This document describes a hybrid mobile application that uses iBeacon technology to automate classroom attendance tracking. The application aims to address issues with the current manual process by using iBeacons placed in each classroom to broadcast unique identifiers. When a student enters a classroom within range of the iBeacon, their phone will detect the identifier and use an API to automatically log their attendance in a database. The document outlines the objectives, development process, and preliminary results of the proof of concept application, and proposes potential future enhancements such as integrating with calendars or using fingerprint authentication.

1. CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™
TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
Autor: Ruben Alliet
Director: Rafael Llobet Azpitarte
Valencia, 6 de julio de 2016

2. Index
1. Introduction
2. Objectives
3. Development
4. Results
5. Conclusion and future work
6. Bibliography
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

3. 1.Introduction
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

4. Introduction
4
Student goes to desk of teacher
Student signs attendance sheet
Teacher takes attendance
sheets to concierge’s desk
Process attendance sheets to
database
Current situation Proposed solution
Student logs into application
Student enters classroom and
comes within radius of iBeacon™
Application receives iBeacon ID
Perform API request and set
attendance in DB
CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

5. Demo
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

6. Introduction
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
Problems Solutions
Loss of time in queue Attendance is set by receiving
Bluetooth signal
Possible loss of attendance sheets Application manages all data
Human errors during scanning and
storing of attendances in database
No human interaction, application
automated the process

7. 2.Objectives
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

8. Objectives
General Objective
• Build application that allows students to prove their
attendance
Specific Objectives
• Configure and implement iBeacon™
• Implement cross-platform application for students and
teachers
• Implement API
• Design and populate database
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

9. Objectives
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
IBeacon™ Smartphone
app
API Database
Img x Prototype interaction scheme.
iBeacon sends ID Request
Response
Request
Response

10. 3.Development
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

11. iBeacon™ Development
• Transmits data with BLE up to 100 meters
• iBeacon™ configuration with vendor application
• Every classroom has an iBeacon with unique ID
• ID will be used in the API request to set attendance
• If iBeacon is broken or battery is dead, application can
set the attendance
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
iBeaconSmartphone
15M, -12dBm
Img x iBeacon™ proximity.

12. Application Development
• Client application used by students and teachers.
• Communicate with iBeacon and API
• Student can see attendance history and check-in
• Teacher can see attendance history of everyone and
adjust it
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
Smartphone
app
iBeacon API
Transmit ID Request
Response
Img x Interaction scheme iBeacon-application-API.

13. Application Development
• Cordova
• Cross-platform
• HTML,CSS & JS
• Short development time
• Performance less then native application
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
Img x Phonegap build diagram.

14. API Development
• Acces Programming Interface
• Secure connection between DB and smartphone
• Node.js
• V8 engine,compiles and executes JS at high speed
• Jason web token to secure
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Response
Request
Response
Request
CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
Database
Smartphone
application
Img x. Interaction scheme application-API-Database

15. Database Development
• Store the attendances of students
• MongoDB
• NoSQL database
• Faster than SQL
• BSON format
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{
"_id" : ObjectId("57376465bf2537f1e69f941a"),
"building" : "1B",
"name" : "Laboratorio DSIC8",
"minor" : 0,
"major" : 0,
"beacon_uuid" : "e2c56db5-dffb-48d2-b060-d0f5a71096e0"
}
Img x. BSON format
CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
Img x. Basic queries on SQL and Mongo

16. 4.Results
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

17. Results
17
Img x. iBeacon proximity
CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
• Each classroom has an iBeacon™, student enters
classroom and comes within radius iBeacon™
• Smartphone receives UUID of iBeacon™
• The UUID of the iBeacon™ and the id of the user will be
used by application to send API request
15M, -12dBm
iBeaconSmartphone

18. Results
• API uses iBeacon ™ ID and user ID to set attendance of
student in DB
• If iBeacon™ broken or battery dead, teacher sets
attendance of student manually
• Student sees own attendance history, teacher of all
students
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
Img x. Interaction scheme

19. 5.Conclusion and future
implementations
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

20. Conclusion
General Objective
• Application is implemented that allows students to prove their
attendance
Specific Objectives
• Configure and implement iBeacon™
• Implement cross-platform application for students and
teachers
• Implement API
• Design and populate database
Purposes
• Real school context
• Could be applied for other purposes like conferences, office…
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

21. Future implementations: NFC
NFC
• iBeacons high implementation cost
• Near Field Communication (4cm)
• Student puts student card with NFC chip on smartphone
of teacher
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION
Request
Response
Response
Request
Smartphone
application
API DatabaseNFC

22. Future implementations
Data exchange with Google Calendar
• Current situation: student sees attendance history on
application.
• Synchronize attendance data with Google Calendar
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

23. Future implementations
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

24. Future implementations
Fingerprint login
• Current situation: student enters credentials
• Fingerprint sensor smartphone
• False positive/false negative
• Library fingerprint check
• Ensure user confidentiality
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

25. 6.Bibliography
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION

26. Bibliography
• [1] Anonymous, “iBeacon™”,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBeacon™ [Online]. 21 June
2016, at 12:35
• [2] Simon Toulson, “iBeacon™ Parameters: UUID, Major
and Minor”,https://kontakt.io/blog/iBeacon™-
configuration-guide-tranmission-power/ [Online]. 04 June
2016, at 03:06
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CLASS ATTENDANCE BY USING IBEACON™ TECHNOLOGY IN A HYBRID APPLICATION