Caldiatech

Using Global Positioning System

Industry: Food and Feed Traceability
Scenario: Wireless and Internet based Traceability System

• Products & Technologies
  • Win CE/9x/XP/2K/NT, Linux, Win32 API, Embedded VC, COM, VC++, XML, PHP
• Company Overview
  • TYF is a pioneer in conceptualizing a trace ability solution that conforms to the Good Agriculture Practices(GAP) laid down by EuropGAP and EAN. They have developed the first traceability system that uses the principles of GPS to trace the origin of all agricultural produce.
• Challenge
  • Develop functional specifications of a traceability system that would be generic enough to permit world wide adoption and yet conform to all rules and regulations laid down by the certifying agencies
• Usability challenges to ensure for ease of use by food growers
  • Develop the complete system with support for all Win CE based PDAs, all Windows desktops and all kinds of GPS receivers
• Solution
  • We conceptualized a portal on an ASP model that would serve as the central repository for all traceability data.
  • A unique identifier was generated using the latitude and longitude information recorded by the GPS receiver. This was used to identify the origin of the food/feed.
• Benefit
  • Implementation of food traceability on an ASP model with mobile client applications that work across the internet, wired/wireless LANS, GPRS and 3G.
• Application of RUP Best Practices
  • The project requirements and scope were continually evolving and changes had to managed and built into the system.
  • New scope necessitated major rework on the very architecture of the system.
  • The RUP Change Request Management (CRM) Process was used to carry out Change Impact Analysis.
  • This gave the team guidelines to gauge complexity, visualize possible alternatives, and analyze severity of non-implementation.

Application to facilitate navigation to pre recorded positions using a handheld device such as a Pocket PC and a Palm PDA. The application Receives and processes of Satellite data in NEMA and Motorola formats.

The end user carries a handheld device and records a particular position or traverses a certain path which is recorded on the PDA. The user is subsequently guided back to the exact position or can retrace the path traversed earlier.

Highlights

• Transfer of Data between Pocket PC and Desktop Computer using Infra Red or Active Sync.
• Auto synchronization between Pocket PC and Desktop Computer Without any button click from user.
• Stored Data can be retrieved for any certain day, user or position
• Adjustable accuracy of recording
• Dynamic response to movements and Adjustable Accuracy for Searching the Recorded Positions.
• Dynamic response to movements during Navigation of known and unknown paths.
• Monitoring of Speed and distances during traversal of paths.
• Appropriate Adjustments for loss of GPS connectivity

Features

• Recording of traversed paths.
• Recording of Positions for future reference.
• Displaying the exact Position with altitude of the user on earth and distances from other Positions on earth.

Agricultural Data Recording using Global Positioning System

An application for field data recording. Records information regarding fields and jobs being carried out on fields by various farmers. The application uses the Global Positioning System to record field boundaries and the area of each field that is being worked upon by the farmer. The entire data bank is auto emailed out to a central database where data of all farmers is consolidated. The data is also automatically synchronized with a Desktop application.

Highlights

• Transfer of Data between Pocket PC and Desktop Computer using Infra Red or Activesync.
• Complete storage, management and handling of processed data on Pocket PC.
• Searching of recorded data
• Adjustable Accuracy while recording a boundary ranging from as low as (0.25 meters).
• Appropriate Adjustments are made for periods of time (constraints applied) where GPS connection is lost.
• MultiLingual Support.

Features

• Receiving and processing of Satellite data in NEMA and Motorola formats.
• Recording of field area and boundaries
• Recording of Positions for future reference.
• Recording the total distance travelled, maximum and average speeds at which the distance is travelled.