A Preliminary Study on Remote Monitoring Systems for Travel Tracks of the Agricultural Vehicles Using GPS/GSM Technologies

Abstract
In this study, the track matching the actual path of a vehicle by means of GPS (Global Position System) / GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) technology, can be shown in a remote terminal by a VB(Visual Basic) program. We also compared the tracks drawn in a remote terminal to the tracks recorded in the GPS receiver. These results will provide us with a preliminary assessment towards the application of this system inside agricultural vehicles.
The software developed in this study has a function that loads different e-maps so that the software can be used in different places. For ease of use, it has a human-computer interface and a idiot-proof design to prevent any mistakes when using the software.
This system was tested in NTU (National Taiwan University) campus and the surrounding area. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, ROC, offered the coordinates of two reference positions of the map. When the DGPS function of the GPS receiver was not enabled, the performance of the system was average. However, when the DGPS function was enabled, the track obtained was not of a satisfactory level, as originally anticipated. Therefore another set of reference points positioned by the GPS receiver must be chosen to improve the reliability of the system’s performance.
Experiments showed that this system was usable in and around NTU. There is great potential for this system’s application within the agricultural industry. The amount of wide-open space normally found in an agricultural field causes the errors of GPS to be reduced. If some methods are devised to improve the accuracy of GPS in cities, the system could be suitable for all kinds of purposes.