a prototype of an embedded wireless web applicationrosycs/2004/presentations/... · 2006-02-14 ·...

Romanian Symposium on Computer Science – Web Technologies

Iasi, 21/07/2004

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A Prototype of an Embedded Wireless Web Application

Cristian Aflori and Dan Galea

FACULTY OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

“GH. ASACHI” TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, IASI, ROMANIA


Iasi, 21/07/2004

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Overview•The prototype of a wireless web application for remote tracking vehicle systems.

•The application is complex and integrates the use of the open-source concepts, client-server and web technologies, embedded devices, wireless communication protocols, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) techniques.


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Remote Tracking Vehicle System (RTVS)


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RTVS goals

•To offer a flexible solution and small implementation costs for a dynamic object tracking system (for vehicles, etc.) using artificial satellites positioning signals.

•This positioning system is called GPS (Global Positioning System) and functions by sending various characteristic data (like longitude, latitude, altitude) to an embedded device located into the tracked vehicle.

•This user experiment integrates the use of the open-source concepts, embedded wireless communications, client-server and web technologies.


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RTVS goals

•The embedded vehicle unit sends the GPS information and also other data concerning its state to a central server.

•The server software system gathers and stores vehicle parameters and is able to send commands to the embedded mobile modules.

•The web client can plot in real-time vehicle positions on a digital map.


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The addressed market•RTVS can be used by any enterprises, which own transport facilities and want to minimize operating costs or be informed about current object localization.

•The RTVS domain applicability is very large:•critical manage group

•trucking and transport companies (goods or persons)

•taxi services

• emergency services (Police, Ambulance, Fire Department), army

• any intervention groups,

• courier companies,

• property protections agencies.


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Project technical objectives

•The design and development of the web server and of the administration client.

•The development of a dedicated server facility based on an open-source operating system to access and control the remote embedded units.

•The development of an embedded hardware module based on the LINUX Open Source Operating System controlling a remote mobile unit.

•The development of embedded software modules for remote mobile units.

•The development of the communications capability for the system: wireless based on the GSM protocol or over an Internet link based on the TCP/IP protocol.

•The installation and the configuration of the Database Management System.

•The development of the GIS client application.


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Technology development

•The existing technology:

•The current solutions are based on the process of manual gathering and storing vehicle positions with GPS modules and than those data are individually processed on a central computerwith dedicated software applications.

•The technology used in the market for automatic vehicle surveillance system is based on proprietary devices and applications for the remote units, central server and client modules.


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Simplified Diagram of Remote Target Surveillance.


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Application components

•The Remote Target Module:• get the geographic coordinates from the GPS module

• store the coordinates on the local device

• send the coordinates and other information to the central server through different communication protocols

• receive and execute commands from the central server

•The Central Server is composed of different modules:• the communication module with the remote targets

• the communication module with the clients (visualization and administration)

• the database module for storing received data

• business logic – application server


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Application components

•The User Client can have the following capabilities:• to get the current locations for registered targets

• to visualize positions on a digital map if it has GIS capabilities

• to analyse various parameters

• the administration client can send configuration commands to the server and to the remote targets (through the central server).

•The Communication System:• between the remote unit and the central server: in real-time (GSM, radio, Internet) or delayed (serial line, auxiliary devices).

• between the central server and the visualization or the administration clients: local network, Intranet, Internet


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Block Diagram for the Remote Tracking

Vehicle System


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RTVS description

•The system consists of a number of remote targets - VEU (Vehicle Embedded Unit) - and a central server with various web clients.

•The vehicle embedded unit is a micro-system used for the geographically localisation (by GPS) of vehicles (or other mobile/fix elements).

•The VEU has the capability to communicate through a GSM withthe central server.

•The server receive the target coordinates (and other data) and store them into the database.

•A web client can display on a map the vehicles route and a user can command remotely the behaviour of the embedded device.


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RTVS description

•The RTVS is a client-server, web based application communicating with remote embedded devices.

•The user can access the system through a web browser after logging in the system.

•The user can operate on the Graphical User Interface (GUI) inside the web browser.


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Software choice and rationale

•The product development layers are the hardware development for the remote target unit, the embedded software development for the remote target unit, the server and client software development and the communication protocols.

•For the embedded device we choose the White Dwarf Linux 2.0, which is ideal for Net appliances and wireless applications.

•The central server is built using Java technologies: based applets, Java Servlets API, Java Server Pages.

•The server components communicate transparently using various standards: HTML, XML, HTTP, SOAP, JDBC.


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Software choice and rationale

•The Database Management System integrated in the server is MySQL.

•The web client (the applet) has GIS (Geographic Information System) capabilities

•The connection with mobile targets is done using as protocol theGlobal System for Mobile Communication (GSM).

•The remote unit and the central server communicate through ShortMessage Service (SMS).


