GPS Tracking with Blink Board

Introduction

Real-time GPS tracking is a powerful tool for monitoring the location of vehicles, individuals, or devices. It enables informed actions like rescuing stolen property, locating lost items, or enhancing personal safety.

In this project, we’ll create a GPS tracking system using the Blink Board as the core, paired with a Neo-6M GPS module to capture geolocation data. The system will process this data (latitude, longitude, speed, number of satellites) and send it to the Arduino IoT Cloud for real-time visualization on a web dashboard or mobile app. The dashboard will include an interactive map for location tracking and visualizations of connected satellites and speed.

This project serves as a foundation for building advanced IoT-enabled GPS trackers for personal, professional, or industrial applications.

Objectives

• Track Locations: Capture GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) in real time.
• Generate Interactive Maps: Use the captured coordinates to generate live maps for visualization.
• Visualize Data: Monitor additional data, including speed (in km/h), altitude, and the number of satellites connected.
• Enable IoT Connectivity: Send GPS data to the Arduino IoT Cloud for visualization and storage.

The GPS tracker collects geolocation data from the Neo-6M GPS module, including latitude, longitude, and speed. The Blink Board processes this data using HardwareSerial to communicate with the GPS module and verifies its validity. Once verified, the data is transmitted to the Arduino IoT Cloud, where it can be visualized on an interactive dashboard.

This data includes:

• Latitude and Longitude: For generating the current location on a map.
• Satellite Count: To monitor GPS signal strength and reliability.
• Speed (km/h): To determine the device’s current velocity

How it Works

Initialization:

• The Blink Board initializes the GPS module and establishes a connection to the Arduino IoT Cloud using Wi-Fi.

GPS Data Collection:

• The Neo-6M module captures data from satellites, including latitude, longitude, speed, and satellite count.
• The Blink Board processes this data via HardwareSerial.

Cloud Transmission:

• Validated GPS data is sent to the Arduino IoT Cloud.

Visualization:

The cloud dashboard displays the location on a live map and provides real-time updates on speed and satellite connections.

Components

• Blink Board: Acts as the microcontroller to process GPS data and connect to the Arduino IoT Cloud.
• Neo-6M GPS Module with EEPROM: Captures GPS data, including latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and satellite count.
• GPS Antenna: Improves the GPS module’s ability to capture signals from satellites.
• 24V Power Supply: Powers the Blink Board.

Let’s test our project

• Power the Blink Board and GPS module using the appropriate power supply.
• Open the Arduino IoT Cloud dashboard on a web browser or mobile app.
• Check the live map for the device’s current location.
• Monitor speed and satellite count updates in real time.
• Verify the latitude and longitude values by comparing them with another GPS app or device.

This GPS tracking system showcases the power of combining IoT and GPS technologies. Using the Blink Board, Neo-6M GPS module, and Arduino IoT Cloud, we’ve created a scalable and robust platform for real-time tracking.

Whether for personal use, fleet management, or security purposes, this project can be expanded with additional functionalities to meet your specific needs. Let us know how you plan to use this system.