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Children’s safety has become one of the most important concerns for schools and families. Every now and then we hear about a child who has gone missing.
Another situation can also happen: the student has left for school but hasn’t arrived. Where might they have gone in between? What unusual activity might be going on?
Parents are always concerned about their children’s safety. Their concern is justified, since children spend much of their time at school, and school plays an important role in their lives.
Making use of developing technology, schools and colleges have tried and implemented BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) based tracking to keep track of students.
As the name suggests, the technology consumes less energy than standard Bluetooth.
What is BLE?
BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) is a form of Bluetooth designed to consume very little power, as the Bluetooth SIG describes it. It was developed to offer a low-energy, low-cost wireless protocol.
Adoption was slow at first, but once BLE was built into smartphones, it grew quickly.
To keep power consumption low, BLE sends small amounts of data at a lower rate than classic Bluetooth, which is why a small battery in a tag can last a long time.
How Does BLE based Student Tracking Work?
BLE beacon technology is simple and easy to understand. First, every student is given an ID card containing a BLE tag with its MAC (Media Access Control) ID.
The following uses will help you understand BLE based student tracking:
For Marking Attendance
- Whenever a student enters the school premises, the BLE reader placed there reads their ID.
- The system matches it to the existing data in the database and marks the student’s attendance.
For Transportation
- Whenever a student boards a school bus, the BLE reader placed there reads their ID.
- Through a GSM module, parents are notified in their app that their child has boarded the bus.
- A similar notification is sent when the child gets off the bus.
- Parents are also told if the child gets off at the wrong stop.
- If there is any delay, the bus staff inform the parents as well as the school.
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What Are the Benefits of BLE Based Student Tracking?
BLE based student tracking has several benefits that serve the goal of keeping students safe.
It also reassures parents about their child’s safety by giving them location information even while the child is commuting on the school bus.
Following are the benefits of BLE based student tracking:
1. Real-time location
Parents are notified of the exact time their child boards and leaves the bus, along with the name of the stop.
They know whether the child boarded or got off at the registered stop, and even whether the child waited too long for the bus, which matters especially in extreme weather.
2. Better Safety
Because the system knows where a child was last seen, it delivers better safety. Student data is saved in the cloud, so the information is accurate and available when it is needed.
3. Better Control
With every detail stored in the cloud, the school has better access to its operations and services. The built-in features give the school and transport operators better control over transport operations and their efficiency.
4. Notifications
The system notifies parents of their child’s whereabouts throughout the day.
Whether it is pick-up and drop-off from the school bus or entering the classroom for attendance, parents are notified every time the student’s ID is read.
The school is notified too, whether it is a late entry to class, a late pick-up or drop-off, or a school bus running late because of traffic or bad weather.
5. Touch-less Access
The student tracking system uses BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) iBeacon tags attached to the student’s ID card. These ID cards act as a tracking device for each student’s check-in and check-out.
The whole process is touch-less. Every time a student checks in or out, the reader picks up their ID, the details are matched with the existing data, and then the notification is sent.
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6. Accurate Reporting
All reporting is based on current information, so the information sent in notifications is precise. Parents receive all the route information and reports so that they can manage their schedules accordingly for their children’s pickups.
7. Real-time Tracking
Information is received, delivered, and saved as it happens. The system provides real-time student tracking, so parents can follow the school bus and see when and where it arrives for pick-up and drop-off.
8. Route-details
Parents, school and bus drivers can view all the route details heading towards school or the student’s pick-up stations. When the bus driver changes the regular route for any reason, such as traffic, the driver’s input notifies all parents and the school of the route being taken.
9. Emergency SOS
Student safety is the first priority, so the system allows an emergency SOS in case of any difficulty. The SOS is sent to both parents and the school.
For example, if the bus breaks down, an emergency SOS is sent to the school and to all the parents so that they can pick up their child from that location.
10. Accurate Data Capture
Data is captured and delivered as events happen. The system keeps its details in the cloud and updates the students’ locations automatically.
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BLE Tracking Gives Parents and Schools Peace of Mind
For student tracking, BLE has advantages over RFID, because readers can pick up an ID card from a distance and phones can take part. Each student’s parents know whether their child is attending class, has reached school, or is caught up in any unusual activity outside the school premises.
The student tracking system gives parents a clearer view of their child’s activities in and out of school. Whatever happens, parents are kept informed.