Active spy design and implemetation of a scalable GIS server for real-time trackingn of mobile assets along wity incorporation of service -oriented metropolitan active space

Abstract

This project presents a novel concept of active spaces in physical outdoor environment like a metropolitan city. The on- going research in “Active Spaces” at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been extended. The project proposes to extend the boundaries of an Active Space from an indoor environment to a metropolitan level (i.e. city, district or country level) and terms this innovative concept a “Metropolitan Active Space (MAS)”. This environment- aware module informs mobile users of the nearest places of interest. These may include business advertisements, and utility services such as ATM, gas stations, mosques, schools, colleges, and banks. While their mobile assets roam about in the city; the online system notifies the owners of the mobile assets of their surroundings in a context- aware fashion. Besides this, the project also focuses on the design and implementation of a web- based system to track and manage mobile assets in a real- time environment. Tracking mobile assets such as laptops, wheel chairs, mobile phones, luggage etc in addition to automobiles has become a necessity in today’s insecure world rather than a luxury. Being an entirely web- based solution, it relieves the users of being limited to a particular desktop machine where the software is installed. Only opensource tools and technologies have been used in this project. Use of expensive and licensed GIS softwares has been avoided. Thus the overall system is in compliance with the spirit of pervasive computing and finds manifold applications in the tracking and GSM industry.