Overview

Final year project at Singapore Polytechnic. Built a comprehensive vehicle telematics system to monitor driving behavior and promote eco-friendly driving habits. The system combines hardware sensors, GPS tracking, real-time analytics, and multiple software components.

System Architecture

Multi-Component Design

Desktop Application: WPF application for real-time monitoring
Background Services: Weather, traffic, SMS processing
Web Interface: Route visualization and historical data
Hardware Integration: GPS and Phidgets sensors

Components

Confero (Main App): Core WPF application with custom XAML controls
CWeatherWatch: Weather data integration
TrafficWatch: Traffic information monitoring
SMSGateway/SMSGatewayHBM: SMS alert systems
SMSAlertReader: SMS processing service
WebBrowser: Map-based web interface
Configuration: System settings management

Implementation

GPS Integration

Real-time GPS tracking for:

  • Current location and speed
  • Route recording
  • Distance calculation
  • Trip history

Sensor Integration

Phidgets hardware interface for:

  • Vehicle speed monitoring
  • Fuel consumption
  • Engine metrics
  • Custom sensor inputs

Performance Calculation

Eco-driving score based on:

  • Acceleration patterns
  • Braking behavior
  • Speed consistency
  • Fuel efficiency

Database Synchronization

Multi-tier data management:

  • Local SQLite for real-time data
  • SQL Server for historical storage
  • Sync service for data transfer

Web Visualization

ASP.NET web interface with:

  • Interactive maps (Virtual Earth/Bing Maps)
  • Route playback
  • Performance graphs
  • Trip comparison

Technical Challenges

Hardware Integration: Interfacing with Phidgets sensors and GPS receivers. Implemented abstraction layer for sensor communication.

Real-time Performance: Ensuring responsive UI while processing sensor data. Used background workers and async patterns.

Data Synchronization: Reliable sync between local and server databases. Implemented conflict resolution and retry logic.

SMS Gateway: Building reliable SMS alert system. Dual implementation (SMSGateway and SMSGatewayHBM) for redundancy.

Features

Real-time Monitoring

  • Current speed, location, and heading
  • Live performance metrics
  • Instant eco-driving feedback

Trip Management

  • Automatic trip detection
  • Manual trip start/stop
  • Trip categorization
  • Historical trip review

Eco-Driving Analytics

  • Driving score calculation
  • Behavior analysis
  • Improvement suggestions
  • Comparative statistics

Alert System

  • SMS notifications
  • Performance warnings
  • Maintenance reminders
  • Weather alerts

Technology Stack

Languages: C#, XAML, SQL
Frameworks: WPF .NET Framework 3.5
Hardware: Phidgets sensors, GPS receivers
Database: SQL Server, SQLite
Web: ASP.NET, Virtual Earth API
Communication: SMS gateway, web services

Results

Completed final year project with:

  • 9 integrated components
  • Real-time sensor processing
  • Multi-platform deployment (desktop, web, services)
  • Production-quality implementation

Project Context

Institution: Singapore Polytechnic
Year: Year 3, 2008-2009
Type: Final Year Project (FYP)
Team: Multi-component development

Source Code

GitHub: github.com/tanchunsiong/confero-eco-driving

Contact

Final Year Project, 2008-2009