A secure IoT-based real-time vehicle tracking and monitoring system: A hardware–software co-design with experimental validation
Computers and Electrical Engineering, cilt.139, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 139
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.compeleceng.2026.111425
- Dergi Adı: Computers and Electrical Engineering
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Aerospace Database, Compendex, zbMATH, Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Embedded systems, Fleet monitoring, GNSS positioning, IoT vehicle tracking, Offline-first synchronization, Secure communication
- İnönü Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study presents the design, implementation, and experimental validation of a low-cost, secure, IoT-enabled vehicle tracking and monitoring system developed through a hardware–software co-design approach for land vehicles in Türkiye. Unlike conventional GPS–GSM trackers or cloud-only fleet platforms, the proposed system emphasizes operational robustness, offline resilience, and experimentally quantified real-world performance. The platform integrates an embedded single-board computer with a standard code-phase cellular GNSS module and modular expansion interfaces, supported by an offline-first data management pipeline that preserves telemetry during network disruptions and ensures consistent synchronization with a cloud backend, without relying on high-cost RTK/PPP correction infrastructures. Secure multi-user operation is further supported through role-based access control, encrypted communication channels, and controlled data persistence. To quantitatively evaluate positioning performance, a GDOP-aware Monte Carlo-based GPS trilateration analysis was conducted, explicitly modeling satellite geometry and measurement noise. The results demonstrate a geometry-driven accuracy trend, with mean horizontal error decreasing from approximately 12 m under limited satellite visibility to below 6 m with sufficient geometric redundancy. These findings were validated through real-world urban field trials conducted over a 12.4 km route with mixed open-sky and street-canyon conditions. The system achieved a positioning accuracy of 6.4 m (CEP-50) and 13.1 m (R95), with a speed estimation RMSE of 1.7 km/h. The end-to-end system latency was approximately 680 ms (median), with a 95th percentile of 1.3–1.4 s, while power consumption remained within the range of 2.2–2.5 W under typical operating conditions, confirming suitability for continuous in-vehicle deployment. By combining offline-first synchronization, GDOP-aware accuracy analysis, quantified latency and energy profiling, and secure multi-user operation within a single deployable architecture, the proposed system provides a practically validated, low-cost, and scalable alternative to imported VTS solutions, with an estimated prototype hardware cost of approximately 112 USD per unit. The system is well suited for fleet management, public transportation, and safety-critical mobility monitoring applications.