LoRa based search and rescue system for people with special needs

• Main Author: Κατσαμπίρης Σαλγάδο, Σπυρίδων Ανισέτο
• Other Authors: Katsampiris Salgado, Spyridon Aniseto
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Internet of Things (IoT); LoRa; LPWAN; Human-computer interaction; UX; Διαδίκτυο των Πραγμάτων; Αλληλεπίδραση ανθρώπου υπολογιστή

The subject of this dissertation is the study and implementation of a LoRa based Search and Rescue system that can help in the localization of people having a high risk of going missing. These people may suffer from dementia, attention disturbance, and distraction, or disease in the autism spectrum, and it is of great importance to be found in a specific time frame, as their life can be in danger. The system is based on LoRa network architecture that enables both long-range communication and low energy consumption. The study begins with a brief introduction to the Internet of Things, wireless communications, and LoRa systems while also presenting the Search and Rescue system, its approaches, and requirements that accompanied it. This is followed by a section dedicated to the Human-Computer Interaction field, the main methods and principles used by it in order to evaluate an application or system, and the various design steps that precede this process, like the creation of indicative personas and scenarios of use. Then the study continues with the practical and technical part where it lists all the technologies, mechanisms, and algorithms on which it was based to create the application. The penultimate section includes the evaluation of the prototypes of the application, the presentation of the observations by the evaluators, and the main conclusions. In addition, the final version of the application is presented. Finally, the dissertation concludes with the discussion and conclusions that emerged from the study and development of the system, as well as proposals for future extensions of the topic concerning the fields of LoRa systems in collaboration with the field of Human-Computer Interaction.