Abstract - The problem developed with the loss or mishandling of luggage at any customer baggage

oriented place is a huge matter of consent, despite the fact that every year 1% of luggage is lost in
airline travel itself, which is huge in stats. It’s a constant source of stress for passengers and customers.
Plus, the waiting time at the baggage claim, wondering if the bag reached the right place at the right
time, can be very demanding. This project works for satisfying the demands of all the consumers,
helping with providing a unique identity to the baggage with the help of NFC tags. The proper system
comprises of a luggage tracking device that tracks the luggage using an assisted GPS module. The
assisted GPS module gives the location details to the GSM module with the help of Arduino Uno. This
information about the location is sent to the AWS cloud where it is stored in the database. Whenever
the user wants to check for the bag status, he/she can log in to the cloud and check for the bag location.
In addition to this, the GSM module sends a text message to the user’s mobile specifying the location of
the misplaced luggage.

Keywords-Bag tracking; NFC; Arduino Uno; alert System; GSM module; GPRS.

INTRODUCTION

Air transportation is currently in an era of quick expansion. For sustainable development, certain issues
need to be urgently rectified. In particular, loss of luggage is pervasive. Anyone can lose their luggage,
irrespective of the circumstances and conditions. Bags with important transcripts or valuable things and
can be lost or theft and people can lose their important stuff. It is important to

efficiently manage baggage and travelers and assuring the secure operation of the services provided at
the airport. Usually, it is seen that people get robbed in the areas like railway and bus stations and
various other public and private areas. Also, people even forget their luggage which can have useful
things. So it is highly necessary to track the bags which got lost or theft. There are a number of reports
on traveler expectations and its fulfillment on the services provided at airport terminals. As a result,
issues regarding luggage, such as management of luggage, control of luggage, and auto labeling of the
same, have been pointed out as general dissatisfaction among travelers. To tackle such issues our
proposal explains a technique that aids airport users manage their luggage, focusing on increased
control, and provides the possibility of real-time luggage monitoring.

The main objective of our proposal is to provide a mechanism for luggage labeling via tags NFC for
identification of the owner of luggage and its tracking throughout the airport, having security, privacy,
and data integrity as a priority. Regarding related proposals, permanent labeling is used by the British
Airways system, with automatical labeling configuration and electronically saved. However, the
objective of our system is luggage tracking.

In the proposed system, the present position of the luggage is tracked at all times by the airport with the
aid of NFC tags. Since smartphones have now started adopting this technology, travelers will also be
able to check their luggage online via GPS. Travelers with no access to NFC will be offered the to access
check-in desk added with NFC technology. Thus, with the availability of online check-in, travelers can
get prompt luggage check-in process.

With the use of RFID, a significant decrease in the number of mishandled luggage can be observed.
There are various kinds of RFID tags available and every tag has a unique identification number and
that’s why they are one of the main components of this system. The tag can be put in the active and
passive mode with an internal power supply. However, NFC tags are passive they draw power from the
device transfer the data. The read-only types of tags are utilized in this system. In order to match the
tag, the database is used regarding the name, address, phone number, flight number etc.

RELATED WORK

In recent years lot has been done in order to track the lost bags, one or the other technologies used
have its own way and significance of doing its task. On the contrary of this bag missing and loosing has
also increased in many ways, for example, suspicious bags robbing activities are also trending topic
these days. Also, some of the bag monitoring techniques have been used in order to check the things
which are present inside the bag so that they don’t pose a threat to the security. Some of the techniques
present are:

1. Konas Bags

Konas bags offers luggage and bag packs that we can track from the smartphone. With the help of the
tracking device present in the bag, we can track the device through the application installed on the
smartphone.

Disadvantage

• In this, we can only track the bags once they have been lost and not when they are theft, so this
doesn’t provide the feature of providing the surety that whether the bag would ever be recovered or
not.

• Also, we won’t be knowing when the bag was lost or theft so if we get to know about it a few hours
later, then it can be a possibility that may have transported or traveled far away and a lot of distance.

2. Trackable Bag Tags

• A lot of trackable tags are available which can be tied with the bag in order to track the bags when
they are lost.

• These tags have inbuilt GPS chip through which the company would track the lost bag. There are a lot
of companies in the market who are providing these tags with different features like dynotag, LugLoc,
and Robot Check.
Disadvantage

• Again the tags don’t notify you as soon as the bag is stolen or loss, instead of when we find out that
the bag has been lost then only we try to track them down.

