IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.18 No.

10, October 2018 113

Mobile Navigation Application for the University: A Case Study

Afnan Amirruddin and Mohd Hilmi Hasan,

Centre for Research in Data Science, Computer and Information Sciences Department, Universiti Teknologi
PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia

Summary experience to the users [4]. The similar app is also used in
Human being uses mapping system as their mean of navigation several other universities such as Massachusetts Institute of
such as physical map and stars in the sky. Since the advance of Technology, Texas A&M University, and University of
technology, we saw the thrive of Global Positioning System North Carolina, Chapel Hill [5].
(GPS) like PAPAGO! which produces GPS hardware just for
This research is conducted to study and develop a mobile
navigation. Nowadays, the advancement of navigation
technology is rapidly growing as seen from the immense number
navigation app to our university. Our preliminary survey
of users using mobile apps like Google Maps and Waze. In this showed that the app is required to guide students, staff and
research, we propose the use of this technology to resolve the visitors in touring around the campus. The problem arises
navigation problem in a confined place such as university. We due to the naming of the buildings, whereby most buildings
focus the study on our university, where most of the buildings are are not named after department’s/unit’s names. Instead, the
named alphabetically such as N, L or P block. This naming naming uses alphabetical identification such as N, L or P
system is quite confusing as compared to using the department block. This naming system does not define where the
name for the building. The department name cannot be used to location is, instead it just provides some generic names.
identify buildings because there are buildings that contain several
Hence, this research aims at conducting a study on mobile
departments. This problem does not only affect new students,
new staff or visitors, but also the existing students and staff. navigation app and developing it, as a feasible and efficient
Hence, we develop a university mobile navigation system to solution to the navigation system throughout the campus.
resolve the issue. The system is developed as a mobile app and as The objectives of this paper are to discuss the results of the
for this research it runs on Android platform only. The results study conducted in UTP regarding the mobile navigation
show that the system can provide customized navigation for the app, and to present the developed app and its performance.
university. This paper is organized as follows. The next section
Key words: presents the literature review on the existing works,
Android mobile app, navigation app, mobile navigation app, followed by the methodology section. Next, results and
navigation system discussion section are presented, and lastly the conclusion
section summarizes the research and outlines some future
works.
1. Introduction
The development of information technology and the
massive acceptance of mobile devices have led to the
2. Survey and Related Works
introduction of various mobile navigation apps. An Navigation is defined as the demonstration or routine with
example of the apps is NavToPref, which can recommend regards to exploring [6]. In addition, the act of
and guide users to the nearest locations where their most coordinating a ship, air ship etc. starting with one place
preferred products are available [1]. Another example is a then onto the next, or the exploration of finding a path
mobile app that combines augmented reality, QR code and starting with one place then onto the next [7]. Furthermore,
cloud computing technologies. These three technologies navigation is described as the way of getting objects or
serve different tasks in ensuring a good and lively scene individual from one place to another [8]. Nowadays,
and information delivery for users’ navigation [2]. Mobile people associate the word navigation with Global
navigation app is also used for marketing and advertising Positioning System (GPS). GPS can also be defined as the
local foods to visitors as shown in [3]. Many other mobile provider of constant timing and positioning information in
navigation apps have also shown that they offer significant real-time without any restrictions regarding the weather [9].
benefits such as efficient routing/navigation as well as GPS comprises typically, of a group of stars of 24
information-based navigation. Mobile navigation apps can operational satellites. This star grouping, known as the
also provide best experience to users in universities. An underlying operational capacity (IOC), was finished in July
example is the mobile app used for navigation in California 1993 [10]. However, the 24 satellites that keep GPS
State University, which intends to provide best user administrations running in the US aren’t particularly

Manuscript received October 5, 2018

Manuscript revised October 20, 2018
114 IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.18 No.10, October 2018

