Physical Computing in a Freight Container Tracking: An Experiment

An experimental apparatus for localizing and tracking a freight container in land and sea transportation is presented. The instrument consists of Raspberry Pi computer, power supply - battery, plus UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) device, GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) and GPS (Global Positioning System) modems, server, desktop work station, mobile device (smart phone), including four types of sensors for motion, temperature, humidity, and light. Data acquisition and alarms' settings are realized in Python. Communication with the user is enabled via secured web based application. The reason for constructing this experimental instrument is our research curiosity, which was instigated by existing gap in T&T (tracking and tracing) of a single container in the stock on board ship. In some cases it is not necessary to T&T every single container, but when it comes to dangerous and perishable cargos, this need does exist concerning efficiency, safety and security.