• The tags don’t provide you a mobile or computer frontend interface to track and view the location of
the bag, instead, the company owning the tag would try to track down the location, so the owner is
always in dark about what is exactly happening.

3. Trackdot Luggage Tracker

Trackdot is a luggage tracker device which is placed inside the bag when a person is traveling. It works
on ground-based cellular technology and microelectronics. When in an airplane during takeoff, it shuts
down automatically and enters in an airplane mode and

again activates during landing when the pilot applies brakes.

Disadvantage

• It is very costly approx. $56.

• It is available in western countries

• Does not provide instant notification if the bag is theft or lost which is a major drawback.

• Not available in India

PROPOSED SYSTEM MODEL

The customer urge to deal with baggage, the assigned bag/parcel are sent for adding tracking devices to
it, the whole tracking and monitoring system comprises of NFC tags, GSM module, assisted GPS, and
Arduino Uno as a microcontroller.

The ease of this project is increased by the use of NFC tag, NFC tags complete the identification task of
the bag within just snap of the fingers also using NFC tags only assigned authority can collect the bag
which increases the security and certainty of the baggage. Unlike other projects use of NFC is better in
terms of technologies and time-saving. GSM module and GPS are used for tracking exactly
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

location of the bag, GPS notes the location and GSM module sends this location to the cloud

linked with the assignment, a unique id and password are assigned to the customer through which he
can log in to the cloud and get the update for the location of the baggage time to time whenever he
wishes to.

Figure 1
The model as shown in Figure 1 captures the flow of the system and have been described using the
following points –

• As and when the consignment is booked, it is attached with a pack of NFC tag, GSM module, assisted
GPS, and Arduino Uno.

• All the details of the package are recorded against the tag ID and stored in a Global Database which is
linked to the cloud. The NFC tag now becomes the identity of the baggage and the tracking ID of the
package is recorded against the NFC tag.

• NCF reading tags are installed at every connected nodal points.(nodal points are all the places through
which the baggage will pass and records will be maintained).

• Since GPS is used for tracking the location of the bag, GPS device can retrieve the location and time
information of the bag plus in addition to that, it can be used for location, tracking and mapping the
product it is used for.

• This location details are given to the GSM module and stored as a backup, GSM module is used to
supply internet to the system, the data is manipulated using the Arduino UNO micro-controller and send
to the cloud through GSM module.

• Cloud gives a platform to store the data of the bag and it also gives a platform to the customer to login
and looks at the updates of the bag. Security and certainty are preserved using the cloud plus it is more
secure for any bag since the login details generated for the cloud is shared only with the customer.

Figure 2.AWS Cloud Services

TECHNOLOGIES USED
Mentioned proposed system consists of technologies used for tracking, identification, storing data,
manipulating it, and sending it to a user-friendly platform for acknowledgment. Assisted GPS, NFC tag,
GSM module, Arduino Uno, and cloud networking is used in this project. Details:

Assisted GPS:

An Assisted GPS or an A-GPS is an abbreviation for the assisted global positioning system. Here we have
used a-GPS instead of GPS devices depend completely on the information given from satellites whereas
an A-GPS augments that by using a cell tower data for enhancing quality and precision of the location
when there are poor satellite signal conditions. Advantages of A-GPS are as follows:

• Faster location acquisition

• Less processing power is required by the device

• Saves battery life

• Location acquisition indoors or in non-optimal environmental settings.

NFC tag:

These small little NFC tags came like a revolution in identification sector. These tags can store big ranges
of information such as, from short lines of text, like a web address or contact details of a customer,
which is taken at the time of baggage submission and verified and the time of collection with the
customer at the other end of the process.

GSM module:

GSM is basically a mobile communication modem; it abbreviates for global system for mobile
communication (GSM). A GSM digitizes the data and reduces, then sends it down through a channel to
the destination where the client data has to reach, each in its own particular time slot. The GSM digital
system has a prime ability to carry 64-kbps to 120-Mbps of data in unit rate.

Arduino UNO :
The Arduino UNO is a basically a widely used open-source microcontroller board it is based on Microchip
ATmega328P microcontroller. In this project, Arduino is like a brain it computes the location details into
the user-friendly form and gives it to GSM module to transfer it to the cloud. Also if the location details
show some malfunction it sends the emergency message to the user.