secure; they’re defenseless against screw-ups, or assaults

of the digital or bodily kind [11].
In relation to GPS and navigation, individuals regularly
become mixed up in structures, including libraries,
doctor’s facilities, conference centers, and malls. There are
three contributing variables; the spatial structure of the
building, the intellectual maps that users develop as they
explore, and the methodologies and spatial capacities of
the users of the buildings. Therefore, these variables are
some factors that explained how the personnel can be lost
or cannot found specific venues throughout a certain
building [12]. Fig. 1 Number of years respondent has been in UTP
For some people, using GPS is not their necessities. But
technologies nowadays are utilizing the GPS as a part of As in Figure 2, the survey results also show that majority
daily life. Such example is social media. From Facebook to of the respondents have had experience being lost when
WhatsApp, they are implementing the GPS in their finding building, classroom or venue in UTP (125
features. For example, if you want to meet a person, you respondents) and 23 respondents finding it otherwise.
could just send location via WhatsApp and the person Figure 3, meanwhile, show that 119 respondents have had
could go there at ease. Not to forget also the existence of experience being late to certain venue due to lack of
Google Maps on the smartphones. Moreover, people lose precise location of the venue.
all sense of direction to some extent since we don’t focus
and have lost old methods for perusing the earth to explore
[13].
From the article written by Ghose, the human sense of
navigation is not a superior thing, thus by having GPS, it
filled the void of the human weakness. In addition, GPS
are widely used from land navigation, aviation and space
guidance for space explorations. Thus, the need of GPS is
significant not for just daily use, but also for military, air
transportation and technology in space exploration [8].
A specific guidance or navigation system would really help
our university’s staff and students in saving times and
energy for navigating from a place to another. Thus, we
Fig. 2 Number of respondents have experienced being lost in UTP
gathered some information and conducted a survey to our
staff as well as current and former university’s students.
There were 148 respondents participated in the survey
where the results are described in the following paragraphs.
From the total number of respondents, 89.9% are students
(133), 2.7% are staff (4) and 7.4% are alumni (11).
There are 77 respondents who have been in the university
(UTP) around 3-4 years, followed by 32 respondents has
been in UTP for 1-2 years. The third is respondents that
has been more than 5 years (29 respondents) and followed
by the least respondents (10 respondents) that has been in
UTP for less than a year. This is shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 3 Relevancy of tour and easiness to remember the locations

throughout UTP

There is an initiative to guide new students about venues

and places around the campus through campus tour
program during students’ orientation week. However, this
initiative is conducted during their first week at the
IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.18 No.10, October 2018 115

university, which may not be helpful to guide them in later respondents). There are also 4 respondents that are
years at the university. Figure 4 shows the survey results disagree with the suggestion. This survey is shown in
about students’ opinion on the campus tour program. It Figure 7.
shows that 50% of the respondents (74 respondents)
answered “maybe” as an answer as they also quite unsure
whether the tours helped them to remember all the
locations or not. The are 58 responded disagree with the
statement that the tour helped them to navigate through
UTP and the least is the respondents with “yes” as the
answer to the question (16 respondents).

Fig. 5 Keenness of respondents to look on phone while going to venues

Fig. 4 Relevancy of tour and easiness to remember the locations

throughout UTP

Therefore, in this research, we proposed the university

navigation through mobile app. To support the need for
this kind of app, we surveyed on the keenness of the
respondents to looking at the phone while walking or on
the way to venue has been conducted. 73 respondents
looking at their phones sometimes, followed by 46
respondents with often looking at their phones. This Fig. 6 Opinion on whether navigation system sophisticated, relevant and
followed by 23 respondents and 6 respondents on rarely efficient
and never looking at their phone while going to venues.
This is shown in Figure 5. This is supported with the next
survey which is on opinion poll whether the respondents
think that having a navigation system to find all building,
classroom or venue within their smartphones is
sophisticated, relevant and efficient or not. As shown in
Figure 6, 73% agrees on thoughts that having an
application to help to go to venues is sophisticated,
relevant and efficient (108 respondents). Followed by
21.6% of respondents with in the middle (32 respondents)
and the rest with “no” as the choice (8 respondents).
The final survey, which is whether the respondents agree if
other universities could take initiative to have navigation
system for every building, classroom and venue in their Fig. 7 Does respondents agree if other campus could take initiative
respective campus also giving the almost consistent data having a navigation system
received from the previous question. 83.1% of the
respondents agree for other universities to have the similar There are numerous GPS related mobile apps; Google
fashion for navigating throughout the campus (123 Maps and Waze, just to name a few. Figure 8 shows that
respondents) followed by 14.2% that are in the middle (21 just interest Point of View (POI) places that are displayed
116 IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.18 No.10, October 2018

in the map rather than every blocks and section that are numerous records, bird’s eye perspective of the map and
available in our university. Table 1 shows the comparison the capacity to report on ongoing information in real-time.
between our proposed apps, UTP Navigation System A basic yet all around created instinctive UI enables
(UTPNS), and the existing apps. simple access to the easy access and navigation.

