M. Ghazanfar Ali, Salman Mohsin, Shahida
Department of Computer Sciences
National Textile University Faisalabad uzair@ieee.org Privacy Protective, Consent Based Joint Location Tracking System for Smartphone Users
Abstract: Ubiquitous availability of GPS receivers and internet in Smartphones has made mobile navigation systems widely used in people’s daily life. Due to the rapid growth of mobile navigation systems, users put forward higher privacy demands on location-based services (LBS). Knowing the whereabouts of family, friends, delivery staff, and team-members is common requirement especially in Metropolitan cities. We have designed and implemented a mutual location tracking system that uses location information while observing privacy concerns.

Our system provides opportunity to implement a variety of mutual location tracking scenarios. It enables users to establish proper credentials to share each other’s location with mutual consent. Users are provided with each other current location and previous trajectory on map. This capability can enable many other location based applications.

Keywords: Location Based Services, Location Based Collaboration, GPS, and Navigation.

1. Introduction: The system we have developed uses the GPS satellite to track the current location of others (Friends, Relatives etc.) By sending/receiving sms/REST notifications. Current version of the system is available for android Devices. Every person doesn't feel easy in sharing personal location with anybody but sometimes access to location in case of emergency and for some other purpose is necessary. Here are two of the scenarios best explaining the system key purposes:

Monitoring: This system provides monitoring facility to the parents so that they can keep an eye on their children same as an organization can also monitor their mobile teams like Polio Teams, Survey Teams etc. A transporter can view the location of his vehicle.

Person\Friend Finder: This system provides a consent based location sharing facility like two friends or relatives can view each other current location on map by mutual consent based on a notification module.

This system is really practical and convenient for developing a friendly and hospitable relation to find any person by tracking his/her location to save time.

2. Related Work: Mahesh et al presented a position detection and tracking system that locating friends and family member’s position by using GPS and standard web technology [1]. This Application has an alert mechanism to send a popup SMS to the user when his/her friends are nearby and data can be shared online. The proposed system uses Java Programming language for android mobile user application, PHP language a web server, MYSQL as external database to store the data. Also uses Google Maps that provide a map of an open Application Programming Interface (Google Map API). Mobile Client System consists of five modules such as: Register/Login module, GPS module, Notification module, Data sharing module, Chatting module.
Abdul Qadeer et al presented Design and Implementation of Locator Awareness and Sharing System using GPS and 3G/GPRs system detailed on the design and implementation of a java application which provides the users current location sends this location using SMS (Short Message Service) and sharing location with friends and family and views them on maps [2]. It also implements the Emergency Feature for use in Emergency. This Application has five parts formed with that are: GPS system (mobile should be GPS acceptor), a mobile client (for mobile client J2ME is being used), web server (for server side PHP is used), database (MYSQL) and a Map service (user can view coordinates latitude, longitude and altitude on the google maps using MidMaps API for J2ME platform). The functions displayed by interface as: User’s own location, Get Friends location, Emergency service etc.

Abhijeet et al presented Mobile Tracking Application for Locating Friends using LBS system proposed the implementation of client server system that helps the user to locate and track his own location and their friends and receive the alert message when nearby via short message service (SMS) [3]. Location sharing module based on radius set by administrator. GPS satellite is used for navigation purpose. Frontend application coding is being done in J2ME and MYSQL database used to update the location information and track the location. Client side system is a MIDlet application, and has a task of creating design page for: Welcome Page, User Registration, User Login, Add Member, and Family/Friends Request.

Antti RAINIO presented Location Based Services and Personal Navigation in Mobile Information Society Described the system in terms of Location Based services and Personal Navigation service that allows people to find out that where they are, where they can find the products and services that they need how they can get to destination so it helps people to navigate on daily tasks and guidance to the location on the basis of different modes of transport [4]. Personal Navigation services can be seen as three courses that are Vehicle navigation, personal navigation in outdoor environments and personal navigation in urban and indoor environments. By means of this system the location services and geographic information infrastructure has taken in use by consumers who have never heard about coordinate systems.

3. Proposed System: We have developed an joint location tracking and navigation system to track the location of others (e.g. friends, family) on the Google map from anywhere in the world with the access of internet using enabled GPS satellites and have the major Functionalities as:
Welcome Activity, User Signup, and User Login, Manage Friends, and Notification module, Location with markers on Google Map, Invitation Function, and Location History.

3.1 Additional Features of the system: 1. Facilitate Transporters: This system will provide the facility of vehicle tracking to the transporters as they will be able to see the current updated location of their vehicles on map. 2. Tracking of Teams: This system will be able to track the location of Mobile teams like Polio teams, Survey teams etc. 3. Help Law-Enforcement Agencies: This system will help the law-enforcement agencies to approach the crime scene as they can see the location of crime scene on map.

