WebServices Integration on an RFID-Based Tracking System for Urban Transportation Monitoring∗

Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) Systems are being introduced increasingly in many cities around the world. These systems are aimed at cost reduction and optimization of time and resources. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based system called RFID Urban Transportation Monitoring System (RUTMS), is proposed in this paper for urban transportation tracking. The monitoring of bus stops and lines on the route map has been integrated and an EPCGlobal-based WebServices interface to the proposed system has been developed. RFID readers are located in the bus stops for retrieving real-time data, as these data can be compared to the information of the transport routes stored in the database of the tracking system. A Web environment is proposed for this purpose, as these data can be accessed anytime through whichever device using a web browser. The architectural model is based on a Fosstrak EPCIS Repository, as it has been certified by EPCGlobal, and it can be used in any open source software platform implementing the EPC Network specifications. Two Web services are developed: the first one is used for monitoring the transport location and the second one is used for displaying the arrival time of any bus to a specific bus stop. A graphical interface has also been integrated on the tracking system. The system we propose is a simple and inexpensive tool to locate bus transport in a Geographic Information System (GIS), by using RFID readers in the bus stops and RFID tags in the buses.