Our literature survey found that a GPS-based app has

shortcomings, such as it requires heavy battery
consumption, and the signal could not go through strong
structures so can’t work inside, underground, under the
water, or under a thick overhang of trees. It also can be
influenced by vast structures and is normally problematic
in CBD zones. Lastly, GPS-based app’s accuracy is
identified with the nature of flag gathering; the bigger the
radio wire the better the flag – so supreme scaling down
isn’t conceivable while keeping up great situating
exactness [15]. The proposed UTPNS is a derived and
inspired by the Google Maps but specifically to be done to
the UTP staff and students. This includes the building
details for students, lectures and any related entities.

3. Methods
Fig. 8 Google Maps interface
Figure 9 shows the general process system flowchart of
UTPNS.
Table 1: Comparison Between UTPNS and Existing Apps
Criteria UTPNS Google Waze
Maps
Navigation Yes Yes Yes
Specific POI details in Yes No No
UTP
Detail of each block in a Yes No No
building

Our literature survey found that a navigation should have

the following basic features [14]:

1. Continuous Tracking
Most GPS Tracking gadgets are empowered with
continuous tracking. Location of the mobile phone/user is
being traced on the guide as it moves from point to point.
The GPS location of user is shown on a guide alongside
vehicle speed if the vehicle is moving. The present
condition of the vehicle like moving, stopped since or sit
out of gear is demonstrated utilizing map markers.

2. History tracking
User can track every past location made by him on the map.
From travelled POI and history of location travelled should
be able to be assessed by the user. This helps the user to
have easier and faster way to assess the POI rather than
retyping the location name as such.
Fig. 9 General Process System Flowchart
3. Simple to utilize, easy to understand interface.
A basic and natural UI gives intense highlights like
gathering great access without the requirement for
IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.18 No.10, October 2018 117

In the development of UTPNS, the following tools and 4. Results and Discussion
software were used:
1. Android studio Figure 11 shows the main page of UTPNS app. The user
 A software for developing mobile applications for ID and password are linked to the university login ID that
android platform that is suitable to use for the is used to login to university-wide applications such as
development of the system. email and e-learning system. There are buttons for
 More user friendly mobile application to be used choosing to input for directions, directions, about point of
and straightforward. interest (POI), history and logout if necessary. To start
2. MIT App Inventor navigation, user needs to click on “Directions” link.
 A software as alternative to android studio for the
development of the mobile application.
 Easier to integrate to fulfil the functional
requirements.
3. Test smartphone
 A smartphone to be used as a test platform for the
mobile application.
 Can be tested through desktop PC, but more
suitable to use a real smartphone to simulate the
user experience
4. Test server
 The test server is used to storage etc.
5. JustInMind
 For the development of prototype
 Easy to use and less time consuming
6. Computer
 For programming and execution

Meanwhile, Figure 10 shows the Use Case Diagram of the

proposed UTPNS. Fig. 11 Main Page

Figure 12 shows an example when user chooses the “IRC

UTP”.

Fig. 10 Use Case Diagram

Fig. 12 Direction to input location

118 IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.18 No.10, October 2018

Figure 13 shows some of the POI in our university. We 5. Conclusion

take Information Resource Center (IRC) for example. IRC
has their specific timing on opening hours and sometimes The survey conducted to our university’s staff, students,
students went there to find out that it closed. Therefore, and alumni as well the literature survey, it shows that the
this provide information on that as well as contact problem arises in campus navigation due to less
information if necessary, as shown in Figure 14. information available and the naming of the venues and
buildings. This had motivated this research because it gave
opportunity to introduce a mobile navigation app that is
able to specify the locations in the campus. In this paper,
the developed mobile navigation app for our campus is
presented. The result shows that the app is working
according to the planned features; in providing directions
to the users.

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Afnan Amirruddin graduates from Universiti Tekknologi

PETRONAS (UTP) with Bachelor of Information Technology in
2018. He is currently pursuing Master’s Degree in Information
Technology at UTP.

Mohd Hilmi Hasan is a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi

PETRONAS (UTP), Malaysia. He obtained his Ph.D in
Information Technology from UTP in 2017 with a research in the
area of artificial intelligence, specifically Interval Type-2 fuzzy.
He also graduated with Master of Information Technology
(eScience) from The Australian National University in 2004 and
Bachelor of Technology (Hons.) Information Technology from
UTP in 2002. He has been teaching and being an active
researcher at UTP since 2004, in which his research interest
covers areas of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and
networking and communication systems.