3.2 System Development Summary: System is developed using Eclipse Juno as development tool and Java as programming language, Parse is used as a backend platform or data server to provide data-saving and data-manipulation service, also uses Google Map API that provide a map of an open Application Programming Interface. Short Messaging service (SMS) will be used just to notify the person by using cell number. Mutual consent based notification module has adopted to tackle the privacy issue. This system will work efficiently everywhere, internet connection is necessary and android devices should be embedded with GPS service. User interfaces that will ease to use this system by Login/Registration module, Notification Module, Check history, will be designed. Location updating will be done while position is changed.

3.3 System Architecture: Fig. 1 shows key components that describe whole criteria. System shows user current location by interacting with GPS satellite and also save this location parameters to cloud server. User also can fetch location of other user by creating session with him and getting his location parameter from cloud server.

Figure 1 System Architecture
4. Feasibility Survey: We have conducted a feasibility survey to judge the point of view of 85 people about the proposed system on demographic basis like Age, Gender and Martial status. In our survey Gender differentiate as 70% Male, 30% Female, Age differentiate as 70% Youngsters, 30% Old age, Marital status differentiate as 40% married and 60% unmarried. Acceptability: In our survey we put a question regarding system acceptability in which we asked that is it good to share your location with others 60% say yes and 40% say no.

Users Willingness: The survey we conducted showed that users DE lightly interested to use this system as they want to be sometimes get updated about their whereabouts location.

Figure 2 (Shows the result of survey in which it is asked to whom you feel easy to share your location? and “close friends” is selected by most of the participants)

Figure 3 (Shows the survey results in which it is asked that in which cases you want to share your location? and most of the participants selected “in emergency”)

5. System Design & Implementation
Here we explain internal components and interactions in terms of use cases that realize all functions of the system.
System State Flow:
Signup/Login Activity: The proposed system has the proper Signup and Login module in which the user first done the signup then allow to login and use system services.

Grouping Activity: Fig 4. Shows the flow of search friend/invitation module in which searching takes place by using number if person registered on system then request will be send to that person then after his/her response session will create between both the users else if person not registered then send invitation to that number via SMS.

Figure 4 Grouping Activity Flowchart

Tracking Friends Activity: Fig 5. shows the flow of notification module that implements the mutual consent concept by sending a notification of tracking location to a number or person if request is accepted location will be mapped on map else send denying notification back to the number. Figure 5 Tracking Friends Activity Flowchart

Proposed System Component Layered Architecture: Fig. 6 shows the components used in our system and libraries including Google Map API v2, Cloud Server API etc. and underlying hardware (smartphone device) required to run the system.

Figure 6 Proposed System Components Layered Architecture

User Interfaces:
Friends Tracking Interface: Fig. 7 shows the location of friends on map using the number or name to track the friend also returns a trajectory of possible paths between both the friends.

Figure 7 Friends Tracking Interface
Teams Tracking Interface: Fig. 8 shows the interface to track the location of different teams like Polio teams, Mobile Survey teams, the location of teams are indicated on map with markers, the location tracking takes place by using team head name or number, location is monitored from a control room.

Figure 8 Teams Tracking Interface

6. Conclusions: In our proposed system we demonstrate a privacy observing mutual location tracking system that can enable a variety of personal navigation scenarios. In addition, we have built extra features that are absent in previous related systems like tracking or monitoring of Polio teams, Mobile Survey teams etc. and monitoring facility to Parents. Core advantage of our system is that it allows users full control over their location history, sharing credentials and is very easy to use. In future we plan to deploy our system for commercial scenarios like Pizza Delivery, Courier services.

References:
[1] Mr. Mahesh Kadibagi (PG Scholar in Computer Networks and Engineering at B.M.S college of Engineering, Bangalore) and Dr. H S Guruprasad (professor and Head, Computer Science Department at B.M.S college of Engineering, Bangalore).
[2] Muhammad Abdul Qadeer, Ankur Chandra and Shashank Jain (Department of Computer Engineering Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology Aligarh Muslim University, India).
[3] Abhijeet Tekawade, Ahemad Tutake, Ravindra Shinde, Pranay Dhole (U.G. Students, Dept. Of Computer Engineering, KJ College of Engineering and Management Research, Pune India), Mr.Sumit Hirve (Assistant Professor, Dept. Of Computer Engineering, KJ College of Engineering and Management Research, Pune India)
[4] Antti RAINIO, Coordinator of NAVi Programme, Navinova Ltd. Finland.