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RTVS –Vehicle Embedded Unit functions

•Reading of GPS (Geographic Positioning System) coordinates

•Storing context information (GPS coordinates, velocity, acquisition

date time) in local files

•Getting configuration messages by GSM

•Sending data/configuration messages by GSM


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Vehicle Embedded Unit

•The vehicle embedded unit (VEU) is basically a processor providing the main communication interface between the GPS device and the central server through the GSM modem or the Ethernet interface.

•The embedded Operating System is White Dwarf Linux 2.0

•The embedded software application is developed using the C language and the gnuC compiler. The application is designed like a service and it is started when the operating system is loaded.

•The application is multithreaded and use the SIRF protocol to communicate with the GPS module and a specific protocol to communicate with the GSM modem.


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Block diagram for the Vehicle Embedded Unit

GPS module

Central Unit

Data Memory

Processor

Serial interface

GSM modem

TCP / IP interface

GPS interface

Power supply

GSM communication device with mobile

phone interface

GPS-PS1E” basedon “SiRFstarTM I/LX

MOPS/520 with: PC/104 CPU board, CHIPDISK/32-IDE-JMP


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Vehicle Embedded Unit•The VEU unit is composed of small boxes (15x25x10 cm) and contain the following devices:

•the GPS device with serial interface

•the Central Unit device: the micro-controller with processor, memory, 2 serial interfaces, Ethernet interface, chip disk.

•the GSM modem with serial interface and phone interface

•the power supply device


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Central server module

•The central server stores the received data in a database system, manage the communication protocols with the remote devices and with the web GIS clients.

•The central server is running a process that is listening to the serial interface (where the GSM modem is connected).

•The server can receive asynchronous commands from the web user client and can send them to the VEU units through the serial interface (GSM modem) or the sockets.

•The server has a module that can add, delete or modify the users of the RTVS system. The user information is stored in the relational database and the DBMS security policies are used.


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Central server block diagram and interconnections


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Central server implementation

•Server components:

• the web server

•the application server

•the interface with the GSM modem

•the interface with the digital maps

•the interface with the database.

•The major issue was the interfaces between components and the integration in the final system.


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Communication protocols

•The issues occurred were related to the implementation of the serial communication protocol in gnuC for Linux, and the transformation of the geographic coordinates read from the GPS format, encapsulated in a data message (SMS), stored in the central database and displayed on a digital map.

•The communication between the remote device and the central server was done using specific messages (data or configuration),messages sent using SMS or TCP/IP protocols.


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RTVS - client GUI modules

•Geographic Information System (GIS) module (load maps, display maps, show/hide layers, zoom, pan, display info on a map)

•Vehicles management module (add, delete, modify vehicle information: technical data and communication parameters)

•Server communication parameters

•Vehicle Embedded Unit commands (configuration commands, start/stop tracking)

•Configuration and displaying on a map the on-line tracked vehicles

•Configuration and displaying on a map the vehicles tracked in the past


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Web GIS client interface


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Graphical User Interface

•The web client GUI is very complex and it is build using Java and GIS technologies.

•The GUI is build using SWING libraries for the interface part and the Open Source Geotools libraries for the GIS part.

•As a result, a user can manage the information from the database (forms, frames, controls) through a web browser, can send commands and parameters to the remote target devices and can load, view and navigate through a digital map.


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Skills improvement•Open Source Operating Systems and software•Embedded hardware technology•Embedded software technology•Communication protocols:

•GPS•GSM•TCP/IP•RS232•Web (http, html, xml, soap)

•GIS technology•Java technologies (servlet, jsp, applet, beans, JDBC)•Database technology (SQL)


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Enhancement to the basic technology

•The prototype has the following enhancements :•The use of Open Source technologies in the development of the system at all levels: embedded level, server level, client level.

•The ability to view in real-time remote target positions from a web browser.

•The portability of the system.

•Modular architecture for the hardware and software components for the remote target device.

•The ability to command the remote device through a web browser.


Iasi, 21/07/2004

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Enhancement to the basic technology

•Flexible communication protocols between the remote unit and the central server: GSM, TCP/IP, RS232.

•The integration of a Relational Database Management System in the central server.

•The visualization client and the central server should have GIS (Geographic Information System) capabilities.

•The ability of the system to be extended with new modules.


Iasi, 21/07/2004

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Acknowledgement

EC IST Programs aim to improve the competitiveness of European enterprises by promoting the adoption of under deployed or emerging technologies. This will enable these enterprises to enhance their economic growth. The demonstrator described here is one example of the many best Practice projects undertaken. Further details of projects covering a wide span of applications, industry sectors and technologies can be found on www.eujoin.org


Iasi, 21/07/2004

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Thank you

“Gh.Asachi” Technical UniversityFaculty of Automatic Control and Computer EngineeringAddress: Bld. Dimitrie Mangeron, no. 53 A Iasi, RomaniaPhone: +40 232 278680 Fax: +40 232 214290E-mail: [email protected]://www.ace.tuiasi.ro

mailto:[email protected]

a prototype of an embedded wireless web applicationrosycs/2004/presentations/... · 2006-02-14 ·...

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