitations. Data that is used in route-planning systems must be extremely accurate and should be updated. Even though the road network may look fine on screen, it may contain false information that will divert the route from where it should go, such as sending a vehicle the wrong way down a one-way street or using a route that is closed to the public.

The data must be kept up-to-date with the latest status of any particular road in the network. Thus, a GIS for route planning will have to contain a large volume of attribute data, depending on the specific application needs. Users may want to enquire about gradients, height and weight constraints, road works, filling stations, detour options, hotels or other points of interest. It cost is more for the user. Route-planning systems typically either calculate the shortest or the fastest journey, in doing this, the system uses algorithms for choosing a particular route. However, some experienced drivers may not take the same route as the system calculates.

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CONCLUSION

 Transport telematics means the large-scale integration and implementation of telecommunication and information technology in the field of transportation. According to Cost and benefits Analysis of the optimum design we can use mobile communications (GSM). By this system the control over traffic will be easy and effective by this one-third abundant occurrence of speed related accidents can be reduced. By controlling vehicle speed we can reduce and maintenance a considerable economy of 30%. Use of Shortest path save fuel, saves time by selecting the alternative routes to avoid possible delays.

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 Online tracking can reduce theft is widely promoted in these days as an ultimate navigation and vehicle-tracking tool. Adopting GIS technology identifies where the services and facilities are need by the management. This integrated GIS definitely will help the management of the road network by the concerned organizations to maintain a user-friendly relation along the people. The study presented above has been made only for a selected typical bus routes. This can be conveniently extended to the whole of Coimbatore road networks. . If the system is very accuracy we can use for mapping for remote places.

REFERENCES

• Alan Slater, (February 2002), “Specification for a dynamic vehicle routing and scheduling system” International Journal of Transport Management, Volume 1, Issue 1, Pages 29-40

• Transportation GIS.

Author: Laura Lang.
ISBN 1-879102-47-1  132 pages. 

• Integrating GIS and the Global Positioning System.
  Author: Karen Steede-Terry.
• Tamil nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC).

            (Coimbatore Corporation)

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• GPS enable mobile GIS services by P.M.Vdani, R.K. Goyal

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