Development and Performance Analysis of a GPS-GSM Guided System for Vehicle Tracking

Vehicle theft is a growing menace which poses serious problems in the society. The theft of vehicles affects vehicle owners, insurance companies, security companies as well as the society at large. Tracking devices offer a cost effective and reliable solution to this problem. This paper, therefore presents the development of a GPS-GSM guided system for vehicle tracking. The developed system comprises of an integration of both hardware and software such as a microcontroller (Arduino), GPS module, GSM module, and a vibration sensor. The hardware development consists of wiring between the GPS module, GSM module, Arduino, and vibration sensor. The software development uses Arduino source code, GSM module AT commands, and the GPS protocol command. The system is controlled by the user with the use of text messages. The system uses the correlation between the text messages and programmed keywords to send the vehicle coordinates directly to the vehicle owner or to local authorities. Performance tests show that the system sends coordinates to the owner whether or not the vehicle is in motion. The system is reliable and cost effective for monitoring vehicles in the eventuality of car, motorbike or bicycle theft.