Cloud:

In our project, we have used the AWS Cloud. AWS cloud gives the best platform for the user to access
and get updates for the baggage. It is very user-friendly. Using cloud for keeping and storing data is very
secure as compared to other technologies, as the user will be given unique identity and password for his
consignment.

CONCLUSION

This document is structured as follows. Section 2 introduces the objectives and requirements of our
luggage control system. Section3 briefly mentions some key aspects of the main components of the
system. Section4 describes the complete structure of the system, paying special attention to the internal
operations related to data flows. The cryptographic tools that provide reliability for luggage control, as
well as the authentication and confidentiality protection, are described in Section 5. Several possible
vulnerabilities and attacks to the system are analyzed in Section 6. A brief performance analysis of
cryptographic tools and the NFC technology is included in Section 7. We conclude in Section 8 with some
open problem.

The main objective of our proposal is to provide a mechanism for luggage labeling via tags NFC for
identification of the owner of luggage and its tracking throughout the world with GPS and
microcontroller attached to it, having security, privacy, and data integrity as a priority. Regarding related
proposals, permanent labeling is used by the British Airways system, with automatically labeling
configuration and electronically saved. However, the objective of our system is luggage tracking.

FUTURE POSSIBILITIES

Since NFC is still making its way to the mainstream, third parties have not yet integrated the technology
into many products or services. So far, Google Wallet is one of the only services that has invested in
building an infrastructure that allows users to replace credit cards with NFC-enabled phones.

The challenge here is that creating such an infrastructure is expensive, takes time, and its success relies
on the consumers' awareness of NFC. Even with all of Google's efforts, Wallet is still a niche product,
mostly due to the lack of NFC-ready credit card terminals and NFC-ready phones and tablets.

Nonetheless, the excitement over NFC is building. Students, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers are
already prototyping (and even selling!) NFC-based solutions that can make our lives easier. Here are a
few examples.
References

[1] Madakam, Somayya, R. Ramaswamy, and Siddharth Tripathi. "Internet of Things (IoT): A Literature
Review." Journal of Computer and Communications 3.05 (2015): 164.

[2] Catarinucci, Luca, et al. "An IoT Aware Architecture for Smart Healthcare Systems." Internet of Things
Journal, IEEE 2.6 (2015): 515-526.

[3] Redondi, Alessandro, et al. "An integrated system based on wireless sensor networks for patient
monitoring, localization, and tracking." Ad Hoc Networks11.1 (2013): 39-53

[4] T.Padmapriya, Ms. N. Dhivya, Ms. U. Udhayamathi, “Minimizing Communication Cost In Wireless
Sensor Networks To Avoid Packet Retransmission”, International Innovative Research Journal of
Engineering and Technology, Vol. 2, Special Issue, pp. 38-42.

[5] A. V. Pugliese III, “Baggage check-in and security system and method,” Mar. 28 2000, US Patent
6,044,353

[6] J. Svec, “Methods and apparatus for luggage tracking and identification using RFID technology,” Dec.
20, 2013, US Patent App. 14/137,429

[7] L. Ye-Won and C. Yong-Lak, “Proposal for air-baggage tracing system based on IOT,” in Future
Generation Communication and Networking (FGCN), 2015 9th International Conference on. IEEE, 2015,
pp. 25– 28.

[8] P. Systems, “Swiss post automates mail tracking with RFID technology,”
2012.[Online].Available:http://postandparcel.info/51061/news/it/swisspost-automates-mailtracking-
with-rfid-technology

[9] Atzori, L.; Iera, A.; Morabito, G. The internet of things: A survey. Comput. Netw. 2010, 54, 2787–
2805.

[10] Yogerst, J. Best and Worst Airlines for Lost Luggage. Travel and Leisure. 2013. Available
online:http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/best-and-worst-airlines-for-lost-luggage (accessed on
10 April 2014).

[11] McCartney, S. Baggage Claim: Airlines Are Winning the War on Lost Luggage. Available
online:http://online.wsj.com/articles/baggage-claim-airlines-are-winning-the-war-on-lost-luggage-
1401922595(accessed on 3 December 2016).

[12] Bates, J. Lost Luggage Rates Continue to Decline—New Report; Aviation Media: London, UK, 2015