Real-Time Human Trajectory Dataset Capture Model (RT-HTDCM) using GPS and Assisted-GPS Technologies: African Perspective

Abstract

Movement is one of the characteristics of human beings that allow them change their location with time in their environment to obtain essential requirements of life and also take part in other social life activities. A moving person always leave trajectory (trace) through which he/she passed. But it is often difficult for people to divulge information about their trajectories.  However, the information is often needed or required, for business, security, social, etc, reasons to monitor their trajectories and infer what led them through these trajectories. With the recent development in Telecommunications and ICT (Information & Communications Technology ) in combination with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, traces of moving persons can be recorded digitally on real-time using GPS-enabled devices such as Smartphones, PDAs, Pads, and Cameras assigned to them. In this paper, we proposed a model for developing real-time human trajectory dataset capture software that uses GPS and Assisted-GPS Technologies on Smartphones for tracking and recording of such movement traces of individuals in African developing country, Nigeria. Some smartphones installed with the model (RT-HTDC software) were tested in geographical areas of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria, and samples of date/time-stamped location points of these smartphone-users were captured and recorded. These location points if connected sequentially can form trajectories (traces) of smartphone-users.

Keywords: GPS, Assisted-GPS, Smartphones, location-log, Trajectory, Moving Objects