Date of Publication XXXX 00, 0000, Date of Current Version XXXX 00, 0000.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/[Link] Number
Real-Time GPS Vehicle Tracking System Using ESP32 with SIM808 and Neo-M8N
Aland Awat Muhammed
Faculty of Computing, Computer Science Department
Qaiwan International University, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
ABSTRACT In recent years, real-time vehicle tracking has become essential for monitoring the safety and movement of
vehicles. This project presents a GPS-based vehicle tracking system using an ESP32 microcontroller integrated with a
SIM808 GSM module and Neo-M8N GPS receiver. The system captures live GPS coordinates and sends them to a remote
server via GPRS, where they are stored in a MySQL database and visualized on a web dashboard using PHP and LeafletJS.
This system enhances monitoring capabilities, offering a practical solution for real-time vehicle tracking in fleet
management, logistics, and personal vehicle security.
KEY WORDS: GPS, ESP32, SIM808, Neo-M8N, GPRS, Real-Time Tracking, LeafletJS, PHP
I. INTRODUCTION This structure ensures scalability for future enhancements
like multi-vehicle support. The ERD below shows the
Vehicle tracking is a growing necessity in both commercial relation between vehicle and GPS data entries.
and personal sectors. With the rapid advancement of IoT
(Internet of Things), real-time tracking solutions have
become more accessible and cost-effective. Traditional
tracking systems are often expensive and require complex
infrastructure. This project aims to design a real-time GPS
vehicle tracking system using affordable hardware
components and simple web-based architecture to enable live
monitoring of vehicle location.
The goal is to create a functional prototype that can track a
vehicle using GPS coordinates obtained by a Neo-M8N GPS Figure 2: Entity Relationship Diagram
module, which are sent via a SIM808 GSM/GPRS module
connected to an ESP32 microcontroller. These coordinates
The user interface includes a simple dashboard showing the
are then displayed on a dynamic map in a web interface for
current location of the vehicle, update time, and route history
the admin.
plotted on a map.
II. Methodology
The system is composed of hardware and software
components working together in real-time. The ESP32
microcontroller collects GPS data from the Neo-M8N
module and sends it via SIM808 using HTTP GET requests
over the GSM/GPRS network.
On the server side, PHP scripts receive and store the data in a
MySQL database. The web interface displays the data using
Google Maps API to plot the vehicle's live location.
Figure 3: Interface – Map with Vehicle Position
III. Database and Interface Design
The system database consists of a single table gps_data with
fields such as id, vehicle_id, latitude, longitude, timestamp.
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IV. Hardware and Web Implementation updates. However, only one user role (admin) was supported in
this version. Future implementations could support multiple user
The ESP32 is programmed using Arduino IDE with libraries roles and vehicle assignments.
for GPS and HTTP handling. The SIM808 is powered
through regulated 5V, and the GPS is connected via serial VII. Conclusion and Future Work
communication to ESP32 (TX/RX).
This system provides an effective solution for real-time
On the server, PHP handles data reception and displays vehicle tracking using affordable IoT components. It
vehicle positions on Google Maps. The user dashboard demonstrates successful communication between GPS
shows live vehicle status and historical paths using markers hardware and web-based dashboard via GPRS. Future work
and polylines. may include support for multiple vehicles, user role
management (e.g., owner, driver), mobile app development,
V. Methodology zone-based alerts (geofencing), and offline data caching
during connection loss.
The system development followed a traditional Software
Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including: REFERENCES
1. Requirement Analysis: Determining hardware and [1] M. F. Alrifaie, et al., "GPS Vehicle Tracking System
software requirements. Based on Arduino and SIM808," 2018.
2. System Design: Defining architecture, interface flow,
and ER diagrams.
[2] P. A. Shinde, Y. B. Mane, “Vehicle Tracking Using GPS
3. Implementation: Coding microcontroller (Arduino), & GSM Modem,” 2015.
server (PHP), and frontend dashboard.
4. Testing: Black-box, white-box, and user testing were
conducted. [3] S. Prabhu, et al., “IoT-based Vehicle Tracking System
with Notification,” 2023.
Figure 2: Use Case Diagram
Figure 3: Sequence Diagram
VI. Results and Discussion
The system successfully tracked the vehicle’s live location and
displayed it accurately on the map. Historical route data was
correctly stored and retrievable. Testing showed consistent
behavior across multiple sessions, with minimal delay in location
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