Design and Implementation of a LoRa-Based Real-Time Tracking System for Outdoor Safety

The main objective of this research is to design and develop a reliable, low-cost tracking system that can operate real-time in an outdoor environment, where there is a possibility of no cellular or Internet connection. This system relies on LoRa communication since it is long-range, low-cost, and energy efficient. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the operation of the proposed tracking system in the absence of cellular or Internet connections. The design requires an ESP32 microcontroller, NEO-6M GPS module, SX1278 LoRa transceiver to acquire the position of the tracked object and transmit this information wirelessly for its remote monitoring and control purposes. The second objective is to design and develop a transmitter-receiver communication system, which is also capable of operating in real-time and can be used to relay the location and status of the tracked object from one device to another. The developed communication system will have an OLED display, which will show the received messages from the tracking device, and an SOS feature, which will send an emergency message in case of an emergency. The system will be used as a multipurpose outdoor tracking and safety device that can be utilized for human and animal tracking, trekking, camping, surveying, wildlife monitoring, and search and rescue operations. Finally, the third objective is to come up with a reliable, low-cost, portable, and energy-efficient prototype through step-by-step development and testing. The development process will involve testing individual components and the communication system because, at this stage, the rest of the system components will be integrated and tested as the development moves forward. In addition, the proposed architecture will be expanded in the future by adding other features, such as smartphone applications, cloud platform, geofencing, and other outdoor tracking and monitoring functionalities. This way, it will be possible to test and evaluate the performance of each component before building the final product.